Disclaimer: Fanfiction based on characters created by Takehiko Inoue in Slam Dunk.
Reviews: Yes, yes, I know. The grammar and tenses are atrocious. It is written on notepad cos I am a lazybum. The sentence construction are terribly and there is no story development. There is too much OOCness and I am destroying the holy work that is Slam Dunk. See I said it all but for those reviewers who have so much time on their hand to want to say it again, please do go ahead. I will thank you graciously for taking so much trouble to do so but please be careful as I worry constantly that the stress and agony to read my poor little fic must be taking too much toll on your poor little hearts. I truly do not want my fanfiction to be the cause of ruining a reviewer's well-being.
1) Dinner For Two?
Kiyota Nobunaga could hardly believed it. He had pinched himself till his fingers left blue-black marks all over his thighs, then he stopped as even if it was a dream he didn't want to wake up. Rukawa Kaede was sitting across the table from him! The unbelievably gorgeous ace of Shohoku was at the moment sitting just in front of him studying a menu the size of a newspaper in an exclusive French restaurant that was empty except for the two of them. He had booked the whole restaurant so they could have complete privacy. His mother would probably yelled at him for the expense but heck, they could afford it anyway and it was for the most important night in his life.
It had taken him three months, two weeks and five days of loitering around the Shohoku school premises before the opportunity of approaching Rukawa had presented itself. He had came upon the beautiful youth perched on his bike purely by chance. In the background he could hear a loud series of laughter which he recognised as belonging to that simian player with red hair called Sakuragi. The two players were poles apart. One was a god endowed with beauty, talent, class and mystique. The other a talentless, worthless player who for some reason was allowed to play alongside the god.
He cautiously approached the desirable personage whose face and figure he had filed away in his mind forever. He sucked in his breath as he literally feasted on that perfect profile, nibbling on every sensuous contour.
"The rehabiliation king is back! Naahaahaahaahaahaahaaa!"
However once again the squawky voice of the vulgar plebeian ruined his appreciation of the aristocrat beauty. He glanced in the direction of the voice and saw Sakuragi tossing a basketball from hand to hand like a circus monkey. He was with a rather pretty girl with glassy big eyes behind the fence of the outdoor basketball court. He realised that Rukawa had probably came here to practise but was prevented by that mismatched couple.
"Sakuragi, it's amazing you are able to jump even higher than before." the girl breathlessly praised that no-talent causing Kiyota to screw up his face in extreme disgust. He felt rather than heard a frustrated sigh from Rukawa as he prepared to leave on his bike.
"Wait, Rukawa!" Kiyota spoke out in a low tone to avoid being heard by Sakuragi and the girl. Rukawa stopped and stared at him blankly.
"It's Kiyota Nobunaga," Kiyota said hurriedly and was relieved when Rukawa nodded slightly to acknowledge him. "Would you like to have dinner with me?" And astonishingly Rukawa had said yes.
So now the beauteous Rukawa sat across from him looking more delectable than anything on the menu. As usual the inscrutable player let nothing slipped neither from his mouth nor his face. He listlessly put down the menu and slightly raised his blue orbs under the curtain of black silky strands to stare at Kiyota who felt trapped like an insect under two shining pins.
"Do you like me?" he asked disinterestedly.
Kiyota blushed like the proverbial bride and nodded eagerly but not daring to ask if his affections would be recipocrated.
"Why?"
"Your basketball skills obviously. Even though I don't want to admit it but you are the best I have ever seen."
"Better than Sendoh?"
"Sendoh can't hold a candle to you."
Slight contempt crept into Rukawa's cold face and Kyota realised his mistake. Flattery would get nowhere with this guy who would stop at nothing to get to the top.
"Of course. It's hard to compare since he is your senior. Sendoh and Sawakita are both your seniors but you managed to hold your own against them."
"What about you?"
"I too will get better. We can be a team, you and I. Together, we will be unbeatable."
Rukawa looked bored and flipped through his menu desultorily.
"I thought you wanted to beat me," he muttered.
"Yes, I still do. I want to be the best but basketball is a team sports after all. One player cannot do it all. I want to team up with the best and you are the best in my book."
"We are in different teams."
"Kainan will welcome such a player as yourself."
"You're asking me to transfer?"
Kiyota looked nervous as he knew he was asking too much on a first date, "I am just stating a few facts."
Rukawa buried his head in the menu again as the maitre'd came personally to take their orders.
"Ready to order, gentlemen?"
"I recommend the foie gras, it's absolutely superb," said a silky-smooth suave voice. The maitre'd at once turned and greeted, "Good evening, Young Master."
Kiyota turned a whiter shade of pale when he saw the well-tanned, muscular youth sauntering to their table.
"Maki, what are you doing here?" Kiyota blurted out breathlessly. Rukawa just looked bored.
Maki Shinichi laughed charmingly, "This is my father's restaurant as you well know, Nobunaga, and I was curious when you booked the whole restaurant."
Kiyota looked crossed, "We want to have a private dinner."
Maki smiled knowingly and held up two fingers, "Two's company, three's a crowd but what about four?"
He turned to the tall boy who had been silently standing behind him. Kiyota's face now turned puce when he saw it was Sakuragi. He was even more exasperated when Rukawa at once raised his head to glare at the bald-headed monkey with a fraction more animation than he had shown so far.
Kiyota then noticed that Sakuragi was no longer bald. His hair had grown into a tousled riot of the most vibrant red laced with a brilliant gold. He was taller too and his thin white T-shirt while loose could not hide the well-defined muscles beneath while his torn jeans barely held together by numerous rips subtly hinted that his skin was sleek and creamy all over. Kiyota was abashedly aware that by comparision his designer outfit of leopard print shirt and black sateen pants made him looked distinctly foppish. The redhead sported a mutinous sulk which only served to make his full lips more pouty.
"It's getting crowded in here, Maki," he said petulantly not looking at either Kiyota or Rukawa. "I am off."
There was a scrapping sound as Rukawa suddenly stood up pushing back his chair. Sakuragi turned to look at him with a murderous scowl. They threw dagger looks at one another for a second then Rukawa walked over to Sakuragi, grabbed his arm and proceeded to drag him out of the restaurant without uttering a single word.
"Hey, who gave you permission to grab my arm?" cried Sakuragi furiously. "Let go, dammit!"
Maki watched them with an amused glint in his eyes, well aware that Sakuragi had more than enough strength to stop Rukawa but instead allowed himself to be pulled along still protesting loudly while the waiters and waitresses hid smiles as they looked indulgently at the bickering pair. He sat down on the chair that Rukawa had abandoned, picked up Rukawa's untouched glass of Cristal champagne and tossed it down his throat with a practised move.
"Sometimes money can't buy you everything, Nobunaga," he told Kiyota with a smirk.
"Why did you bring Sakuragi here, Maki? You spoiled everything," whined the younger boy.
"Because he is a very delicious morsel and I was hoping to have him for dinner but things didn't turn out as expected."
"I wouldn't put Sakuragi and delicious together. Indigestion is more likely."
"Well, it seems that Rukawa prefers indigestion to French cuisine."
At the mention of Rukawa, Kiyota looked crestfallen, "I don't understand why he accepted my dinner date?"
"Who knows what goes on behind that ice mask? Although if I were to hazard a guess, it could be you remind him of Sakuragi in some ways and he wanted to find out from you what makes Sakuragi tick."
"You made him sound obsessive."
"The silent ones usually are."
Kiyota slumped down in his chair feeling like a used pair of slippers that had momentarily served its purpose and then perfunctorily tossed aside. Maki studied him in silence. He wasn't telling the entire truth and that he was just a bit jealous when he found out that Kiyota had booked the whole restaurant for a dinner date with Rukawa. He too had been drawn to Sakuragi because despite the physical differences, the Shohoku player had reminded him of Nobunaga. Actually things were turning out just as he had planned and he smirked again as he poured more sparkling champagne into his tall crystal glass.
