Merry Christmas! Forever Yours, Kaede

Title: Merry Christmas! Forever Yours, Kaede
Author: Rage (Mirakusa Opiulen/Crystalline Methane)
Rating: PG13
Summary: I suck at writing summaries... just read it. -___-
A/N: I wrote this story a looooooooong time ago. I even have it archived in the old AkiraKaede ML and for some weird reason, it is also archived under the Meltwaters website. I strongly suggest that you don't read those versions because it made me sick. I tried my best to rewrite it and this is the result of my effort. It's a far cry from my other fic (When Angels Fall) but hey... I was in highschool and writing stories was the last thing on my mind back then.

I just want to thank my first reviewer for When Angels Fall... BattleAngel. Thank you for the great review honey... I'm glad that my fanfic was able to touch you in different ways and if only I can make Akira and Kaede touich you the same way, I would. Alas, I can only do so much. I don't really beg people for review but hey, if you can spare a couple of minutes, I'm not gonna stop you.

This story is just BLAH... for the lack of a better term, but you have to understand that this was the first SenRu fic I ever wrote so just be forgiving, ne? If you want hardcore bullshit, read When Angels Fall. Lol. Yeah. Shameless plug. I know.

Happy reading.

>Rage<

P.S. As always, I did not beta this... so whatever. I never beta my fics. Sue me.
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The streets are empty and the sidewalks are home to a multitude of dancing lights and holiday decorations. It is snowing heavily and the proof that people still lived in the city were the numerous foot prints left on the deep snow. The Christmas chaos died down earlier that evening due to the unpredictable weather. The holiday, capitalistic craze stopped short of going overboard that day as most of people preferred the warmth of their homes and the coziness of their beds compared to the snow-capped pavements outside. Whilst the greater percentage of the citizens sipped their hot cocoa and watched re-runs of Seventh Heaven on cable, an individual was treading the cold lanes of Kanagawa, a cup of Caramel Machiatto on one hand and a plastic bag full of junk food on the other.

Akira Sendoh was hurrying to get home, not wanting to be the last one on the streets that night. Having found his pantry devoid of any food that evening, he braved the cold weather and marched on to the nearest salvation of his stomach—Starbucks and 7/11. He decided earlier on that he will ravage the supermarket tomorrow, when the weather is much better and the risk of getting turned into an ice sculpture is reduced to null—well, hopefully.

“Well that teaches you to stock up on the proper necessities,” Akira said to no one in particular. He sipped his coffee as he turned a corner. He could see his apartment building and it fired him to walk faster. Aside from the fact that he was hungry, he wanted to get on-line as soon as possible. He smiled at that thought. Akira, as most of people know him, is a very indolent person if faced with idle days and holiday breaks. Not really one to practice basketball during a time wherein he was expected to rest, he dedicates—yes, dedicates—his time to watching DVD, playing video games, and browsing through the mind-boggling world of the Internet. It keeps him sane considering that the Internet is the fastest way he can communicate to a certain someone stuck at the other side of the world.

Upon reaching the door of his apartment building, he took out his keys and opened the door. He then enveloped with welcoming warmth radiating off the building’s heaters. He closed the door, sealing himself from the evil, uber-lord of weathers that has decided to sit and brood on top of the prefecture. He walked down the hallway, stopping at the very last door.

The gold-plated number glinted in the yellowish glow of the hallway lights. Apartment number 4. He unlocked the door, trying to balance his coffee and groceries as he tried to open the lights. “Tadaima,” he said, a small smile finding its way on his handsome face. It was a modest looking apartment, a far cry from the expensive loft his parents live in. A year ago, he asked his parents for a place of his own—he wanted so dearly to be independent, and to be able to spend some quality time with a special someone.

He walked through his small living room and up to this computer desk. He placed his cup and the grocery bag on the free space next to his computer—it was bad habit of his that usually places his computer at risk everytime a near-spill happens. Alas, he never learns and keeps on doing it. He shrugged his coat off and kicked his soiled boots off on his now-soiled carpet. Yep, another expensive cleaning job needs to be done before Christmas comes.

He pulled out his swivel chair and sat on it, enjoying the ergonomical comfort it brought. He shuffled the mouse a couple of times, bringing his computer out of sleep mode. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Akira was not one to conserve energy as long as it means that he doesn’t have to wait an eternity for his computer to boot up. The screen, no alive with the colors of a beautiful wallpaper that featured two people—lovers captured in a moment of bliss by a naughty friend’s digital camera. It made Akira’s smile widen, memories came flooding into this mind; memories of falling autumn leaves, of endless afternoons playing basketball.

Akira clicked on an icon, launching the internet browser. He typed his mail server’s address and logged in. He scrolled down the screen, seeing mostly sugar coated fan-mail and mailing list updates. He didn’t even bother to open any of them as he selected all the the e-mails and deleted them. He saw that his Trash folder has hundreds of e-mails with subjects ranging from “SENDOH_KUN!!!!!1111!!!! I L0V3 YYOUOUUUO!!!!!” to “Sendoh, Akira! Enlarge your penis now!” He dare not look into that folder and made a mental note to trash… all the trash mail. The lingering thoughts of the Spam mail made him cringe as he waited for the next set of e-mails to appear.

“Let’s see… Trash. Trash. Trash. Trash. Trash. Useful crap. Trash. Trash. Trash. Koshino trash. Trash. Trash. Trash. Tra—Harr Potter newsletter? How the hell did that get in there? Trash! Trash. Trash. Trash. Enlarge your penis 10x—no thank you, I’m happy with my size. Trash. Trash. Trash. Trash. Trash. Trash. Trash. I should really stop subscribing to mailing lists… Trash. Trash,” he said on and on and on, trying to fill the silence of his apartment. As waited for his Inbox to load again, he took a sip of his coffee and decided to open a bag of potato chips. He was about to pull the bag open when he saw the e-mail he’s been waiting for.

“Well, took you long enough, Kitsune-baka…,” he said, truly smiling now. He clicked on the subject waited for the screen to refresh. He replaced the potato chip back into the plastic bag, his stomach forgotten to satiate another hunger. He would’ve acted prettyu much the same way if he received an e-mail from any of his friends but this one is different. In Big bold letters, the sender field read, “Rukawa, Kaede”.

The Shohoku Ace finally made it. A well known American university scouted him and did not waste any time in shoving Kaede into a plane with a couple of bananas to munch on for the long trip. His rival-cum-lover only had mere hours after his graduation from Shohoku High to pack and spend a little more time with his friends. Akira remembered driving the young man to the airport and up until now, he could still hear Kaede urging him to come with him to America. Akira could’ve gotten the same scholarship if he wanted to but it was not his path to follow. On a bitter note, he also did not want to be a hindrance to Kaede—yes, he enjoyed playing basketball but he enjoyed watching the other young man play. He had no plans in being a professional athlete anyway. Being the one out of the two heirs to a multil-million shipping company, he had no choice but to follow his destiny along with his older brother. Besides, he had already envisioned himself to be a big-time entrepreneur… with a really hot lover.

The lover who just sent an e-mail to him.

Akira,

How’s life? I hope you’re doing fine. If you’re wondering the same thing about me, don’t worry. I’m doing great here in America. It is snowing heavily there? ‘Coz it is here and I’m freezing my ass off. And no, don’t even think that I’d like you to warm it up Cyberspace style because I share this computer with other people.

Classes ended a week ago and the University’s like a ghost town. I knew I should’ve booked a ticked earlier, now I can’t come home for Christmas. I still tried to get one though, I’m still in the waiting list but the chances of getting a flight now is very small. Now that I think of it, I don’t even why I bothered. There goes my holiday.

I won’t be lonely though. I’ve got a couple of friends here. They weren’t able to book early as well and so, they’re stuck here. We decided to hole up in one room though because we live in different floors. We’re using mine because number one, I hate moving things, and number two, my room has a great view—and it better have a goddamned good view being on the top floor and all. We—or, or should I say they—spent all of last week hauling their stuff and equipment up here. It’s a good thing the room’s big. Jake, he’s a friend of mine from International Studies, has loads of cool stuff—Playstation, DVD player, etc. And the other guy, his name is Ted, has load (and I mean LOADS) of food.

The two of them, put together, remind me of you.

And NO—I AM NOT, I REPEAT, NOT SLEEPING WITH THEM.

Anyway, enough about that. I really don’t know why I e-mailed you back. I guess I owe you a long one this time. You’ve been sending me long-ass e-mails for the past few months now. Which, by the way, I all read. So don’t think that I just sleep all the time and ignore you your e-mails. You should really stopping sending me those type of e-mails—I’m not a kid you know. I can take care of myself. You don’t have to remind me to brush my teeth or eat my vegetables. If any of my friends see it, I’ll die an early death because of humiliation.

And I’ll come back to hunt your (sexy) ass.

Damnit… this is tiring. Anyway, I do owe you some answers so here they go.

You asked me whether I eat well here. Yes, I do eat well. I actually eat more food here than in Japan. Weird. It's the environment here, I guess. It stresses you out, more often than not. My body screams for proper nutrition. Besides, our team's dietitian keeps a health record. We get a physical every month. Our weight is checked, etc. etc. I gained three more pounds and I grew an inch. That makes me 6'4" now. Just an inch shorter than you. It's all this food that they serve us. Contrary to common belief, University cafeterias actually serve good food. Sometimes, athletes like me have a special menu. Carbo-packed meals and stuff. So there. I'm eating properly Mother.

Second question, you asked me if I'm doing good in my studies and if I no longer sleep in class. Yes and yes. Yes, I'm doing good in my studies and yes, I no longer sleep in class. Here in America, they put education as a top priority. So, if I want to keep my scholarship and stay in the team, I have to get high grades. So sleeping in class is not even a topic to be discussed at all. If I miss a lesson, I'd be running against time the whole term. So, I've got to stay awake.

Next, you asked me about my game. If I'm improving and stuff. Yeah, I guess I have improved. I'm always up against really good players. American basketball is very different from what we’re used to in Japan. It's much faster, much harder, and more intense. I consider myself so damn lucky to have been chosen as one of the starting five. Jake (remember him? International Studies guy? Forgot to mention that he plays too) is our next team captain. He's already a junior. He's really good, he's like an American version of you. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to beat him. Anyway, it's not my dream to beat Jake. I want to prove myself to a certain Sendoh Akira, the ace player of Ryonan High and Kanagawa University.

And when I come, I’m gonna beat your sorry ass.

You can bet on it.

I'm getting tired in answering all of your questions. I mean, for real… do you have to be so nosy?

Do I keep my dorm clean? Yes. Do I get proper sleep? Yes. Do I drink alcohol? Yes and no. I'll explain sooner or later. Do I have a fan club here? I don't know and I don't care. Does the toilet flush counter-clockwise here? What a stupid question but, yes, it also flushes counter-clockwise here. How many shoes do I have? I've got three pairs of rubber shoes and counting (Nike is a great sponsor), a pair of boots, a pair of slippers … sweetmotherofbuddha… Why do you ask these things…

‘Aho…

I’m running out of things to say here. That does not mean I don’t care about you, though. Keep practicing because you’re gonna need it. Again, you don't have to worry or think about me all the time – says so in your e-mail. You'll get a migraine. I'm doing fine. I know you want me to be there and as much as it pains me to admit it, the distance between us kills me too. I would’ve stayed there, in Kanagawa University, with you. But opportunities like this come once in a lifetime. I just had to take it.

I really miss you, you know that?

You're probably wondering right now. No, shocked is more like it. Who would have thought that Rukawa Kaede would ever say that—to you, of all people. Then again, I never really said `I love you', have I? or, even expressed it that much. But, yeah. I miss you, I love you and hell, I want to be with you. Shit Akira, look at what you're making me do here. You started all this mushy, e-mail stuff. Now I'm doing it too. Whatever, since I already started, might as well end it. Don’t let this get to your head… there’s not enough space in this world to accommodate you ego.

A couple of years back, I couldn't even stare right into your eyes – unless we're playing basketball, that's different. Who would have thought that we’ll end up like this. Now, here I am, writing a very mushy letter to you. I won't regret doing this though… I'll probably just cringe or squirm every time I think of it.

What the hell am I saying. I’m babbling.

Whatever…

I think that's long enough for you?

I'll see you sometime next year.

And, by the way, I uhh… drew something for you. Just one of `em class caricatures I always do when boredom seems to be inevitable. Enjoy it for whatever it’s worth.

Kaede was right. Akira was shocked. You can count all the times wherein Sendoh Akira was rendered speechless and this one would’ve topped all of them. Kaede was not the type to do, much less write things like this—you can count on the blue moon to rise when he does it. Now Akira is wondering if the moon was blue. Who was he to question Lady Luck when she chances upon your doorstep. He might as well welcome her in and enjoy her company while he’s at it. He grabbed his coffee and sipped. It was luke warm already but somehow, it seemed to warm Akira more than ever. He has completely forgotten all the unhealthy foodstuff he bought, suddenly feeling sated by all the emotions that fed his heart and mind.

Reverting his attention back to the e-mail before he start running off to La-La Land, he clicked on the attachment icon at the bottom of the e-mail. He wondered what Kaede drew for him. Kaede’s have always been the most artistic between the two. Painting and sketching being one of his favorite pastimes and hobbies – aside from basketball of course. Akira could remember badgering the younger man about using his notebooks as sketchpads and his dog-eared books as a make-shift animation cells for his surfing stick figures and dropping bombs. His smile, it seemed, grew even wider as he flashed through those memories.

The image loaded and a blush escaped onto Akira’s face. It was a chibby drawing of them kissing. Kaede drew himself with fox ears and a fox tail, and Akira with bunny ears and a bunny tail. They were kissing beside a big Christmas tree beside big fireplace with stockings hanging over it. It was a makeshift postcard. At the lower left corner was Kaede’s handwriting saying,

"To Akira,

Merry Christmas!

Forever yours, Kaede"

-FIN-