InsaneJournal

[Slam Dunk] The Line Between
fandom Slam Dunk
characters Sendoh, Maki
for MakiSen Day 2008


“Hey,” Sendoh says as he sits down next to Maki.

“Hey,” Maki replies without looking up from his surfboard.

The beach is almost deserted; there’s only the two of them and one other dedicated surfer braving the cold waves of early winter. Sendoh doesn’t actually like surfing, but he likes the smell of the ocean, and he likes seeing Maki. He never really thinks about what it is he likes about Maki, or just how much he likes him; it has always been his philosophy to not think too deeply about things.

“Good waves today,” he says, digging his fingers into the cool sand beside him.

“Hm,” Maki says in agreement. When he finally looks up, his face is expressionless, but his eyes smile at Sendoh, and something inside Sendoh’s chest lurches.

Sendoh smiles back as if his heart isn’t pounding. “Been here long?” he asks.

Maki squints up at the sky, measuring the position of the weakly shining sun, and he shrugs. “Maybe a few hours.” A drop of water slides down over the curve of his shoulder, and Sendoh watches its progress.

“It’ll be too cold for surfing soon,” he says, his mouth dry.

Maki shrugs again. “I should concentrate on studying, anyway.”

“Really? But Kainan is an escalator school...” Sendoh’s voice trails away as an unexpected thought slips into his mind, and almost before the thought is completed he knows that it’s true: Maki is leaving. Sendoh’s hands clench into fists in the sand, and his eyes are calm as they stare out at the ocean. “There’s still time,” he says after a long silence.

“Yes,” Maki says, and stands up.

This is the last time that they will ever meet, but Sendoh doesn’t know it yet. He stands up too, brushing the sand from his clothes, then glances over his shoulder with a smile and says, “See you tomorrow.”

Maki nods, but doesn’t say anything; Sendoh can feel Maki’s eyes on his back as he walks away.

Maki isn’t at the beach the next day, nor the day after. Sendoh sits on the sand and watches the lone surfer out on the waves, and he thinks about nothing at all.


.fin


A/N: Um. HAPPY MAKISEN DAY?