So Close, So Far Collection III: Love's Gates Open
Vignette Number One: "Thrill"
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Disclaimer: Shaman King belongs to the great Mr. Takei. I do not plan, never have planned, and never will plan to make any money off of this fanfic.
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The crowd's cry of "Defense!" echoed throughout the Houston Toyota Center as the home basketball team played with all of their heart. Tao Jun cheered with everyone as a Rockets player gracefully stole the ball from under the rival's goal although she was secretly confused about what just happened.
"So is he allowed to take it?" she asked.
The man to her right snapped, "Of course, lady. Whatsa matter? Don't they have basketball in China?"
She glared at him but couldn't exactly tell him the question was directed at the martial artist ghost who was hovering above her. Having a dead boyfriend had its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, she only had to pay for one person when going out in public. On the other hand, most people thought she was a total loon ball if they caught her talking to him.
The only decision she began to regret more than separating Pyron from his body for a day was coming to watch a sport she knew nothing about. The Tao heiress had only splurged on the flight to watch a basketball game in America because Pyron had urged her too.
"Never seen a basketball game? You have no idea what you're missing. Listen, why don't we see the game playing in Houston on New Year's Eve? My wife and I saw our first live game in the same city during the seventies. It was thrilling," he'd said.
He was right. Watching the match in the expensive courtside seat was exhilarating even though she only had a basic grasp on basketball rules. Her heart pumped excitedly as Houston sailed toward their goal like sonic jets. The team captain couldn't have been more than fifteen feet away from her! One Rocket tried to pass the ball to his captain, but unfortunately threw it a little too far to the right.
Thump, thump, thump! Jun gasped. The basketball was bounding right toward her face! She flinched and braced herself for the painful impact, but it never came. When the bewildered shaman opened her eyes she saw that Pyron had caught it just in time. A relieved staccato sigh escaped her lungs. Not many ladies were lucky enough to have a man with the reflexes of a cougar.
"Holy crap, is the ball floating?!" a chubby man yelled.
Several other fans stared at the dao-shi.
"Oops," Pyron blurted.
He dropped it like a hot potato and it rolled back to the referee.
"The score is seventy-eight to seventy-two. RRRockets' ball!" the loudspeaker boomed.
Everyone staring at Jun refocused on the match. The grateful priestess smiled at her kyonshi and blushed cherry blossom pink. She wasn't quite sure what was more thrilling: the game or the handsome face in front of her.
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Here's some more trivia for my hardcore fans: The inspiration for "Thrill" came when I visited my friends down south and saw a lady almost get hit in the face at a Rockets game. Anyway, I hope you like chapter one. Compliments and constructive criticism are appreciated.