Wow, this fic is getting so many reviews. Haha. Thanks for taking time to read and review this. It really really makes me happy. There won't be any spectacular scenes here, though. Sorry! Will make up in the next chapters! Btw, I want to know if you want a love scene between Yui and Kaede! (Got to know that this early!)

LeeRaRa: Cute suggestions! I'll plot down which chapter I can add the movie marathon and the bento thing. Mitsui probably needs to be around for some laughs. Haha.

ThePinkMartini: The chopsticks thing was a spur of the moment—glad you liked it! I wanted to highlight it but couldn't think of a proper setting. Haha.

Season's Call: I love Fujima as well! This fic is primarily in Yui's perspective so… things are not just what they seem! I miss Mitsui in the previous chappie so he'll be here. Your review is so funny, it made me laugh. Yeah, Rukawa's not supposed to react much and I had a hard time writing his lines… kept on changing it.

Obsessed Dreamer: Yeah, they were pretty intimate. I want to make sure there's indeed chemistry between them and I figured I wouldn't know unless I do a Yui-Kaede chapter, which I enjoyed writing, btw. :D

Harukaheryl: Great to hear you like the concept of this fic! Yeah, Rukawa's such a meanie for saying that. I'm thinking of having him say it again in a sexy scene. Haha.

Disclaimer: FY and SD are not mine.


Pre-Spring

By Slavedriver2008


Yui sat cross-legged on the sofa and was busy typing a message on her mobile phone. She was too into the message that she momentarily forgot being beside 1 of the worst person she needed to be beside with when she needed to concentrate. Hisashi leaned toward her and she looked at the older guy with a murderous look.

"Hey, I'm not reading your message, ne!" he said defensively and Yui pushed him away.

"Yes you are." She made a face and hit him with a throw pillow. "Why are you in my apartment again?" she asked for the hundredth time and the shooting guard leaned back on the sofa.

"Why? Can't I visit my beloved cousin?" he teased and she hit him again with the pillow, earning laughter from the man she grew up with.

"Beloved my butt. Why are you here?" she asked again. Hisashi would not stay in her place if there's nothing for him. When she was young, he would only stay to play and beat her in video games. Her parents were fine with that, as long as she has company. She somehow missed those times but they were too old to play video games and her console had long been thrown away.

"Seriously Yui-chan, I just came to visit you. I want to spend time with my favorite cousin," he said and then laughed sheepishly.

"I'm your only cousin, ne." Her phone made a sound and she immediately slid it open. Hisashi eyed the screen and she sneered at him. "Hi-chan! Give me privacy PLEASE!" The captain frowned and shook his shoulders.

"I'm not doing anything! Hmp. I'm going to the kitchen," he placed his hands inside his pockets and walked grudgingly toward the kitchen. He turned to her one last time and she rolled her eyes to turn her attention back on the message.

Can't believe he stood you up. What happened? Did Kyouko know you asked her brother out?

It was Miaka and she sighed as she composed a reply for her. She went through what happened in her head again but it made her gloomier. Kenji stood her up—for another woman. Well, she was not just another woman but his former girlfriend. His girlfriend was everything she was not. She has smooth porcelain skin, dark ebony hair, and was too trendy to be considered a wallflower. She wasn't very pretty but she carries skimpy dresses well. If only she has those legs and that confidence.

No, didn't tell Kyouko—unless Kenji did. Didn't watch the concert, was with…

Yui gasped and she flushed. She was with Rukawa Kaede that night. It was not just a chance encounter, they were together for almost three hours. He even consoled her when she cried. She covered her face with the pillow when she remembered crying in his arms. It was humiliating. Why does Kaede have to see her in her most unflattering state? She placed the phone down and slapped her cheeks lightly, in an effort to dispel the heat. She sighed and covered her face. She was literally in his arms that night—and she can't say she didn't like it.

The phone made a sound again and she looked at it, surprised. It was Miaka again. Who were you with? Tell me! Yui flushed again, she had not realized she sent the last message out. She crouched on the couch and smiled in a restrained manner. She was feeling all giggly and light and warm and…

Hisashi cleared his throat and she straightened, silently berating herself for acting like a teenager who had her first date. She flushed harder—she was a teenager and Kaede was… She shook her head violently and Hisashi leaned close to look at her blushing face. She screamed and covered her face with the pillow. No, Hisashi can't know about them.

"What did I miss here?" he asked, sipping cold milk with a straw.

"NOTHING!" she screamed and sank back on the seat. "Who said you can drink my milk?" Hisashi sipped hard and the straw made a sound, indicating the emptiness of the carton. "I can't believe you stole from my refrigerator without telling me!"

"Easy, okay? We're blood relatives—Do I even have to ask food from you?" He slumped on the couch beside her and she hid her phone from view. "So… how was the concert?"

Yui looked away and turned on the television. She rehearsed what to tell him if ever he asked but was finding the words hard to say. It didn't help that that night made her confused. She was very disappointed when Kenji stood her up but she was happy being with Kaede. She wanted to go out with Fujima but it was Rukawa she ended up dating. Hisashi made a sound, waiting for her response, and she turned to him, face in heat.

"It was awesome. Brandon Boyd was soooo hot!" she feigned happiness and focused on switching channels.

"Who did you take?" he asked and she sat still. She hit the remote to change the channel faster. She was tensed and Hisashi knew that. Damn, he knew her too much. He took the remote and she struggled to get it back.

"Hey—"

"Are you seeing Rukawa?" he asked and her eyes widened. How did he…? "Kouji said a tall dark-haired guy walked you home last night," Hisashi explained and Yui cursed in her head. Kouji was her neighbor who Hisashi was close to. The two always played basketball in middle school. "To be specific, he said Rukawa Kaede walked you home. I told you he's popular."

"It's not—" She sighed and sat back on the couch. "Yeah, I was with him last night." She embraced the pillow and looked at the channel he chose. A music video was playing, from a Japanese rock band. Hisashi didn't say anything and she kept quiet. She hated discussing topics she was not ready to divulge.

"I didn't know that kiddo has the hots for you—"

"He doesn't like me!" she cut Hisashi's statement and looked away. "We just crossed paths and that's it. He walked me home because it was late and he said: The captain will make me do lapses if he finds out I left you alone." Yui frowned, when Kaede told her so last night, she was disappointed again. But when he smiled thinly, all her hesitation melted away and she flushed in return.

"Well, he's right about that. But he doesn't have to hold your hand while walking you home." Yui gasped and hit the older man. Hisashi seemed unfazed and continued to watch the video, yawning. "And… it's unlike Rukawa to care, Yui-chan. Sleep and basketball are the only things that matter to him."

"Maybe not."

"Maybe yes," Hisashi hit back. Yui frowned. It was unlike Hisashi to know what to say to shut her up. "But this is an interesting development, though I'm not sure if I should like it or not." The captain rubbed his chin and nodded.

"I don't get what you mean. I told you, we are not dating, we'll never date, ever!" Hisashi turned to her and their eyes met. She looked back with a smug reaction and he shook his head.

"You're all red, you know. And we're just talking about him," he teased, leaning on the backseat and rubbing his chin. "I didn't notice that before, though."

"Hi-chan—"

"Fine. Fine. You're not dating. To be honest, I like that punk better than Fujima," he noted and Yui raised an eyebrow. "But then… Fujima's an ideal guy, good grades, good records…" Yui smiled wide. Yes, Kenji was a straight-A student. "On the other hand, Rukawa's kinda stupid and lazy and doesn't do much but sleep," Hisashi noted, counting Kaede's bad habits with his fingers, it made Yui frown. "He gets very bad grades, the team has to always force him to study—"

"Yeah, yeah. I got what you mean. But there's really nothing between us so I don't care." She slumped back on the sofa and glanced at her phone. She had been debating with herself whether to send him a message or not. To begin with, she doesn't have his number. "Hey, do you have…" Hisashi turned to her with a raised eyebrow. She flushed immediately as she spoke. "Do you have Kaede's number?"

Hisashi laughed sheepishly and she hit him with the pillow. "Kaede, huh?" She flushed harder and he pulled her ear, pulling her face near his. "There's something different when you say his name—"

"WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING?" She shook her head but he clung to her ear. "HISASHI —"

"Your voice gets all tender and girly and you blush—"

"I TOLD YOU THERE'S NOTHING!" She screamed defensively and he sniggered. Her brows creased and she slapped his hand away from her now hurting ear. "Stop teasing me to a stone! Are you giving me his number or not?"

Hisashi pinched her ear and she yelped. "Fine, I'll give you his number but—"

"But?" she asked as she rubbed the swollen flesh. Hisashi has this habit of pinching any part of her face when they were kids, especially when he wants to know if she's lying or not. Her ears were his favorite, says it look cute. As if it were different from his.

Hisashi cleared his throat and looked uneasy. "In exchange for…" he cleared his throat again and she raised an eyebrow. Hisashi always brings out all her reactions—both good and bad. "…Kyouko's number…"


"And you say you hate Fujima—HA!" she teased as they walk toward the nearby park. Hisashi had asked her earlier for her friend's number in exchange for Kaede's and she had been teasing him since they left the house. It was unlike Hisashi to admit liking a girl. He was famous as the guy who dates for the sake of dating.

"I did not say I like her," Hisashi pointed out as he put on his skates. "I just asked for her number. In case you didn't know, the number was for Sendoh—" She turned to him with a surprised look and he laughed. "Don't tell me you like Sendoh as well?" He poked her on the forehead. "You can't have 3 boys, you know. That's against the rule of love."

"Rule of love?" She snorted as she tied her skates. "Where did that number come from?"

"Fujima Kenji," he counted with his fingers. She immediately blushed at the name. "Sendoh Akita, Rukawa Kaede—You can't toy around with 3 boys, got it?" She gasped and hit him on the shoulders.

"I'm not—I'm not toying with any of the 3. I'm not even seeing any of them!" She stood up and did some warm-ups on the side of the park. They own the skating rink today. People seldom visit the skating rink before the snow melted.

But Hisashi and her, they were crazy. They love skating on unstable ice, the type that was almost watery at the surface. It was bad for the skates but it was good for some few laughs. They always skate before the snow melts, in the same park. When she teased him about Kyouko, he immediately reasoned out that he visited her to skate. Of course she knew better, but doing feet warm-ups with him still made her happy. Miaka hated skating on watery ice. It was only Hisashi who accompanied her. It was only him who understood such simple crazy pleasures for an athlete.

"You still compete?" he asked as he started to glide on the surface.

"I will, this year," she answered. Her phone made a sound and she took it from her pocket. "You can go ahead, I'll just answer this."

Hisashi sniggered. "Is it from Kaede-kun?" he teased and she made a face. "Rukawa's okay with me but as I said, he has to beat me in basketball first." He glided away before Yui could react and she focused her attention on the message.

Who're you?

It was Kaede and she immediately answered him. It's me, Yui. Are you free? Let's skate together before the ice melts. My treat for last night.She sent it out and briefly regretted being too forward. She composed another message. Hey, am not being pushy. But I'd be happy if you can come.She added the address and sent it out. She frowned again. Now, she actually sounded pushy. Her hands tightened on the phone and she frowned as she read his response.

Don't want to. Can't skate.

She gasped. He had turned her down again. Shame filled her and she angrily responded to him. Suit yourself. Bet the couch will miss you, bum.She placed the phone inside her pocket and annoyingly skated toward Hisashi. She gained speed and in annoyance did a layback spin. Skating always makes her forget all negative emotions, that's why she could not give up the sport.

"Ooohhh… someone's angry. Did that punk dump you?" Hisashi teased and she glazed the blades through the ice, throwing ice crystals at him. It failed, the ice was no longer as hard as it used to be, and the deed made Hisashi laugh hard.

"YUI!" A familiar voice screamed and she smirked. They both turned toward the edge of the rink and Hisashi's eyes widened when Kyouko appeared, waving at them.

"I invited her, thought you'd get to snoop more info for Sendoh-san," she smiled innocently but it quickly faded when another figure caught his attention. Kenji waved at her, smiling.

"If I knew better…" Hisashi mumbled. "You invited her to see Fujima. Too liberated, Yui. Ideal Japanese girls don't force themselves to a guy." Yui slapped his shoulder and he raised an eyebrow.

"I did not invite him," she said sternly and immediately skated toward the newcomers. Yui doesn't know what to say to him. She was still slightly angry for what happened last night. Instead of speaking, she simply smiled thinly at his direction.

"Onii-san insisted to come," Kyouko said, rolling her eyes. "I see you're with Mitsui-san." Mitsui appeared behind Yui and he waved, unsure whether to smile or not. "Would you teach me how to skate?" Yui nodded and Kyouko laughed. "Not you, silly. I asked Mitsui-san. You'll keep an eye on my annoying brother." She skated away and pulled Hisashi toward the center of the rink.

"Okay—WHAT?" Her eyes widened as she watched the 2 laughed shyly. They were all red and the blonde blinked repeatedly.

"I skate," Kenji spoke and Yui turned, flushing when she realized what Kyouko told her. Brother. Keep an eye. Fujima Kenji. She screamed in her head and was slightly surprised when Kenji skated in front of her. "I've never skated in soft ice before. You and Mitsui have some quirky habits."

Yui smiled and nodded, looking down. "Yeah, we're kinda weird." Silence fell between them and she doesn't know what to say. Should she bring up what happened last night? Should she even care?

"I'm sorry I stood you up last night," he started and she looked up, surprised. "I really want to go with you but…" he smiled and she shook her head.

"It's okay…" She turned around and started to glide on the ice. Kenji skated beside her and her heart beat wild.

"No, it's not." Yui looked at the ice and on their feet. "Someone wanted to meet because of an emergency. As it turned out, it's really not an emergency." A smile spread on her face and she moved faster, passing him. She turned around and prepared for a jump. She was so nervous talking to him that she needed to do something—anything—to release the tension.

She pushed herself up and did a double flip and a double loop. When she landed, he was smiling wide. She blushed again and moved farther from him. Cold air brushed through her face and it somehow froze the warmth on her face. Kenji paced beside her and she looked away.

"I've never seen a jump combination that close before," he said softly. "You were very graceful… and very confident too." Yui laughed and shook her head.

"It was just doubles. You should watch me do a triple," she said out loud and regretted doing so. Kenji laughed and she nervously turned to him. "No, I mean, not here. I don't do triples in public rinks. I only do triples in competition or I—"

"Yui-san is asking me out again," he said and she flushed. She was not implying anything! "It made me happy. I'll gladly watch you compete but would you watch our games?" Yui raised an eyebrow and shook her head. Kenji's expression became serious. "May I ask why?"

"No… I had a bad memory of watching a basketball game." She sighed and looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"A ball hit you?" he asked and she laughed.

"No…it's worst than that…"

"I don't know what's worst than being hit with a ball." He smiled. "No wonder I never saw you in any of Mitsui's games. But I'd be happy if you can watch me sometimes."

"Hoy Kenji!" Kyouko called and they both rushed toward them. She giggled when they came close. "Are you two flirting or something?" she asked and Yui flushed.

"I should ask the same to you," Kenji said back and the younger girl went red. Mitsui frowned and flailed wildly.

"Whatever! Mother called. She sent me a list of things to buy—I can't believe she asked us to do the groceries! And I still can't glide, I keep on slipping!" She frowned and Kenji smiled. He was really a warm guy.

"We'll just skate again some time. Thank you for teaching my sister," Kenji bowed before Mitsui but Yui did not miss the tension between them. "I'll see you in court Mitsui, try not to get beaten by Maki." Mitsui nodded and the 2 left, leaving them. Kyouko turned and waved, still blushing.

"We should go home too," Hisashi said and Yui shook her head. Mitsui's brows creased and he leaned to look at her face.

"I want to stay longer."

"Don't fall for Fujima, huh." Yui's eyes widened and she looked back with disbelief. "I said I like Rukawa but I still don't like Fujima for you. You know my condition before getting a boyfriend—"

"Fujima always beats you in basketball," she pointed out and he made a sound.

"FINE! If he beats me this season, he can be your boyfriend." Mitsui smirked. "We have the best team this year so it will be hard for him to win. If he loses the MVP title, say goodbye to all your fantasies."

"You are so annoying, Hi-chan." Hisashi crumpled her hair and laughed. He was treating her like a younger brother again.

"I'm just protecting you from a possible heartbreak. Anyway, I'm getting cold. Do you want any hot drinks? I saw a convenience store nearby," he said and she nodded.

"I'll follow. I just want to skate some more… You don't get ice this soft every day," she said and Mitsui laughed. They exchanged a few banters and he left her to get something to drink.

When he was gone, she glided back on ice and prepared for a jump. At the right moment, she swished her legs up and completed a triple axel. Her heart was hammering hard, it was the first time she did an axel in an open area and it was somehow liberating. Her coach always tells her to hide her triples when she skates outside. A shadow caught her attention and she stopped immediately, turning toward a man standing beside a tree. He walked forward and she gasped when the image of Rukawa Kaede came into view. He stopped on the snow in front of her and she was too surprised to know what to say.

"I came," he said in a monotonous voice.

"You're late," she replied softly, heart hammering hard.

"You were busy," he pointed out and she smiled, looking down.

"So… how was your couch?" she teased, feeling warm. He stepped into the ice and walked toward her. He smiled thinly when he was an arm's away. Her breath caught.

"I was in bed."

"You should rent skates before they close," she whispered in an effort to change the topic, not taking her eyes off him. She could not—for the life of her—imagine Kaede on his bed. She was flushing like mad and her face burned.

"On you?" he asked and Yui laughed, nodding. She was suddenly feeling giggly again.

"Yeah, it's on me," she breathed out. She flushed when she realized that Hi-chan was right—her voice softens when she talks about him, when she talks to him. He stepped closer and leaned down, his face inches away, eyes intense.

"Yui…" he whispered and Yui's heart was beating wildly on her throat. She was briefly worried he'll hear so she swallowed hard, not breaking his gaze. "Let's date."


A/N: I told you, there won't be any spectacular scenes here. Sorry for disappointing you all! I hope you'll like the next chapter. :D