Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish it, Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. Slam Dunk actually belongs to Inoue Takehiko. And if it did, there'd be a lot more of this going on. ^^ Anyway! So Slam Dunk is (c) Inoue Takehiko, everyone! Woo!

Chapter 3

Miyagi jammed the black beanie tighter over his ears and continued walking, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. Cold late afternoon winds whipped across the pleasant greenery of the familiar park

*where you first realised*

near his house. He needed to get out of the oppressive closeness of the house. Some time alone. Time to think.

All his thoughts were directed to a few nights ago.

*He would have kissed you, you know. He would have--*

Don't go there.

*--taken you into his arms and kissed you long and hard, running his--*

Stop it! Miyagi felt a flush rise to his cheeks and checked no-one was around.

*--strong hands over your back--*

Miyagi turned his thoughts inward, finally confronting that small, insistent, niggling train of thought that always seemed to surface at the most inappropriate of times.

You're a persistant little bugger, aren't you.

*No more than you.*

Leave me alone.

*Stop denying the truth. Remember, you're the one who's so proud about never backing down.*

Uruse.

*Why back down from this?*

Uruse!

*Take a chance. Not even a chance, really - you KNOW he was going to kiss you.*

"URUSE~!" Miyagi yelled out loud, startling a couple nearby. They looked shocked. He tried to act indifferent and sauntered past, but inside his mind was whirling.

For once, he was considering the possibility of a relationship with Mitsui. Would he have a chance? Should he go for it? The same two questions chased each other round and round inside his head. He wasn't willing to answer either of them: his experience with Ayako had left him afraid of considering the option of someone returning his love.

*Yeah, this coming from the guy who's asked...what...nigh on a million different girls out?*

Miyagi could feel a headache coming and sat down irritably on the nearest possible bench.

And found himself staring at the tree where he and Mitsui had...

He must have unconsciously made his way here while engaged in an argument with himself. Staring at the tree, he remembered every detail with startling, almost scary clarity: the warmth of Mitsui's lean body curled against his, the almost-innocent expression on the other boy's sleeping face, his own quietly-murmured name...

Miyagi stood up restlessly. It was too much to think about now. He needed some way to get his mind off Mitsui, something that never failed to get him completely distracted, completely lost in what he was doing.

He snapped his fingers. It never failed before, it had better work now.

Miyagi strode off. The school's courts shouldn't be locked yet.

*****

"Miyagi! Practicing?"

"Yo, Yasu." Miyagi sauntered into the gym, waving casually at his team-mate. Yasuda had apparently just finished his own personal training and was just coming out of the changing room, bag slung over his shoulder. Yasuda waved in return.
"Miyagi! Just coming to practice? Where're your gym clothes?"

Miyagi facepalmed inwardly. He'd forgotten a change of clothes. Oh well...he couldn't be bothered to run all the way back home for a change of clothes, and just shrugged. "I'm not going to be staying long..." he lied.

Yasuda nodded. "See you later, Miyagi." He walked away, whistling to himself. Miyagi sighed resignedly, pulling off his shoes. He'd even forgotten his shoes. Well, just this once..it couldn't hurt to play in his socks once, right? Right. Just hope nobody comes along and sees you, Ryota. He picked up a ball and started to dribble.

*****

Half an hour of intense training later, Miyagi slammed the ball back into the ball box, breathing heavily. The practice wasn't helping. Far from it.

He should have known playing basketball would just remind him of Mitsui - after all, he was on the team as well. And everywhere Miyagi looked, things reminded him of the taller boy.

Training hard wasn't helping either. He couldn't concentrate, and was continualy missing his shots. Playing in socks had been harder than he thought, slipping off-balance for the billionth time, barely catching himself. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Miyagi cursed vividly, heading to the locker room, his shoes only half-on. He couldn't be bothered to wear them properly. What he needed now was a cool down. He didn't feel like walking after the practice, and the locker room was close; he figured a short rest there would help. Besides, he pondered, I think I left my Maths book in there...

*****

A short search around the locker room for the missing Maths book proved unsuccessful and Miyagi slunped onto the bench, his breath regular again. He covered his face with his hands. How many more things could go wrong with his life?

He could hear footsteps - slow, almost lazy footsteps - coming down the hallway outside, and getting closer. Please don't come in here, Miyagi pleaded silently, please, I need to be left alone right now...

The steps stopped and the door swung open. An all-too-familiar face peered around the door. "Oi, Miyagi, you in here?"

"A-Aa, Mitsui."

Mitsui nudged the door open fully, smiling at him as usual, as if nothing weird had ever happened between them. Such as being on Ayako's roof, for example. "I figured you might be up for a little one-on-one, but by the looks of it you've finished already." He arched an eyebrow, indicating Ryota's sweaty T-shirt.

Miyagi nodded, keeping up a careful mask of indifference. "Suman...I'm not in the mood. How did you know I was here?"

Shrug. "Yasuda told me. I met him on my way to the coffee shop and figured I'd drop in here, see if I could entice you into coming with?" he offered.

Miyagi shook his head reluctantly. He would dearly love to go, of course, but he didn't think he could suffer through that long with Mitsui. It would be hell. He knew he was a hothead, and who knew what kind of dumbass things he could get around to trying to do, even in public. It was hard enough in basketball practice, let alone just socialising. "Sorry, but not today..."

Mitsui eyed the short pointguard worriedly for a second, then came and sat on the bench next to him. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, until...

"Look, Miyagi..." Miyagi looked up quizzically and was a little surprised to see Mitsui averting his gaze, looking serious and a little...nervous, it seemed. Nervous? Mitsui? The ex-gangster? The boy who thought he could take on the entire basketball team in a fistfight? A likely candidate to being Shohoku's ace player? Nervous?

Miyagi blinked. He wasn't seeing things. Mitsui had his gaze fixed firmly on his toes.

"Miyagi, if...if this is about what nearly happened on the roof...what I tried to do...I-I'm sorry. I just...thought, you know, maybe..." His mouth worked, but no sound came out. Eventually he gave up and sighed exasperatedly. "I know, I probably freaked you out, and I can understand it if you don't want to hang out with me anymore."

Miyagi had disconnected his brain around the word 'tried'. By the time the word 'freaked' had been said, he'd managed to restart at least a little bit of his brain, enough for him to figure out how to blush again, and at about 'hang' he found he could manage a few coherant thought processes. The first one of which was:

*Haha, didn't I tell you? Didn't I? I'm so good.*

U-uso...is he's saying what I think he is, that means...he...

*Say something, you idiot! Stop talking to yourself and say something!*

However, as Miyagi was arguing with himself and formulating what to say, all too quickly Mitsui stood up. He looked flushed and embarrassed. "I see...well, then I'll just be leaving now..." Miyagi caught his low mutter. "I can't believe I just did that..."

*You're going to lose him, Ryota! Do something!*

Miyagi tried to say something, but apparently the part of his brain that controlled his voice was going through a Scan Disk. Whatever it was doing, he couldn't get the sounds out of his mouth.

*Drastic measures then!*

But...

*Oh man, you are slow! -This- is called a drastic measure!*

The annoying little thought in his brain jacked in to his control centre, seized control of his brain and gave him a good hard mental kick.

Miyagi didn't even realise when he stood up. The thought that controlled his brain controlled his body too, now.

Mitsui was nearly through the door when Miyagi grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around-

"What in the--!!"

- and kissed him fiercely on the lips.

And a small, satisfied voice said *Now that...is a drastic measure.*

For a few moments, Mitsui didn't respond, and Miyagi almost pulled away. Had he misinterpreted what the taller boy had been saying? If he had...this would be the worst thing that could happen in his entire lifetime.

Then Mitsui slowly slid one hand around Miyagi's waist and rested the other gently against the back of his head, pulling him gently closer. Miyagi leaned forward eagerly, deepening the kiss. This was what he had wanted. Mitsui. The boy he loved. The one fantasy he never dared to think of in his rational mind. The one fantasy he could never stop playing over and over in his head no matter what his rational mind thought.

And damn, he was a good kisser.

Slowly, they broke the kiss, out of breath. Miyagi started to speak. "Mits--" Mitsui shushed him, smiling gently. He looked happier than Miyagi had ever seen him. In fact, he looked exactly how Miyagi felt.

Mitsui leaned forward, his lips hovering very close to Miyagi's. "Just Hisashi now." He smiled, the old cocky glint back in his dark eyes. "So...how about that coffee shop then?"

Miyagi smiled. Unrequited love my ass.

"Absolutely. It's a date."

.:~Owari~:.

Author's Notes: Muahahaha, at last! *bouncie* Sorry guys, it took a while to write..been bogged down by school and real life...

Thankies are in order!
To Xara: for beta-ing my whole story, thankies muchly! Double thankies cos it's an SD fic.^^ Also to Pleiades: For listening to me rant about how cute these two are together, even though she hates yaoi..but I am twisting her. ^^

Hehehe, story com-ple-ted!

~T