Chapter X

After visiting my mother multiple times over the weekend, It was now Monday, and it was now my last chance to visit her before she went into

surgery this afternoon.

I sat on a chair next to my mother.

“Your basketball game is tomorrow right?” she asked me.

“Yes, I’ll be playing Shinjo Tech, where Cain stays at,” I told her.

“I see, I hope you two get to talk to each other,” she said.

“I doubt it, I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t play.

I never played against him, even last year.

When our schools match up, he never would show up.

For tommorow’s practice game, no shot he’ll be there,” I told my mother.

“Oh, I think he may show up,” she told me.

“He won’t, he won’t stand being on the same court together, I know it,” I said.

“I see, well I pray that you guys will be able to share the court again.

Just like when you both were in middle school, you guys were the best of the best!” she added.

“Yes, but now were on opposite teams, If I were to play against him, I’m not sure how I would fair.” I mentioned.

Cain and I had different playstyles.

Cain is a player who commands the offense, and will do whatever it takes to get the ball through the basket.

His offensive talents knows no bounds, and his compassion to win is unmatched.

He is also a great leader, though he has anger issues, he is able to suppress it on the court and elevates his teammates, allowing them to play at their best.

I on the other hand am a different type of player.

I specialize on the defensive end, where every night I am asked to guard the opposing team’s best player.

I am a solid scoring option as well, however I alone cannot win basketball games.

That is how me and my brother are different.

Back in junior high, only when we combined our skills, did we become an an unstoppable force, allowing us to get a 47-13 record across our 3 seasons together, along with 2 championships.

Last year, Sakura was a solid team in the conference, however we just didn’t have enough firepower and grit to stand out as a powerhouse.

I believe however, this year might be different, with the addition of Sugahara.

I was the best player on our team last year, however Sugahara just might be our very best player now.

He may even be able to keep up with Cain in terms of raw talent.

“Well honey, it looks like you’ll be late for school if your going to stay here any longer,” mother told me.

“Yes, that’s right, I’ll be off now then,” I told her.

I hugged my mother one last time, knowing full well this may be the last time I see her if the surgery fails.

“Please fight to the bitter end mother, I love you” I told her.

“You as well, kick Cain’s ass if he plays! Knock some sense into him,” she told me.

“I love you Reo,” she ended.

After that, I went directly to school.

✾❀✾

POV: Kojima

I was nearing school now, as I passed the giant cherry blossom tree, signaling that I am now on the school premise.

I was riding my bike, like I usually do, going at a steady medium pace.

I looked over on my right were we can see a beautiful view of the lake.

It shined brightly as a subtle breeze sailed the skies.

I noticed some of my friends walking in front of me.

It was Haruno and Kinoshita.

I slowed down and got off my bike to walk the rest of the way with them.

“Good morning Koji!” Kinoshita said a loud.

“Morning guys,” I replied.

“Excited for your game tomorrow? Haruno asked me.

“Yeah, definitely,” I said.

It’s going to be my first every basketball game at the high-school level.

“Did Coach mention to you guys the starting line up yet?” I asked both Haruno and Kinoshita.

“Nope, no clue,” Kinoshita chimed in.

Our game was tomorrow, yet the players have no clue what were heading into.

Heck, we don’t even have our uniforms yet.

“Do you know anything about Shinjo Tech Kojima?” Haruno asked me.

“Let’s see, Yesterday me and the guys were doing some research on them.

Apparently, they’re one of the best teams in high school hoops right now.

They went all the way to the finals in the inter-high tournament last year as well,” I told them.

“They weren’t able to snatch the title however, that right belonged to Kikoru High School.” I mentioned.

“Further more, their best player is a point guard just like me, by the name of Yamato Cain,” I added.

“I see, they seem tough to beat,” Haruno told me.

Just then, I felt a pressure of my right shoulder.

I turned around to see Sugahara with his arm around me.

“Mornin’ guys,” he told us.

“So Koji, you ready for tomorrow’s game?” Sugahara asked me.

”As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied.

Sugahara started calling me Koji the other day, which was my nickname only close people call me.

I guess it meant that Sugahara and I are no longer strangers, and that the both of us have gotten closer.

“So, what’d you guys do for the weekend?” Kinoshita asked us.

“Oh, Koji and I went to play basketball with Asari and Arisu!” Sugahara said.

“Man we totally ran that gym, no one was able to beat the four of us,” he added.

“I see, that sounds really fun!” Kinoshita told us.

“Yeah, it really was, what about you guys?

How was the weekend?” Sugahara turned the question over to Kinoshita and Haruno.

“Oh let’s see, I baked a cake! Oo and I also went shopping with Kaori,” Kinoshita said.

“I got some new clothes and school supplies, and Kaori got this new book!” she added.

“You guys are pretty close huh?” Sugahara mentioned.

“Of course, Aiya and I have known eachother since the first grade,” Haruno said.

“Yeah! I remember back then Kaori was such a ice princess, but now she’s really livened up since then,” Kinoshita told us.

No, I’m pretty sure Haruno is still an Ice princess, I thought to myself.

The four of us reached school and put on our school shoes at the lockers and then headed to class.

The three of them were in the same class, meanwhile my class was right next door from theirs.

✾❀✾

Lunch eventually came by after several hours of classes.

I went over to Sugahara’s classroom to see if he wanted to go down to the cafeteria to grab some food.

“Let’s go,” he told me.

Right before we left the classroom, somebody unexpectedly entered the room.

It was a girl with red hair and yellow eyes, who seemed to have business with Sugahara.

“U-uh, hey,” the girl said.

“Need anything?” Sugahara asked her.

“Not really,” the girl said looking away embarrassed.

“I just wanted to give you this,” she said handing Sugahara what looked to be a small lunch box.

“I wanted to make sure to keep my end of the bargain,” she said.

Sugahara looked at the box for a brief moment then looked back at the girl.

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” he said to the girl.

“Yeah, I had to really, especially after what happened this weekend,” she added.

“Alright, well thanks for the food Kaede, did you make it yourself?” he asked.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Yeah, I tried my best, I’m actually a pretty good chef if I’d say,” she remarked in a cocky manner.

“I’ll bring you another one tomorrow, and you can give me the box back,” she added.

After that, she left the room saying goodbye to Sugahara.

Kinoshita and Haruno seemed surprised to see a girl from another class come and give Sugahara his lunch.

I was also curious, as I wondered if I should ask him about it.

“Well, I actually got lunch now Koji, if you want, I can still go with you,” he told me.

“No, that’s fine, I’ll be back in a minute, getting food is pretty quick,” I responded.

I left the room briefly to go get my lunch.

POV: Sugahara

I sat down a table away from Kinoshita, the same table I’d been sitting at during our lunch hour.

Usually, the four of us ate lunch in a single row, where I was the farthest left, and Haruno was the farthest right. Between us were Kinoshita and Kojima, where Kojima sat next to me and Kinoshita next to Haruno.

Asari now also eats lunch with us, and he usually sits at a table in front of me and Kojima.

Asari went to get drinks for us, according to Kinoshita.

I opened the lunch box that Kaede had made for me.

I didn’t really know what to expect but when I opened it I was surely surprised.

In it was fresh Sashimi, with seasoned rice with a orange sauce and a side of bell peppers.

It looked pretty appetizing and was a healthy, well-balanced meal.

I started to dig in, but I noticed Haruno and Kinoshita peering at me.

“So did you get yourself a girlfriend?” Haruno asked teasingly.

She probably inferred that since a girl gave me lunch she could have been my girlfriend.

“N-no, it’s not like that,” I told them.

“Oh, what’s it like then? You look pretty flustered about it?” she continued.

I was embarrassed, that’s why I was flustered, but I ultimately explained who Kaede was and what our bet was about.

“Oh wait a minute, Isn’t she the girl we saw up in the high view that day?” Kinoshita pointed out to Haruno.

“Oh yeah, how could I forget her face, she looks exactly like Sato-Sensei,” Haruno explained.

“Seems fishy that you call her by her first name though?” Haruno said suspiciously of me.

“She told me to call her that, simple,” I explained.

“Well whatever, I don’t really care, I was just poking fun at you is all,” Haruno ended off.

Kinoshita looked a little distraught.

Kojima, along with Asari eventually got back to class and we started eating per usual.

“So, you guys nervous for the game? Asari asked us.

“Nah, not really,” I replied.

“Somewhat,” Kojima added.

“Really? Well, Shinjo Tech is a really strong school, it’s definitely going to be tough to take them down,” Asari said.

“Yeah, I wonder what starting line-up Coach Miyamura will have us play,” Kojima said.

“I think we can assume Asari and Yamato will be starting.

I mean coach even stated Yamato’s a starter one hundred percent,

While Asari is our biggest player, likely going to fill our center position.” I explained.

“You’ll probably start too Sugahara, along with maybe Nakamura?” Asari added.

“Hmm, I could see that happening,” I replied.

As we discussed the game, time flew by and lunch would eventually be over.

POV: Yamato Cain

Sounds of the clock tick, and tick, and tick, endlessly.

Tick

Tick

Tick

I sat in my class at Shinjo Tech, where we were learning about the infrastructure of buildings, and how they evolved to withstand environmental disasters.

It was quite boring, and in my mind, I had other thoughts.

I had 5 hours left to make my decision.

Usually, it was a very easy decision to make, it would be a simple no.

However, after what my mother told me this morning, I’m having second thoughts.

I didn’t tell her my answer, however, she said she trusted me to make the right one.

✾❀✾

7 hours earlier

When I went to visit my mother for the last time before her surgery, I caught a look of sadness on her face.

“Hey Mother,” I said.

“Hello Cain,” she replied.

I sat beside her, watching her lay quietly.

Her brain condition had become increasingly severe these past couple of months, that’s why this surgery was important.

If it succeeded, it meant she could go on to live for a longer period of time.

If it failed, it meant that she would reach a dead end, where her body could no longer sustain itself.

“I’ve heard you have a basketball game today against Reo,” she told me.

I remained silent, not wanting to engage in this topic.

“Will you play in it?” she asked me.

“No, I won’t,” I told her.

“I thought so,” she replied.

“Come closer Cain, mommy wants to see your face closely,” she said with a tired tone.

I came closer to my mother so she could look at me clearly.

Her vision had also become increasingly bad over the months, she said sometimes she sees three things at once.

“You have nice eyes Cain, but not as nice as Reo’s,” she told me.

“I don’t care,” I told her.

I always knew deep in my mind that Mother favored Reo over me.

I suppose she always resonated with his more reserved and calm demeanor, instead of my hostile and cunning demeanor.

She sat up and put her arms around me.

“Mommy loves you, Cain, Mommy loves you very much,” she said.

“Yeah, I love you too Mom,” I replied.

“You're strong Cain, a lot stronger than your brother, in many ways,” she said.

“However, the way you’ve gone about this entire situation, I think is very weak,”

I sat there silent, trying to ignore what she had to say.

I made up my mind a long time ago that I would stand alone on my choices.

My choice to cut Reo from my life is my choice alone.

But what she had to say next put me in a chokehold.

“This surgery…It won’t work,” she said.

“I don’t know why, I just have this feeling that it won’t.

Every day my brain swells, my body aches, and my vision is blurred.

My body, it….

Doesn’t have the will to live any longer,” my mom said, starting to cry.

“Don’t say that mother! You have to live! For me! I need you to live!” I exclaimed.

My mother wiped her tears with her shirt.

“I’ll always be with you son, always,” she said, putting her arms on my shoulders.

“I’ve accepted my death, it’s inevitable. Even if the surgery succeeds, It won’t heal me.

Eventually, I’ll be at death’s door once again.

I’ve accepted it Cain, I have.

However, there’s one thing that I don’t accept, not at all.

Cain, you have to make things right! Please, I'm begging you!

Take care of your father, take care of your brother!

You are the strongest in the family, you have the strongest will, ambition, and a smart mind.

So please, do the right thing, I don’t want to die knowing that my sons are at odds with each other.

Please, learn to love him again! For me!” my mother shouted in my face.

image [https://i.imgur.com/cQkSg2Q.jpg]

I quivered at the sight of my mother.

I wanted to cry like how she was doing.

I wanted to release years of my pain.

But I can never do so, my body simply won’t allow me to.

That is why deep down, I’ve always envied Reo, that fact that he could cry and I couldn’t.

Reo couldn’t stand up and protect our mother.

And I can’t shed a single tear for her.

“How Mother, how can I do so,” I asked her, at a loss for words.

“It will take a long time Cain, but you can do it.

Take it one step at a time, and you’ll learn to love your brother again.

I ask you, Cain, please just attend this basketball game for Reo.

It would mean a lot for him to see you there.

You two can begin to break the barrier that has formed between you.” she explained.

“I can’t forgive and forget, not after what he did mother,” I told her firmly, reinstating my will.

“If I had one wish Cain, it wouldn’t be to be healed, or anything like that.

It would be for my two sons to stand next to each other, side by side, smiling together.

Can you do that for me, Cain?

I’ll always be with you in spirit my son, and when I see that happen, even after I die, I’ll be the happiest person in the world.

Please, son, do the right thing,

Please…”

My mother suddenly went quiet.

According to her vitals, everything was fine, and it appeared she had fallen asleep.

She had been looking very unrestful as of late.

I held her hand one last time before I left.

After that, I left the room, fully aware that I may not ever see her alive again.

Her words cut deeply inside me.

I had to make a decision.

Either go against myself for her sake.

Or fall into total darkness.

I have to make the right decision.

✾❀✾

POV: Kinoshita

“Okay everyone, here they are!” I said cheerfully.

School had ended 30 minutes ago, and now we were in the gymnasium for the boy's last practice before their big game.

Kaori and I handed out the new jerseys for the season.

They were a perfect white color, with stripes going down them in the school's color, which was pink.

What was neat about them was that we had a special arrangement made with the sewing club, where the boys got to pick their exact number.

After that, we’ll have the sewing club stitch their numbers in, right before the game tomorrow.

I had Kaori take note of each player’s desired numbers.

After that, the whole team headed down to the other side of the school, where the sewing club resided.

Kaori knocked on the door as we waited for someone to open the door.

Eventually, a member of the club came and opened the door.

She had brown curly hair, along with stylish round glasses.

“Hello!” I told her,

“Hey! How’s a going,” she replied.

All the boys walked into the room and immediately started curiously touching stuff.

Kaori immediately disciplined them by smacking Asari on the head.

“Owww that actually hurt Haruno,” Asari complained.

“Deal with it, you shouldn’t touch other people's stuff,” she said.

One by one, the boys lined up to hand over the girl their uniform, along with a tag with their desired number.

The girl’s name was Aisawa Mei.

She was the only one in the club right now as she said that everyone went home early today.

According to the boy’s tags, their numbers were:

* Kojima: 1

* Sugahara: 11

* Asari: 3

* Nakamura: 10

* Yamato: 14

* Suzuki: 45

* Okamoto: 9

* Arisu: 30

Aisawa said that they would be done, and delivered back to the gym by tomorrow evening.

We all as a team thanked Aisawa and left a good message for the other club members as well.

After all that, we went back to finish practice until it was officially over.

Then after that, everyone left to go home.

I walked back home with my friend group of Kojima, Kaori, and Sugahara, until we eventually split up.

Kaori and I lived relatively close so we stuck together a while longer, before also eventually splitting up also.

I arrived home finally and noticed a parked car in the drive way.

It appeared that my mom had gotten home from work.

I opened the door to greet my dog Coco, and said hi to mom.

“Hey mom!” I came over to hug her from behind.

“Hey Aiya, how was school?” she asked me.

“It was great!

I had lots of fun today,” I replied.

“Yeah? So tell me about this club you joined. You told me you joined a club yes?” she inquired.

“Well it’s not really a club, it’s more of a manager position for the boy’s basketball team,” I replied.

“Oh nice, is it any fun? What do you do for them?” she asked.

“I just manage the schedule and other tasks that the head coach gives me.

Also, Kaori is in it with me, so you don’t have to worry,” I told her.

“I see, well, are there any cute boys that you’ve met yet? Any on the basketball team?” she asked, causing me to get embarrassed.

“Mom!” I exclaimed flusteredly.

“Just asking dear, I mean you're about the age where you might start dating, so I just wanted to check in with you,” she said.

“Anyways how has work been? Pretty tough?” I asked her.

My mom sank into her chair with a weary sigh. "It was one of the worst days ever.

There was a robbery at the jewelry store downtown, and the thief managed to evade capture.

Then, we had a missing person report that turned into a kidnapping investigation.

And to top it off, we had a drug bust that didn't go as smoothly as we hoped.

It was pretty intense." my mom said.

My mom worked as a detective for the police station.

She’s always on these dangerous missions so I often worry about her safety.

“That’s so rough Mom! We should go to the spa or something to get your mind off things!” I told her.

“Yeah, that does sound pretty nice, you should book an appointment for Saturday,” she told me.

As we sat down to eat, I noticed a photo album on the table.

"What's this Mom?" I asked, curious.

"Just an old photo album.

I was looking through it earlier, looking at some of your photos when you were still a little kid," she said.

"Can I see?" I asked, wanting to see some old pictures of myself.

"Of course, let’s look at them together!” My mom said.

“Do you remember this summer?" she asked.

“No I don’t actually,” I replied.

“What!? No way, there were so many great memories during that summer,” she exclaimed.

These photos were when I was around 7, but for some reason, I don’t remember anything.

“Hmm, that’s odd, I remember that it was an exciting time for you.

Hey, what about this photo do you remember it?” my mom said, pointing at a photo on the next page.

When I saw that photo, suddenly, memories of that summer flooded my mind.

image [https://i.imgur.com/3TjDjnw.jpg]

I can’t believe I had forgotten about it.