A/N:

Heeeeere's Sendoh!!!!!!! I hope this isn't too sappy! Mwaaa……… _

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He was awakened by the bright sunray of a late morning that glared through his window right on his face. Sendoh opened his eyes and squinted from the bright light. Then he pulled his pillow from underneath his head and placed it over his face so the sunrays wouldn't bug him. He felt so tired, due to the restless night he had. Couldn't sleep a wink again. Maybe only a good two-three hours or so. Every night now. This had been going on for two weeks.

"Akira!" his mother's voice called as she knocked on his door. "When are you getting out of bed? I know it's summer vacation, and it's a Sunday and all but it'll be lunchtime soon!"

Great.

"Hai, hai, okaa-san." He replied lazily as he lifted the pillow off his face and tossed it onto the floor. Then he pulled himself from the blanket and bedsheet that had tangled around his body due to the endless tossing and turning throughout the night and got up on his feet.

He pulled open his closet door to look for a clean shirt. But his closet was pretty much… empty. Then he remembered that he hasn't organized his clean laundry in weeks, and that they're all still sitting by his door, piling by the day in which each time his mother would brought more in.

Am I not functioning this week or what? Sendoh felt a little amused at himself. He's never really an organized person, just taking everything easy and going with the flow, but the way he has been for the past two weeks, was beyond disorganized. Skipping practice, mindless daydreams, sleepless nights, unfolded clothes…

As he sorted through the pile of clothes, suddenly he froze as he came across a particular one. He pulled the light-blue colored polo shirt and flapped it gently. Chie had given it to him for his birthday last year, and it has become his favorite ever since.

Chie…

He turned around and looked at the phone. Getting up, his hand reached out to pick it up, until…

"Argh! Snap out of it, Akira!" he scolded himself out loud while smacking himself silly. What did you think you were going to say? She's Mitsui's now. And you know she had always loved him too. That's why you let her go. It was your own decision, and so you have to live with it!

But who would've thought it would actually be this hard…?

He sighed again. Maybe this is what's been causing his sleeplessness. He often wondered what made him decide to do what he had done. After all, Chie had remained loyal to him. She could've still been his right now.

Coulda woulda shoulda…

Baka…

But it was Sendoh who realized the look in her eyes when she's with Mitsui. It was him who realized her feelings for Mitsui even before she realized it herself. And so…

He yawned again, and stretched his arms up in the air. He cringed when a pulled muscle shot a mild sore feeling at the back of his right upper arm. The result of two weeks' absence of basketball practice, and a sudden hour of an intense one-on-one without a warm-up against a vivacious player.

He remembered the way she looked under the twilight sun, and those eyes… those fiery eyes that resemble none other than her brother, Rukawa Kaede. And that urge to laugh welled up again in his chest from the amusing fact that he had actually developed an interest on Rukawa Kaede's sister.

"Over my dead body." Sendoh imagined what Rukawa might have said, and how he would've said it.

But then, the feeling of amusement was replaced by a sinking feeling of guilt. After all, it's only been two weeks. Isn't he still supposed to mope around over his recent breakup?

"Yareyare… bakamono da…" He picked up the blue polo shirt, a fresh pair of trousers and a clean towel, and tossed it on his shoulder. She doesn't even like me. He thought, remembering the look on her face as he was walking her home. Maybe disliking Sendoh Akira runs in the genes of the Rukawa clan.

And so the smile reappeared on his face as he brought his steps out of his bedroom.

* * *

Sumire's eyes wandered around as she walked along the crowded Sunday streets. She had left the house for a Sunday sightseeing walk in the city without even telling Rukawa. It was a bright and sunny Sunday. And the heat only brought her to boil even more when she thought of his sharp words just the night before.

I'm not going to talk to him until he does! Baka Kaede… Her face turned more serious as she thought more and more of her stubborn brother.

"You look like you're about to kill someone." A voice suddenly startled her. "What did Rukawa do?"

Her face turned purple in shock when she saw that it was Sendoh right in front of her. And she lost her tongue completely.

"Hisashiburi." Sendoh joked as he smiled. "Small town, isn't it?"

Yeah. Too small, in fact. Of all people, why did I have to run into this big conceited flirt?

"Nice day, isn't it?" he said again, despite that the whole time she hadn't said a word back to him. "Nee, Sumire-san… can I buy you a cup of coffee?"

Sumire looked shocked and appalled at his bold question. He just doesn't get it, does he? Is he really THAT dense?

He noticed the look on her face. "Oh, you don't like coffee? Then, ice cream perhaps?"

Thud.

Sumire rolled her eyes, and promptly walked past him without replying to his offer.

Sendoh laughed. He was, somehow, extremely amused by her behavior. And the more she rejected him, the more interested he became in Rukawa Kaede's sister. And more so because she seemed to be quite a remarkable girl with an intriguing character. So he ran after her and walked next to her.

She glared at him as he casually trod the sidewalk next to her. "Go away." She finally said.

"Sumire-san, a truck might try to run you over again. I'm just here for your personal safety."

Can God just spare me the agony already? First Kaede, now this smart-mouthed guy! She was just about ready to explode completely.

"Please?" he asked again. "A glass of soda then."

"No."

"Candy?"

"No!" she exclaimed as she walked faster ahead of him.

"Akira-san…?"

Sendoh stopped his steps at the other voice who called behind him. He froze for a moment, almost afraid to turn around because he knew the voice all too well.

Doki… doki… doki… His heart felt as if it were about to explode as his foot brought him to turn around.

And there she was, standing in front of him. The girl he loved. And she looked… beautiful.

Two weeks. It's been two weeks since he last saw her.

He didn't know that it would feel this way. That the mere sight of her would hurt so much.

Only two weeks.

"Chie…? Nanda?" Suddenly someone else arrived in the scene and promptly took hold of her hand. It was Mitsui Hisashi. And then his eyes met Sendoh's.

"Yo, Sendoh."

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(to be continued)