Monster Ball
written by: delusionallady
Disclaimer: Inoue Takehiko owns Slam Dunk.
A/N: This will be yaoi as usual with my two favorite SD pairings. :D
".. Okay, I think that's about it for today. Meeting adjourned." Koshino said as he shuffled some papers together. As student council president, he was in charge of the activities performed all year round. And this particular October, he was stressed with all sorts of proposals. Some were good and some were curiously demented. All in all, they were a big headache. It was a good thing that it was almost over.
It was so rare to be left alone in peace with his thoughts that he didn't realize how long he had been sitting until one of the council members tapped his shoulder.
"Koshino-san, aren't you going to prepare for the party tonight?" one of the youngest members asked.
That jolted him back to reality. One of the traditions of Ryonan was to hold a huge Halloween costume party. Over the years, it had been modified. This year, the school decided to make the whole event open to the other schools. As a way to promote peace and fellowship between the institutions, as the school board put it. Whatever their reason was, the kids were just happy to have more fun people around. Not to mention, a lot of the Ryonan students had boyfriends and girlfriends from other schools.
"H-Hai. The monster ball.." Koshino murmured. "Yes, I will be going. Are you going as well, Chihiro?"
The girl nodded her head excitedly. However, she seemed happier at the fact that the student council president remembered her name. Blushing, she asked what he was going as.
It was Koshino's turn to turn red. "It's a secret."
Chihiro looked a bit disappointed. It was obvious that she was hoping for a chance to dance with the good-looking leader.
"But I will tell you one thing," Koshino said. "It will be absolutely horrifying."
Chihiro grinned. There would probably be a lot of people dressed up as monsters at the ball but at least it decreased the number of guys she had to guess from.
As soon as she left, Koshino exhaled deeply. He was student council president and it was a position that was given high regard. A lot of people admired him for it but somehow, he felt that Chihiro's admiration went to a greater extent. And boy, did he feel every inch of it. It wasn't that she was unattractive. In fact, Koshino knew people who were interested in the young lady.
"Perhaps if I didn't love somebody else.." he whispered.
Yeah, somebody else..
And that somebody else was the reason why he was going to the Halloween party. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be able to have the courage to confess his feelings.. but tonight.. Tonight presented him with an opportunity that might never come again. At least, not for another year.
"But I have to do this tonight.. I know it will never work out between us but at least I'll be able to experience it tonight."
With a serious expression, he got up and left to prepare. He had declined Sendoh's offer of going to the ball together. After all, it wouldn't do for the love of his life to guess what costume he was going to wear.
For the first time in his life, Koshino was going to do something without knowing what the outcome might be. "I guess I'll just have to wing it.." he thought to himself.
Classes had been cut short because of the monster ball. Sendoh hummed to the tune of his favorite anime program, Slum Dank, as he rummaged his closet for his costume. Although there was a contest for the most creative costume, the spiky-haired player decided to go as the traditional prince charming. After all, it would fit oh-so perfectly into his plan.
"I do have a princess.. I mean, a prince to sweep off his feet."
Finally spotting the costume, Sendoh grinned. It was a real work of art! Simple yet sophisticated. Breeches, cravat, blue coat.. It was a costume inspired from the Beauty and Beast animation. He had watched the movie with his little niece and got the idea from Beast's princely attire.
Being such a carefree lad, he didn't particularly worry over things. But tonight was different. He felt like this ball would change his life forever. "For better or for worse.." he murmured softly.
There was still plenty of time to prepare for the party. Four hours to be exact. Sendoh decided to take a very, very refreshing bubble bath first. He had already filled the tub and it was already relaxing him. He also placed a few aromatherapy candles that Ayako gave him for his birthday. It was his favorite secent- sandalwood. With the discman ready, he peeled off his clothes and soaked himself in the warm water. "Ah.. Life is good.."
Meanwhile, Koshino was also having a bubble bath. He needed to calm his nerves. He was almost in the state of panic. And that was very very bad. "Just think of this as a mission, Hiroaki." Koshino told himself as he played with the bubbles. He had two costumes on his bed. "Just in case I chicken out.." his mind whispered.
Thinking about his costumes, he laughed as he realized the irony of it. He was going to disguise himself at the party tonight so that no one, not even Sendoh, will know his identity. Yes, Koshino Hiroaki was going to go as a princess. And if he backed out, he there was a prince costume as plan B.
"Prince meets the princess." he proclaimed in the empty bathroom.
But the question was, will he get his happy ending?
Seven in the evening and the whole place was packed with people. No one could even recognize the Ryonan gym anymore! Somehow, the maintenance guys managed to make the two huge basketball hoops disappear, much to Taoka-sensei's annoyance. Of course, he wasn't so irritated when the punch bowl reached his lips.
Sendoh grinned as he looked around. Another amazing wonder was the fact that the whole place was airconditioned. "How come they never turn that on during practice?" he wondered aloud.
"That's because it would only make you sick, baka!"
"Rukawa!" Sendoh exclaimed as he turned around. "And Sakuragi! Glad you two could make it!"
The two boys from Shohoku looked amazing in their costumes. Rukawa was dressed as a vampire while Sakuragi chose to look like a samurai. His fiery red hair was tied up in a high ponytail that made the whole get up fierce and dashing!
"Rukawa, vampire really suits you." Sendoh remarked. The pale boy certainly did not need to put any powder as he was already too pale. "In fact, I wonder if you're really a vampire.."
At this remark, Rukawa allowed a small smile to grace his face. Of course, it disappeared as soon as he spotted a few fan girls lurking nearby. His smile was precious and he only allowed those special people to see them, meaning his close friends and quite possibly, the team. Of course, he would smile if he wanted to but Rukawa felt like annoying the RU, KA, and WA girls.
"Sakuragi said the same thing." he murmured softly.
The red head nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah! I told Rukawa that he was made to be a vampire!"
Sendoh threw his head back and chuckled. So many things had changed between the two Shohoku players. They were now good friends and although they still kept calling each other names, it was without any malice. Actually, they were like him and Koshino.. Speaking of Koshino, where was he?
"Where's Koshino?" Sakuragi asked, as if reading Sendoh's mind.
The latter shook his head as he looked around worriedly. "He didn't want to go with me.. I guess he's going with someone else.." he remarked with a small grin.
Rukawa narrowed his eyes at the sadness the grin carried. He was a pretty obersvant guy and knew exactly what that smile meant. He had seen more than enough of those smiles from the red head. Sakuragi seemed to notice it too for he placed his hand on Sendoh's shoulder. "Look, he's gonna be here and you're gonna steal him away from whoever he's with."
At his remark, Sendoh raised an eyebrow. "You.. know?"
Sakuragi nodded his head. "The tensai knows everything! Nyahahaha!"
"Do'aho." Rukawa muttered.
"What did you just say, kitsune? Are you doubting the tensai's abilities?"
Sendoh simply shook his head. "Here they go again.."
At the entrance, Hikoichi was busy accepting tickets and welcoming the guests. It was fun to greet them since he got to guess who was who from behind the costumes. In fact, Sakuragi and Rukawa from Shohoku had just arrived. The young man thought that their costumes looked really authentic. Looking at Sakuragi made him want to watch Rurouni Kenshin all over again and Rukawa gave him the shivers.
"Good evening! Welcome to the Ryonan's monster ball! Hey, you're Kiyota Nobunaga from Kainan, aren't ya?" Hikoichi asked. The young man nodded his head, teeth chattering. And why wouldn't his teeth chatter when all he was wearing was.. The Ryonan manager swallowed a gulp. He tentatively pointed at Kiyota's outfit.. "I wonder if that's even.. legal?"
Kiyota shrugged his shoulders, still shivering. He was only wearing small leather shorts and all sorts of belts, buckles, chains and straps around his body. His hair was left alone but it only served to compliment the costume more. Before he could say another word, another Kainan student came in.
"Maki Shinichi, captain of Kainan's basketball team!" Hikoichi greeted. The older man was wearing something that suspiciously matched Kiyota's costume. He was wearing tight leather pants and a black top that just hugged in all the right places. His hair still looked the same but he had a collar and leash in one hand..
"Uh.. I take it you two are here together?" Hikoichi asked.
Maki simply gave him a smirk and put the leash on his 'pet' before wandering off..
The next guest to arrive was someone that Hikoichi had never seen before in his entire life. And boy, was she beautiful! She had a mask on, covering the upper part of her face but Hikoichi knew that this woman was a true beauty. Her eyes said it all!
"Good evening, miss..?"
The woman shook her head. Hikoichi didn't want to press any further. As the mysterious woman walked away, Hikoichi wondered who on earth could this princess be?
He didn't have to dwell on that anymore for he was soon distracted by another guest.
"That is just too... kawaii!!!" he cried out as Jin Soichiro appeared wearing a bunny costume. It was something that would look really lame on others but on this three-point shooter.. "You might win the most kawaii costume contest!" he whispered. Jin's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands, making him look even cuter.
Koshino sighed as he wandered around the gym. He was thankful that Hikoichi didn't recognize him. If there was one word to describe the young man, it was observant. If he passed Hikoichi's eyes, then he would pass everyone's. Wearing a long pink balloon gown made him very, very feminine. Also, he had borrowed a long black wig from his neighbor. So now, his hair reached his waist. He had also decided on putting on a mask, knowing that having his face out in the open would really give him away.
"There sure are a lot of people around.." he mumbled, looking around. He didn't have a hard time walking either since he was wearing ballet-type shoes. Of course, his shoulders felt a bit chilly. This was the first time he had experienced wearing an off-shoulder gown.
Glancing at his watch, Koshino noted that it was already eight in the evening. Four more hours to go before it was time..
"Hello beautiful.."
Koshino took a deep breath and turned around. Just as he thought..
Giving a little curtsey, Koshino raised his head to meet the eyes of Sendoh Akira.
"Care to dance?" the latter asked, holding out his hand.
Koshino nodded his head and accepted the man's hand. He was led to the middle, joining them other couples in their dancing.
They just continued dancing. Sendoh never asked any questions and Koshino certainly didn't start a conversation. He didn't want to risk his cover being blown.
As they danced, Koshino held back his tears. To think that this would be his one and only chance to dance with Sendoh like this.. "With his arms around me.. With our bodies almost touching.." he thought silently. He was never going to forget this night.. Not ever.. It was going to be one large secret, something he would have to take to the grave..
"You are the most beautiful person here.." Sendoh whispered quietly as he linked their foreheads together. Koshino turned red at both the compliment and their proximity. "You really are my princess.."
Koshino smiled sadly. Some princess.. Unfortunately, Sendoh wasn't going to see his princess anymore after tonight..
As if sensing his discomfort, Sendoh grinned and offered to get her some punch. At his nod, Sendoh left for the buffet table and he was left alone. Koshino slowly backed away from the dance floor as he sensed predators lurking about. He didn't want to dance with anyone else other than Sendoh..
One student from another school stumbled close to him. Koshino frowned as he smelled alcohol from the young man. Unfortunately, it seemed like the guy had a good sense of smell as well. He staggered closer to Koshino and sniffed. "Mmm.. You smell so fresh.. Hic... You..Hic... wanna dance with me..?"
Koshino shook his head and tried to leave but his hand was gripped tightly. Koshino frowned and was about to punch the offensive person when two guys showed up. Sakuragi and Rukawa..
"I think you'd better let the nice lady go." Sakuragi said in a cold, steely tone. The drunken man glared at him. "What's it to you? She your girlfriend or something?"
"Let her go." he repeated, this time, gripping the lad's own hand. Koshino watched in wonder as Sakuragi crushed the pervert's hand.
"Fine.. fine! Sheesh! I'll take the vampire instead! Surely, you don't need two beauties to satisfy you tonight!"
That seemed to be the last straw for the red head. He was about to land a very strong punch when Sendoh arrived to stop him. "No use making trouble here, Sakuragi." he whispered.
"But he insulted Rukawa and your lady friend as well!"
At the mention of this, Sendoh's eyes darkened. He growled and Koshino almost thought that he was going to beat the life out of the man when Hikoichi appeared to save the day.
"There he is, officer! He barged in here without a ticket and so obviously drunk!"
One big bulk of a police man picked the drunken man easily and took him away before any violence could begin.
"Thanks for saving the day, Hikoichi." Sendoh murmured.
"No problem! Hey, better listen up! They're announcing tonight's winners!"
Everyone turned to the stage where the judges had their decisions.
"For the most Kawaii outfit, we have... (drum roll) Jin Soichiro from Kainan!"
There were cheers from the boys and coos from the girls as a cute furry bunny walked on stage and claimed his award.
"For the most creative costume... let us give a round of applause for.. Tsukigara Hito!"
As the young man walked to the stage, Koshino took a deep breath. It was twelve midnight.. His chance to finally tell Sendoh..
The cheers were so loud and the music was still booming so it was kinda hard to have a conversation. Koshino decided to do the only thing he thought best.. He used his hands to bring Sendoh's head down and kissed him. It was quick, it wasn't short.. It was long and passionate. After a while, Koshino pulled back with a smile on his face. He was all red and no amount of powder could hide it. As they announced the winner for the prince charming award, Koshino pulled Sendoh's face again. This time, he whispered in his hear..
"Aishiteru.."
"...Sendoh Akira!!"
The crowd shrieked and told him to go onstage. Sendoh was confused. What just happened. He was being pushed to the stage as the love of his life dashed away like Cinderella in the fairytale.. "No, wait.. you don't understand.." He tried to run after her but it was no use. He was already on stage.
Sakuragi was about to follow but Rukawa stopped him. "Let it be.." he said softly. The red head sighed. he supposed the raven-haired lad was right.
The next morning, Koshino woke up. He remembered last night very vividly. He grinned as he recalled how Sendoh felt like.. Tasted like.. "But that is never gonna happen again.." he whispered sadly. "At least, I'll have the memories.."
The doorbell rang. Koshino sat up in bed. "Open up, Kosh!"
Recognizing the voice, Koshino panicked. He was still wearing his princess costume. He had cried himself to sleep last night so he wasn't able to fix himself up and burn the evidence as planned. "Oh no.." he whispered to himself. "Uh.. Just a minute, Sendoh! I'll be down.. Just wait outside!"
Quickly stripping off his costume, he wrapped it in a ball and wondered if he could flush it down the toilet. "No, too big!" With his mind muddled, Koshino decided to just throw it in the cabinet. then, he wrapped a towel around himself and rushed down the stairs to open the door.
"Hey, what's up?"
Sendoh gave him a long good stare before smiling. "What took you so long?"
Koshino forced a girn. "I-I was taking a shower!"
"But your hair is still dry."
"Uh.. I was just about to take a shower." Koshino reasoned in his irritated voice. "What do you want anyway?"
Sendoh smirked and leaned in. "This.." he whispered before kissing the shorter lad.
Koshino was so shocked that he didn't even notice when Sendoh managed to push them both inside the house and close the door.
Finally, Sendoh pulled away. Koshino was dazed but finally found his voice. "Wh-What was that all about?" he asked.
Sendoh grinned. "That was for last night, Kosh kosh."
"Last night? I don't know what you're talking about.."
The Ryonan ace simply raised his eyebrow.
Finally, Koshino sighed and slumped his shoulders. "You've got me.." he said softly.
Sendoh smiled as he pulled his best friend for an embrace. "And you've got me.. I love you too, Kosh."
Koshino smiled and wrapped his hands around his love. "So.. how did you know it was me?"
"Oh.. It was a lot of things.."
"Like what?"
"Like your butt."
"Nani?! Did you grope me while we were dancing?"
"Just kidding.. just kidding.."
"Hey, Sendoh.... Whatever happened to Sakuragi and Rukawa?"
"Unh... Five more minutes.." Sakuragi groaned as the sun's light reached his eyes. Fortunately, the curtains were drawn again, preventing any light to pass through the room. Then the bed sank because of an extra weight and a warm body snuggled up to him.
"Go back to sleep, do'aho."
"You too, kitsune."
OWARI
A/N: This will be yaoi as usual with my two favorite SD pairings. :D
".. Okay, I think that's about it for today. Meeting adjourned." Koshino said as he shuffled some papers together. As student council president, he was in charge of the activities performed all year round. And this particular October, he was stressed with all sorts of proposals. Some were good and some were curiously demented. All in all, they were a big headache. It was a good thing that it was almost over.
It was so rare to be left alone in peace with his thoughts that he didn't realize how long he had been sitting until one of the council members tapped his shoulder.
"Koshino-san, aren't you going to prepare for the party tonight?" one of the youngest members asked.
That jolted him back to reality. One of the traditions of Ryonan was to hold a huge Halloween costume party. Over the years, it had been modified. This year, the school decided to make the whole event open to the other schools. As a way to promote peace and fellowship between the institutions, as the school board put it. Whatever their reason was, the kids were just happy to have more fun people around. Not to mention, a lot of the Ryonan students had boyfriends and girlfriends from other schools.
"H-Hai. The monster ball.." Koshino murmured. "Yes, I will be going. Are you going as well, Chihiro?"
The girl nodded her head excitedly. However, she seemed happier at the fact that the student council president remembered her name. Blushing, she asked what he was going as.
It was Koshino's turn to turn red. "It's a secret."
Chihiro looked a bit disappointed. It was obvious that she was hoping for a chance to dance with the good-looking leader.
"But I will tell you one thing," Koshino said. "It will be absolutely horrifying."
Chihiro grinned. There would probably be a lot of people dressed up as monsters at the ball but at least it decreased the number of guys she had to guess from.
As soon as she left, Koshino exhaled deeply. He was student council president and it was a position that was given high regard. A lot of people admired him for it but somehow, he felt that Chihiro's admiration went to a greater extent. And boy, did he feel every inch of it. It wasn't that she was unattractive. In fact, Koshino knew people who were interested in the young lady.
"Perhaps if I didn't love somebody else.." he whispered.
Yeah, somebody else..
And that somebody else was the reason why he was going to the Halloween party. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be able to have the courage to confess his feelings.. but tonight.. Tonight presented him with an opportunity that might never come again. At least, not for another year.
"But I have to do this tonight.. I know it will never work out between us but at least I'll be able to experience it tonight."
With a serious expression, he got up and left to prepare. He had declined Sendoh's offer of going to the ball together. After all, it wouldn't do for the love of his life to guess what costume he was going to wear.
For the first time in his life, Koshino was going to do something without knowing what the outcome might be. "I guess I'll just have to wing it.." he thought to himself.
Classes had been cut short because of the monster ball. Sendoh hummed to the tune of his favorite anime program, Slum Dank, as he rummaged his closet for his costume. Although there was a contest for the most creative costume, the spiky-haired player decided to go as the traditional prince charming. After all, it would fit oh-so perfectly into his plan.
"I do have a princess.. I mean, a prince to sweep off his feet."
Finally spotting the costume, Sendoh grinned. It was a real work of art! Simple yet sophisticated. Breeches, cravat, blue coat.. It was a costume inspired from the Beauty and Beast animation. He had watched the movie with his little niece and got the idea from Beast's princely attire.
Being such a carefree lad, he didn't particularly worry over things. But tonight was different. He felt like this ball would change his life forever. "For better or for worse.." he murmured softly.
There was still plenty of time to prepare for the party. Four hours to be exact. Sendoh decided to take a very, very refreshing bubble bath first. He had already filled the tub and it was already relaxing him. He also placed a few aromatherapy candles that Ayako gave him for his birthday. It was his favorite secent- sandalwood. With the discman ready, he peeled off his clothes and soaked himself in the warm water. "Ah.. Life is good.."
Meanwhile, Koshino was also having a bubble bath. He needed to calm his nerves. He was almost in the state of panic. And that was very very bad. "Just think of this as a mission, Hiroaki." Koshino told himself as he played with the bubbles. He had two costumes on his bed. "Just in case I chicken out.." his mind whispered.
Thinking about his costumes, he laughed as he realized the irony of it. He was going to disguise himself at the party tonight so that no one, not even Sendoh, will know his identity. Yes, Koshino Hiroaki was going to go as a princess. And if he backed out, he there was a prince costume as plan B.
"Prince meets the princess." he proclaimed in the empty bathroom.
But the question was, will he get his happy ending?
Seven in the evening and the whole place was packed with people. No one could even recognize the Ryonan gym anymore! Somehow, the maintenance guys managed to make the two huge basketball hoops disappear, much to Taoka-sensei's annoyance. Of course, he wasn't so irritated when the punch bowl reached his lips.
Sendoh grinned as he looked around. Another amazing wonder was the fact that the whole place was airconditioned. "How come they never turn that on during practice?" he wondered aloud.
"That's because it would only make you sick, baka!"
"Rukawa!" Sendoh exclaimed as he turned around. "And Sakuragi! Glad you two could make it!"
The two boys from Shohoku looked amazing in their costumes. Rukawa was dressed as a vampire while Sakuragi chose to look like a samurai. His fiery red hair was tied up in a high ponytail that made the whole get up fierce and dashing!
"Rukawa, vampire really suits you." Sendoh remarked. The pale boy certainly did not need to put any powder as he was already too pale. "In fact, I wonder if you're really a vampire.."
At this remark, Rukawa allowed a small smile to grace his face. Of course, it disappeared as soon as he spotted a few fan girls lurking nearby. His smile was precious and he only allowed those special people to see them, meaning his close friends and quite possibly, the team. Of course, he would smile if he wanted to but Rukawa felt like annoying the RU, KA, and WA girls.
"Sakuragi said the same thing." he murmured softly.
The red head nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah! I told Rukawa that he was made to be a vampire!"
Sendoh threw his head back and chuckled. So many things had changed between the two Shohoku players. They were now good friends and although they still kept calling each other names, it was without any malice. Actually, they were like him and Koshino.. Speaking of Koshino, where was he?
"Where's Koshino?" Sakuragi asked, as if reading Sendoh's mind.
The latter shook his head as he looked around worriedly. "He didn't want to go with me.. I guess he's going with someone else.." he remarked with a small grin.
Rukawa narrowed his eyes at the sadness the grin carried. He was a pretty obersvant guy and knew exactly what that smile meant. He had seen more than enough of those smiles from the red head. Sakuragi seemed to notice it too for he placed his hand on Sendoh's shoulder. "Look, he's gonna be here and you're gonna steal him away from whoever he's with."
At his remark, Sendoh raised an eyebrow. "You.. know?"
Sakuragi nodded his head. "The tensai knows everything! Nyahahaha!"
"Do'aho." Rukawa muttered.
"What did you just say, kitsune? Are you doubting the tensai's abilities?"
Sendoh simply shook his head. "Here they go again.."
At the entrance, Hikoichi was busy accepting tickets and welcoming the guests. It was fun to greet them since he got to guess who was who from behind the costumes. In fact, Sakuragi and Rukawa from Shohoku had just arrived. The young man thought that their costumes looked really authentic. Looking at Sakuragi made him want to watch Rurouni Kenshin all over again and Rukawa gave him the shivers.
"Good evening! Welcome to the Ryonan's monster ball! Hey, you're Kiyota Nobunaga from Kainan, aren't ya?" Hikoichi asked. The young man nodded his head, teeth chattering. And why wouldn't his teeth chatter when all he was wearing was.. The Ryonan manager swallowed a gulp. He tentatively pointed at Kiyota's outfit.. "I wonder if that's even.. legal?"
Kiyota shrugged his shoulders, still shivering. He was only wearing small leather shorts and all sorts of belts, buckles, chains and straps around his body. His hair was left alone but it only served to compliment the costume more. Before he could say another word, another Kainan student came in.
"Maki Shinichi, captain of Kainan's basketball team!" Hikoichi greeted. The older man was wearing something that suspiciously matched Kiyota's costume. He was wearing tight leather pants and a black top that just hugged in all the right places. His hair still looked the same but he had a collar and leash in one hand..
"Uh.. I take it you two are here together?" Hikoichi asked.
Maki simply gave him a smirk and put the leash on his 'pet' before wandering off..
The next guest to arrive was someone that Hikoichi had never seen before in his entire life. And boy, was she beautiful! She had a mask on, covering the upper part of her face but Hikoichi knew that this woman was a true beauty. Her eyes said it all!
"Good evening, miss..?"
The woman shook her head. Hikoichi didn't want to press any further. As the mysterious woman walked away, Hikoichi wondered who on earth could this princess be?
He didn't have to dwell on that anymore for he was soon distracted by another guest.
"That is just too... kawaii!!!" he cried out as Jin Soichiro appeared wearing a bunny costume. It was something that would look really lame on others but on this three-point shooter.. "You might win the most kawaii costume contest!" he whispered. Jin's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands, making him look even cuter.
Koshino sighed as he wandered around the gym. He was thankful that Hikoichi didn't recognize him. If there was one word to describe the young man, it was observant. If he passed Hikoichi's eyes, then he would pass everyone's. Wearing a long pink balloon gown made him very, very feminine. Also, he had borrowed a long black wig from his neighbor. So now, his hair reached his waist. He had also decided on putting on a mask, knowing that having his face out in the open would really give him away.
"There sure are a lot of people around.." he mumbled, looking around. He didn't have a hard time walking either since he was wearing ballet-type shoes. Of course, his shoulders felt a bit chilly. This was the first time he had experienced wearing an off-shoulder gown.
Glancing at his watch, Koshino noted that it was already eight in the evening. Four more hours to go before it was time..
"Hello beautiful.."
Koshino took a deep breath and turned around. Just as he thought..
Giving a little curtsey, Koshino raised his head to meet the eyes of Sendoh Akira.
"Care to dance?" the latter asked, holding out his hand.
Koshino nodded his head and accepted the man's hand. He was led to the middle, joining them other couples in their dancing.
They just continued dancing. Sendoh never asked any questions and Koshino certainly didn't start a conversation. He didn't want to risk his cover being blown.
As they danced, Koshino held back his tears. To think that this would be his one and only chance to dance with Sendoh like this.. "With his arms around me.. With our bodies almost touching.." he thought silently. He was never going to forget this night.. Not ever.. It was going to be one large secret, something he would have to take to the grave..
"You are the most beautiful person here.." Sendoh whispered quietly as he linked their foreheads together. Koshino turned red at both the compliment and their proximity. "You really are my princess.."
Koshino smiled sadly. Some princess.. Unfortunately, Sendoh wasn't going to see his princess anymore after tonight..
As if sensing his discomfort, Sendoh grinned and offered to get her some punch. At his nod, Sendoh left for the buffet table and he was left alone. Koshino slowly backed away from the dance floor as he sensed predators lurking about. He didn't want to dance with anyone else other than Sendoh..
One student from another school stumbled close to him. Koshino frowned as he smelled alcohol from the young man. Unfortunately, it seemed like the guy had a good sense of smell as well. He staggered closer to Koshino and sniffed. "Mmm.. You smell so fresh.. Hic... You..Hic... wanna dance with me..?"
Koshino shook his head and tried to leave but his hand was gripped tightly. Koshino frowned and was about to punch the offensive person when two guys showed up. Sakuragi and Rukawa..
"I think you'd better let the nice lady go." Sakuragi said in a cold, steely tone. The drunken man glared at him. "What's it to you? She your girlfriend or something?"
"Let her go." he repeated, this time, gripping the lad's own hand. Koshino watched in wonder as Sakuragi crushed the pervert's hand.
"Fine.. fine! Sheesh! I'll take the vampire instead! Surely, you don't need two beauties to satisfy you tonight!"
That seemed to be the last straw for the red head. He was about to land a very strong punch when Sendoh arrived to stop him. "No use making trouble here, Sakuragi." he whispered.
"But he insulted Rukawa and your lady friend as well!"
At the mention of this, Sendoh's eyes darkened. He growled and Koshino almost thought that he was going to beat the life out of the man when Hikoichi appeared to save the day.
"There he is, officer! He barged in here without a ticket and so obviously drunk!"
One big bulk of a police man picked the drunken man easily and took him away before any violence could begin.
"Thanks for saving the day, Hikoichi." Sendoh murmured.
"No problem! Hey, better listen up! They're announcing tonight's winners!"
Everyone turned to the stage where the judges had their decisions.
"For the most Kawaii outfit, we have... (drum roll) Jin Soichiro from Kainan!"
There were cheers from the boys and coos from the girls as a cute furry bunny walked on stage and claimed his award.
"For the most creative costume... let us give a round of applause for.. Tsukigara Hito!"
As the young man walked to the stage, Koshino took a deep breath. It was twelve midnight.. His chance to finally tell Sendoh..
The cheers were so loud and the music was still booming so it was kinda hard to have a conversation. Koshino decided to do the only thing he thought best.. He used his hands to bring Sendoh's head down and kissed him. It was quick, it wasn't short.. It was long and passionate. After a while, Koshino pulled back with a smile on his face. He was all red and no amount of powder could hide it. As they announced the winner for the prince charming award, Koshino pulled Sendoh's face again. This time, he whispered in his hear..
"Aishiteru.."
"...Sendoh Akira!!"
The crowd shrieked and told him to go onstage. Sendoh was confused. What just happened. He was being pushed to the stage as the love of his life dashed away like Cinderella in the fairytale.. "No, wait.. you don't understand.." He tried to run after her but it was no use. He was already on stage.
Sakuragi was about to follow but Rukawa stopped him. "Let it be.." he said softly. The red head sighed. he supposed the raven-haired lad was right.
The next morning, Koshino woke up. He remembered last night very vividly. He grinned as he recalled how Sendoh felt like.. Tasted like.. "But that is never gonna happen again.." he whispered sadly. "At least, I'll have the memories.."
The doorbell rang. Koshino sat up in bed. "Open up, Kosh!"
Recognizing the voice, Koshino panicked. He was still wearing his princess costume. He had cried himself to sleep last night so he wasn't able to fix himself up and burn the evidence as planned. "Oh no.." he whispered to himself. "Uh.. Just a minute, Sendoh! I'll be down.. Just wait outside!"
Quickly stripping off his costume, he wrapped it in a ball and wondered if he could flush it down the toilet. "No, too big!" With his mind muddled, Koshino decided to just throw it in the cabinet. then, he wrapped a towel around himself and rushed down the stairs to open the door.
"Hey, what's up?"
Sendoh gave him a long good stare before smiling. "What took you so long?"
Koshino forced a girn. "I-I was taking a shower!"
"But your hair is still dry."
"Uh.. I was just about to take a shower." Koshino reasoned in his irritated voice. "What do you want anyway?"
Sendoh smirked and leaned in. "This.." he whispered before kissing the shorter lad.
Koshino was so shocked that he didn't even notice when Sendoh managed to push them both inside the house and close the door.
Finally, Sendoh pulled away. Koshino was dazed but finally found his voice. "Wh-What was that all about?" he asked.
Sendoh grinned. "That was for last night, Kosh kosh."
"Last night? I don't know what you're talking about.."
The Ryonan ace simply raised his eyebrow.
Finally, Koshino sighed and slumped his shoulders. "You've got me.." he said softly.
Sendoh smiled as he pulled his best friend for an embrace. "And you've got me.. I love you too, Kosh."
Koshino smiled and wrapped his hands around his love. "So.. how did you know it was me?"
"Oh.. It was a lot of things.."
"Like what?"
"Like your butt."
"Nani?! Did you grope me while we were dancing?"
"Just kidding.. just kidding.."
"Hey, Sendoh.... Whatever happened to Sakuragi and Rukawa?"
"Unh... Five more minutes.." Sakuragi groaned as the sun's light reached his eyes. Fortunately, the curtains were drawn again, preventing any light to pass through the room. Then the bed sank because of an extra weight and a warm body snuggled up to him.
"Go back to sleep, do'aho."
"You too, kitsune."
OWARI