Chapter 11

6:30 am… He woke surprisingly earlier today. Shohoku was now in the second round of the tournament and it was not like Kaede to be nervous. Actually, it wasn't match that made him nervous, it was a certain person. Hikaru's advice stuck to him since last night. It was like she was comparing him to Kogure. Smile more? What else is there to smile about?

Kaede shoved the question off and went outside. Since it was early, he decided to get up for some warm ups. Up on his bike, he drove off, not falling asleep (wow!)

In the park, there were only very people jogging and walking their dogs. What really caught his attention was the sound of a steel bat hitting something, and the grunts of a girl. Baseball… He stopped and peered from behind a tree and saw Hikaru swinging her bat towards a rubber tire, as was basic practice for baseball. He saw the sweat trickling down the side of her face which seemed to glow from the sun. Her well-toned physique and tough aura hid the gentle, vulnerable girl inside of her. Kaede could tell she was only putting out that mask in order to create her own identity and not be labeled as her sister's 'sister'.

Hikaru took a break and drank from her water. Big gulps came down her throat as she wiped off the last drops on her lips. From the corner of her eye, she saw him standing behind the tree. She smiled at herself and pretended not to know he was there behind the tree.

"I sure wish someone was here. It sucks being alone" she said out loud, purposely trying to let Kaede hear

Shimatta. She knows I'm here

Stepping out of the shadows and into the light, Kaede made himself visible. He stood there, 187cm, with a towel hung over his neck. Hikaru greeted him with her cheery smile and motioned for him to come over.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Ru-chan" she smiled warmly at him. Kaede felt her smile penetrate through his cold aura and melt his cold heart. He turned pink in the cheeks.

"Hey. You're up early" he replied, seeing how great she looked at her sports outfit

"What about you? You're earlier than usual. Doesn't your match start at 10?"

"…"

Hikaru walked over to her bag and produced a basketball much to Kaede's surprise. She started dribbling it. "Wanna play? I've been practicing too you know"

And so the duel began with Hikaru dribbling and teasing Ru-chan. He eyed the ball steadily, debating upon himself whether to go easy on her or not. Hikaru dribbled again, dribbling faster and running around Kaede before heading towards the hoop. Suddenly, Kaede flashed before her eyes and was already blocking her in no time. He moved fast, too fast and Hikaru found it difficult to even get past him. They fought for the ball but Hikaru held her own and prevented Kaede from snatching it away. But Kaede was quick and he managed to touch the ball, allowing it to slip from her hands. Now Kaede had the ball and he did a three-pointer.

"Damn it Ru-chan. I've been practicing and yet I can't get past you" Hikaru laughed at herself, catching her breath

Kaede passed her the ball again and she dribbled. Now that Kaede was leading 11-0, Hikaru was determined to make a dunk over his head. She swished and swooshed past him gracefully and ran towards the hoop. Kaede, realizing his mistake, run after her. Hikaru made a giant leap towards the basket, ball firmly in her hand. She aimed for the hoop and slammed it with all her strength. Next thing she knew the ball slipped off her hand and she was on top of Kaede. They were on the hard concrete. Unfortunately, Hikaru failed at her dunk as the ball hit the rim rather than inside and she lost balance, fell hard on Kaede instead.

Kaede couldn't process the whole situation immediately. All he knew was that Hikaru was on top of him, his eyes staring into hers. For a moment they were still but Hikaru immediately rolled over and lay on the concrete.

"Damn it Ru-chan" she laughed. "I'll never be as good in basketball as I am in baseball"

"Is this what it's all about? You want to beat me in basketball?"

"Don't be silly Ru-chan, of course not. I just wanna show-" Hikaru started blushing again as she held her tongue back. Kaede looked at her monotonously. He was curious too. "I-I, wanna impress Kogure-sempai with my knowledge in basketball"

Impress him? Why? She didn't have to go so far, Kaede thought to himself. "What knowledge?"

"Teme Ru-chan!" she glared at him and pouted. "You'll never understand me cause you've never had a crush on anyone"

"Girls"

"Have you ever had a crush on anyone, Ru-chan? C'mon you can be honest with me" Hikaru teased him, poking him around until he gave in from his silent, stone-faced figure.

"I do, but I don't think she'll ever like me back" he responded and stood up, looking away

Hikaru watched him as he walked out, still confused at what her best friend meant.

Author: (rubs chin) Hmm... you gave her hint. That's an improvement

Kaede: ...

Hey you. Yeah you! You the one reading this. Yes, you're and awesome reader and this chapter's for you. Hope you enjoyed. (*insert 'peace' sign)