I initially wanted to put this story in my Chocolate Kiss collection but I couldn't shorten the piece. Anyway, Happy Valentines, everyone! Thank you and keep reading!

Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi and Slam Dunk are not mine.

Valentine's Day

By Slavedriver2008

Being dateless on a Valentine's Day was probably the most humiliating event for a high school senior. Yui sighed and browsed through the piles of CDs in the music store. She was wearing a white razorback, blue cotton jacket, knee-high white socks, and rubber shoes. She silently berated herself for dressing like a boy, but it was the perfect camouflage. The people she knew were all somewhere around Tokyo, on a date. Still, she should have stayed at home and slept the day away. After all, Valentine's only comes once in a year.

"Hey you there, do you have a date today?" a man's voice asked and she flushed. She tucked her long hair inside a pageboy cap and as far as she knew, she doesn't look like a girl unless one looked closely. "Hey, I'm talking to you," he called again and she turned away, face down. A hand clutched her shoulder and she stiffened. She slowly turned to him and the man's eyes widened. "Yui-chan?"

Yui answered him with a look that bore curiosity. He knew who she was? The man had short midnight blue hair and a familiar voice, though she could not place him in her memories. There were two tall guys behind him, one had his hair in a spike and the other had it a little longer. She eyed him and after blinking countless times, the man laughed and patted her head. "You didn't recognize me, I didn't recognize you either! You're taller now and I didn't know you… well… you know…"

Yui's eyes narrowed. "I'm not a lesbian. Isn't it obvious that I'm trying to avoid being recognized?" She turned away. "Why are you in this side of Tokyo, Hi-chan?" she asked and the man laughed. It had been a long time since she saw him and the last time she did, Hisashi Mitsui was still in a gang. "Basketball sure changed you."

"Why are you trying to avoid attention? Don't tell me you're out with a girl?" he asked and she made a face.

"I'm straight, for Seiryuu's sake. Now go away before my classmates recognize me," she motioned with her hand. How can she tell him she doesn't have a date? It was humiliating. Knowing Hisashi, he will tease her to the core.

"Why are you—" he stopped speaking and his face lit up. Hisashi laughed loud and Yui knew it was the most imperfect time to meet him. He was not stupid or slow especially when it comes to some bantering. "You don't have a date, don't you?" he asked and Yui's cheeks flushed. "Awww… Yui-chan's dateless on Valentine's Day."

"So what? Who needs a date anyway?" She continued to browse through the CDs in the rack, trying to not act defensively. She knew it, going out was a bad idea. Stumbling upon Hisashi and his basketball teammates made it worse.

"Hey, I'm just kidding. But it's a good thing you're dateless today."

"I'm not dateless, I just don't want to go out with anyone," Yui clarified and the dark-haired captain rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Fine. I couldn't argue with my favorite cousin, ne." It was her turn to roll her eyes. Hisashi was her second cousin and they were really close, before he decided to become a bad boy. "Anyway, I'm supposed to go out with this girl and she said she's bringing two friends along. I asked my juniors in the basketball club, Sendoh Akita," he pointed to the man with spiky hair and the latter smiled. Yui smiled back, he was handsome. "and Rukawa Kaede—in exchange for a one on one." Instead of smiling, Rukawa raised an eyebrow and his coldness made Yui frown.

"So?" Yui cut him and Sendoh laughed lightly.

"One of the girls got bored with Rukawa and she wanted me to find another guy at the last minute." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pointed to a weird-looking girl outside the store. The girl smiled coolly at her direction. Yuck, she thought, why would anyone date a stupid-looking girl? "She had her eyes set on you. She thought you're a boy—a really cute boy."

"No," she said with a disgusted sound, pulling out a CD from the rack and skimming through the list of songs at the back. It was Incubus' latest album. She loved that band. She walked toward the listening booth but Hisashi stood on her way.

"Ahhh! But Yui-chan! My lovelife is at stake here!" The man she called cousin flailed wildly. "This is Rukawa's first date too! Are you ruining it for him?" Yui eyed the serious brooding basketball player. He never dated before? She looked out the window again. There was no way she'd date that girl—she's a girl too!

"I don't date boys—or in this case, girls—who look like they can't do basic Math. I bet she couldn't even construct a sentence in perfect English. I'm a girl for Seiryuu's sake! Why the hell are you pimping me—your favorite cousin—to her?" Sendoh laughed at her remark and she blushed, looking away.

"Hey, you're on my side, Sendoh. Anyway, don't worry, if she does something, we'll protect you. That's our job, you know." Yui rolled her eyes and walked away. Hisashi blocked her way again. "Come on, Yui. It's Valentine's Day. Since not one guy asked you out, why don't you try being one for a change? You might like girls after this date, you know."

"One more word and I'm breaking your neck, you baka!" Yui told him sharply and Hisashi backed off a little. Yui turned to the girl and she sent her a flying kiss. Yui shivered and tried to evade the kiss. She's a girl—A GIRL! "Eeewww! No. No. No."

"She's a medical student from America," Hisashi said. He mentioned the school and she raised an eyebrow.

"She passed?" she asked, unconvinced. The shooting guard nodded.

"Yeah, since you want to study in America, I thought you'd get a chance to ask how she passed the exams." Silence. Hisashi smiled, victory evident in his eyes. "So how about it Yui-chan? I thought you said you want to be a doctor? Or have you changed your mind already?"

Yui crossed arms. "I can pass that school on my own. I'm number one in Todai, or probably in Japan," she said confidently, earning a raised eyebrow from Rukawa. She passed him, clutching the CD in hand, toward the cashier. She was about to pay when Hisashi spoke again.

"I heard Incubus is having a concert next week. How about I get you tickets?" She turned and Hisashi smiled widely. His two companions were watching them avidly. Sendoh was really cute. Now, that's a guy she'd love to date. Why can't she date him instead?

"I can buy my own tickets." She was not planning to watch the concert but… She turned around and paid for the CD.

"Front row. No, make it VIP. You'll be face to face with Brandon Boyd." Yui's heart palpitated. She loves Brandon Boyd and apparently, Hisashi knew that. She was still debating with herself when he spoke again. "Come on, what do you think Yui-chan? You'll just pretend to be a guy for awhile. You don't have to talk much, just stand in for Rukawa—"

She turned around, flushing and looking away. "How long are we doing this?" she asked in a low voice and he laughed.

"Just for an hour, I'm just teaching this kiddo how to date. We'll just eat ice cream and that's it." Rukawa made a face and Sendoh laughed.

"The captain really seems eager today," Sendoh told the younger player. "But between us, she looks cute." Rukawa looked away, saying nothing.

"What a lousy plan. If I'm the girl, I won't go out with you again." Sendoh laughed louder, he was really an amusing guy. "But it works fine for me. Remember your promise, Hi-chan." They shook hands and Hisashi gave the group outside a thumbs-up sign.

"That's my last card, you know. I didn't know you go for dirty-looking men," Hisashi teased.

"Shut up."

Hisashi introduced her as a freshman in the team and Yui tried as much as possible to evade looking directly at Hikaru, in fear of being recognized. She now understood why Rukawa doesn't like her, she's very touchy and she kept on ogling. She was a very uncomfortable girl to date.

"What's your name?" Hikaru asked and she froze. What was she supposed to say? Was she even supposed to speak? The girl blinked and she immediately pulled out a sketchpad from her bag. She wrote a made-up name and showed it to the girl. Shin Akihito. The girl giggled. "That's a nice name. Why can't you speak?"

Yui wrote on her pad again. Throat problems, sorry.The girl nodded and smiled back, blushing. Rukawa raised an eyebrow. "Your handwriting is very neat. It's just like a girl's. I think you even write better that I am!" The girl wrapped an arm around her arm and pulled her. She instinctively wrapped an arm around Rukawa and the basketball player glared at the contact. "Your skin is so soft too, Aki-kun!" Yui wanted the hour to end. This was by far her worst Valentine's Day date she ever had!

They were on their way to the ice cream parlor when Hisashi's date pointed to an unoccupied basketball court. "You're all college regulars, right? Why don't you play for us?" Yui froze. Wait, now that was not part of the deal. Yui immediately wrote on her sketchpad.I want ice cream.

Hikaru laughed beside her. "But you have a throat problem, Aki-san. I want to see you play basketball!" She eyed Hisashi murderously and her cousin looked back apologetically.

"Okay then, it'll be two on two. I'll be paired with Aki-san here. Sendoh and Rukawa, if you beat us, I won't make you do lapses," Hisashi said and the girls cheered, running toward the bleachers. The boys took off their shirts and Yui swallowed hard.

"You promised not to make us do lapses if we agreed to this date, captain," Sendoh said. "A two on two is fine by me, but… Yui-san…"

"Take your shirt off Aki-san!" the girls screamed and Yui flushed. She immediately wrote on her sketchpad. Can't. Doctor's orders.Sendoh laughed lightly, trying to control himself while Hisashi threw a laughing fit.

"You're really good at this pretending thing, Yui-chan. You must really love Brandon Boyd!" he laughed loudly again. Rukawa smirked at them. Yui hit his cousin with the sketchpad.

"You are so dead after this, baka," she hissed out. She wanted to frown because she was feeling worse but her annoyance faded at the sight of a half-naked Sendoh. She fingered the lobe of her ear as she looked through his form discreetly. He looked very athletic, and so was Rukawa. Nice abs, she noted to herself, feigning annoyance.

"Come on, Yui-chan. We used to do this in middle school. Rukawa will be lenient on you—"

"Why do I get to guard the girl?" he asked in a monotonous voice and Yui's nose flared. Was this guy underestimating her? She was not a basketball player but she knew how to play decently. She was one of the best basketball players in junior high!

"Scared of me, Rukawa-kun?" she asked sarcastically. The guy raised an eyebrow and Hisashi went between them.

"Hey, no fights. Relax and let's finish this quickly." Hisashi patted their shoulders and pulled Yui away. "Don't fight with him, Yui-chan. He's our ace player. He used to be number 1 in the high school nationals. Don't fight with him, just keep passing to me. Now, let's win this." Yui sighed and secured his cap into place. She also buttoned her jacket tightly. This day was probably the worst in the world. Thank Seiryuu it's only happening once.

"Hongou-san," Sendoh approached her and she blushed immediately. If he was guarding her, she'd gladly give him the ball. He was so dreamy. "Don't let Rukawa get to you, he's really like that. Oh and play well. Even if you're a girl, we won't be beaten."

"We won't too," she told him and he smiled very warmly. She was grinning widely when Rukawa ran to guard her. The ball was in her possession and she tried her best to prevent him from stealing it. He put his long arms around her, their skins barely touching.

"You're too small I can easily cover you," he whispered and she flushed. She dribbled the ball behind her and stepped back but he followed her purposely, putting very little space between them. Was he… flirting with her? She swallowed hard, maybe he was doing it to ruin her concentration. What an annoying guy.

"So what?" she pushed toward him and he immediately backed off, their faces inches away. "You look handsome up close." She turned to his side and with Rukawa unaware, immediately jumped for a shot. The ball went in and the girls cheered. She pulled her cap down and smirked.

"Nice shot, Yu—Aki!" Hisashi screamed. Sendoh smiled widely too. The spiked-hair bishounen was holding the ball and she was guarding the shooting guard.

"Hmmm… that was a lucky shot," Rukawa whispered, too closely in her ear. Warmth filled her again. He grazed his arm on her waist and she swallowed hard at the contact. "Smells good too…" Her eyes widened and Rukawa caught the ball over his head. He immediately turned around and threw a shot. It went in and Yui openly gaped at his shooting form. He was good, really good. No wonder he was number 1 in high school. He smirked and she made a face to hide the amusement that played over her face when he successfully shot the ball.

The game went on and Rukawa kept on whispering things in her ear. He kept on moving closer and closer too, making her heart beat wildly. They were 2 points ahead but the 2 were becoming aggressive, not to mention too close. Sendoh was making a good way of guarding her cousin so she barely had the chance to pass the ball. The cheering toned down but they were all too absorbed with the game to pay the girls attention. They didn't notice night was falling fast.

"Hoy Rukawa, not too close!" Hisashi shouted and Rukawa made a face.

"Why not?" he challenged. Rukawa smirked, dribbling the ball faster. "This shot," he whispered very softly and she blushed. He advanced toward her. "…is for you," Rukawa whispered when their faces were inches away. She lost balance and fell, very slowly. He jumped and the ball went straight in the basket. He offered her a hand and she slapped it away. Now, they were only 1 point ahead. They need to score again. She hated losing. But… did Rukawa really shoot the ball for her?

The ball was with her again and her face was warm all throughout. She couldn't even look at him. She passed the ball to Hisashi but Rukawa managed to block it. He immediately ran toward the goal to jump for a dunk. Without thinking, Yui ran and blocked him. The ball went in and they fell on the ground. He placed a hand at the back of her head to support her from the fall. Yui felt all her bones broke, her cap flew off and her hair was scattered all over the place. Rukawa's handsome face greeted her view and she blushed at the closeness. He was on top of her and was intently looking down.

"You look more beautiful up close…" he whispered and all part of her body felt warm. Then for the first time, he smiled. Yui's heart was jumping out of her chest.

"Yui-chan!" Hisashi screamed and Rukawa slowly moved away, not taking his beautiful dark eyes from her. Yui pushed herself up and her cousin looked with concern. "I was telling you to not block that one—"

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear," she said softly. "Oh no, my cap fell off. The—"

"They left already," Sendoh told her. "We were too engrossed with the game to notice. It's dark now, let's call it a day, ne captain?"

"Geez, now I believe you're not a lesbian. Anyway, your place is nearby, right?" Hisashi asked and she nodded. "How about you cook for us, Yui-chan? My pocket's drained already," he said and she laughed in response.

"Okay. I'm dying to get a shower. I'm sweating like hell." She took off her jacket and Sendoh whistled. Hisashi eyed him and he smiled apologetically. Yui didn't notice. "Did we lose?"

"Nah, it's a draw." Hisashi laughed victoriously. The other two sighed and Yui laughed with him.

"Great, I hate losing," she said. "Come on. Let's go home, I'm hungry." The three nodded and they walked toward her apartment. They were nearby when she realized Rukawa fell too. "Are you alright?" she asked, very softly. He didn't say anything and Hisashi suddenly patted her head.

"Do you like my ace player, huh, Yui-chan?" he asked and she flushed.

"WHAT? I was just—It's your fault this happened, ne! If you weren't too keen on dating that girl, this wouldn't have happened." Hisashi smiled.

"Nah, my plan succeeded, you know." Yui looked at him quizzically. "I managed to find this punk a date." He pointed toward Rukawa and Yui became more confused. How can he find a date? She took over his place. "Still as clueless as ever. No wonder you don't have a date, I bet you unintentionally dumped all the men who wanted to ask you out." Yui eyed him and Hisashi laughed louder. "But seriously Yui-chan, you should look around you. The right guy is just probably around… but he has to beat me in basketball first."

"I don't understand you at all. Did you hit your head?" she asked and Hisashi smirked.

"Whatever. You'll get what I mean soon." He asked what she planned to cook and she shrugged her shoulders. He suggested food and she went through the stocks in her refrigerator. She just visited the groceries so her sustenance was full. Now, she should cook a very delicious meal for them. She blushed. She didn't get a date but she somehow had fun hanging out with these college boys.

"Are you hurt?" Someone asked and she looked up to find Rukawa watching her. Her heart palpitated wildly again. She shook her head very slowly. He smiled, a very thin smile. "Good."

Yui wanted to faint.

A/N: This one's very discreet but I can't lengthen it much because I'm watching the word count. Ehehehe! I love Rukawa Kaede. I didn't like him much in the anime but when I read the manga, I immediately fell in love with him. *blush* Btw, I don't usually resort to these things, but if I get like 10 positive reviews, I'll continue this to a complete story.