Ore Wa Tensai Sakura: Last Chance
Part 2

by Annie D
the_80s_chick@lycos.com



Walking back home after practice, it was clear that Sakura was in a good mood, which was a nice change after being continuously pissed off by the kitsune regularly week after week. Even her step had a light skip as she strolled with her mates through the town.

"Can I ask why you're in a good mood, or will you hit me for being a busybody?" Takamiya asked.

"Good mood?" Sakura asked airily. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Yohei nudged Takamiya with his elbow. "She got a present today."

"A pressssssent?" Ohkosu repeated, his voice teasing. "Who would give you a present?"

"I don't know, just because some people forgot it was the tensai's original birthday doesn't mean that others wouldn't," Sakura said.

"Show us!" Takamiya said.

"No."

"C'mon, show us, Sakura!"

"No! You'll break it!" Sakura gave Takamiya a slight kick in the shins.

"Show me!" Takamiya insisted, grabbing hold of Sakura's bag.

"Stop it you baka!" Sakura snapped, wrestling with Takamiya over control of her bag. "I need to get back home quickly!"

Takamiya paused, but his fingers remained clutched on her bag. "Why?" he asked slowly.

"Because!"

"Why?" Yohei, Ohkosu and Noma chorused.

Sakura sputtered. "None of your business, that's why!" She yanked her bag free of Takamiya's grasp and dashed off into the distance.

Her friends watched her leave in stunned silence.

"That was strange," Takamiya said.

Yohei smirked. "Stranger things shall happen. C'mon, let's go. She'll tell us whatever's going on later."

The other three slowly turned their piercing gazes onto Yohei. "You know," Noma said.

"You know what's going on," Ohkosu added.

Yohei shrugged. "I'll tell you one thing. Sometimes Sakura can be so clueless she deserves nothing less than a whack on the head."

*****

Within the confines of her room, Sakura took the box containing the keychain from her dresser and put it into her sling bag. It was a shame she'd have to return the present – it was really something, she couldn't remember anyone ever giving her a present like that – but it wasn't really hers to keep. She checked herself in the mirror one last time – the tensai is perfect! – before exiting the room.

She had just started down the stairs when her mother suddenly appeared at the foot of them, grinning broadly. "You have a date, Sakura?" her mother asked.

Sakura face vaulted. "No."

"Oh, that's strange," her mother said wickedly. "He's waiting for you in the living room."

"Nani?!" Sakura jumped the last few steps and ran to the living room.

Sendoh raised a hand. "Yo."

Sakura's right eye twitched. "You told my mother this was a date?"

Her mother made a proud little squeal as she pushed Sakura toward the tall boy. "Oh, this is so nice, isn't this nice, Sakura? You haven't been on a date in ages, it's nice to see you finally going on with your life. Oh, shoo shoo the two of you! Have fun!"

The door slammed in their faces. Sakura scowled.

"I thought I told you to wait outside," she mumbled as they turned and started walking.

"She saw me from the window," said Sendoh, laughing a bit. "I didn't tell her it was a date, she just assumed it was. It wasn't my fault, really!"

Sakura's face softened, and she sighed. "So where are we going?"

"Just for some dinner," said Sendoh. "Then maybe we can talk a bit."

*****

Of course Rukawa was following the pair, even if that included him sliding from shadow to shadow as they strolled calmly down the street. He was a possessive male, wasn't he? Sakura was his, wasn't she? He saw her first, so what if he hadn't made a real move on her yet? Sendoh had absolutely no right to – hey, take your slimy hand off her elbow!

She laughed at something the spikey-haired boy said, and the sound drove a little nail into Rukawa's heart.

She'd never laughed for him like that. At him, yes, with that tensai guffaw that was her trademark, but never just, you know, laughed for the sake of enjoying his company. True, he'd never actually given her the opportunity to, but that wasn't the point.

The point was… the point was…

SHE'S MINE!

*****

Sendoh looked up from his spaghetti. "So you enjoying the, um… chicken basket?"

"Yes, yes, Sendoh-san," Sakura said, chomping a healthy dose down. "Now I think we better get down to business."

He looked at her. "Business?"

"Hai," Sakura replied, nodding. "Why you came to Shohoku."

He smiled. "I came to see you, of course."

Sakura blushed a bit across her nose, and quickly covered it by laughing. "Hahahahaha! You flatter the tensai, Sendoh-san." She wagged a finger at him. "It won't do you much good, though."

"Actually I came to ask you a question. A few questions, actually."

Sakura cocked her head, curious. "Shoot."

Sendoh carefully munched down the spaghetti and swallowed. "Well, for starters how about how you came back?"

And so Sakura launched into the story (that is chronicled in Identity Crisis, which you should have read, *ahem*) which Sendoh listened attentively to, every now and then asking a question that Sakura would answer as best as she could.

"And that's it, really," Sakura concluded, shrugging. "Hey, what are you doing now then?"

"Oh, I'm at the North Kanagawa University," Sendoh said. "Doing economics."

Sakura's eyes boggled. "Economics?"

"I play basketball for the team, too," he added. "You didn't think I'd quit basketball, did you?"

Sakura stared at him for a while. Suddenly she remembered what she had wanted to do, and quickly took out the box from her sling bag and put it on the table. "I'm very very grateful for the gift, Sendoh-san, but I just can't take it. I'm really sorry." She smiled apologetically. "It wouldn't be right."

Sendoh's eyes moved to the box, then to her, then furrowed ever so slightly. "I didn't get you a gift." The implication of those words finally hit him, and he added quickly, "Do you want me to?"

Not Sendoh? Sakura frowned. "This wasn't from you?" She opened the box and showed him the keychain.

He shook his head. "I wish it had been me, though. It's beautiful."

Sakura looked at the box, the little keychain twinkling happily within its padded home. Slowly, she closed the box and put it back in her bag. "Then who…?"

"Is there anyone you like right now, Sakura? You don't mind if I call you Sakura, do you?"

"Hm? No, it's okay." Her mind wandered off, trying to pinpoint the keychain culprit.

"Err, I asked if there's anyone you like right now?"

Oh, right. Haruko. Sakura bobbed her head.

"Anything serious?" Sendoh looked cautious in his questioning.

"Nyeh?" Sakura looked at him quizzically. Then she turned the question over in her head, something she had never considered before. She liked Haruko, indeed, but no, not serious in the way that Sendoh's eyes were boring into hers at the moment. But she did too like Haruko. "I don't think I know how to answer that one."

"Anyone I know?"

Sakura blushed. "Hai."

"One of your teammates perhaps?"

"Nani?! No!"

"Oh." Sendoh leaned back into his chair and watched her for a while. He still seemed to be calculating something, but Sakura couldn't be bothered to notice. Finally Sendoh said, "Ah, nevermind then. Hey, finish up your chicken, it's gonna get cold."

"Oh, oh. Right." Who the hell gave me that damn keychain?

*****

Sakura's one-track mind refused to give up that particular line of thought as the night went on, even as her mouth managed to make light conversation with Sendoh. She hardly noticed how he was trying to get her attention, and how actually very charming and nice he was. What Sakura did notice was that he did not annoy her even once, which was a good thing, and by the time they reached her house, she had developed quite a good opinion of him.

"Thank you for dinner," Sakura said, nodding gratefully.

"Thank you for accompanying me," said Sendoh. "I'll come watch your games if I have time."

Sakura grinned. "Be sure to support the basketball girl tensai, hahahahahahaha! This year is sure to be a good one, hmm hmm, I can feel it…"

"Do you mind if I kiss you?"

*piku* "Nani?"

He laughed, a little nervously. "Uh, well, I know this isn't really a date and all but… Well… You're a very attractive person, Sakura-chan."

She blushed liberally. Contrary to popular belief, Sakura had a rather low opinion of herself in such matters. Having being rejected 50 times in a previous life kinda does that to a person. She fixed her gaze on her toes. "Ah, well…"

"So would you mind?"

"Huh? Oh. Oh! Well, um… I don't really know how to, so, um…"

"I could show you if you like."

"Oh? Well then, um… This doesn't mean anything, you understand?"

"Yes." Sendoh said gently.

She regarded him, this time switching on her girl-view rather than using the usual monochrome vision she used to look at most other people she didn't know very well. He was quite attractive, even if the spiky hair did draw the eye a bit too much. Nice eyes, high cheekbones, very nice smile. "Well, okay then."

There was the shock and embarrassment of first contact, but then his lips melted against hers. It was nice. Very nice, in fact. Wait, was that his tongue? Sakura shrieked a bit against his mouth but the firm grip of his hand against her nape prevented her from pulling away.
Sendoh did eventually pull away, and he smiled at her rather googley-eyed expression.

"Was that okay?" he asked.

"Oh? Oh, yeah. Um, it was okay. Hahahahahahahaha! You should be honoured, Sendoh-san, you have the tensai's first kiss." Well, technically.

"Did you feel anything?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"You know, explosion in your veins, fireworks, that kind of thing?"

"No. Did you?"

"No, unfortunately." He sighed.

"So…"

"Well, I guess that's it, really," Sendoh said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Not much chemistry between us, I guess. It was worth the try, though."

Sakura peered up at him. "So that's it?""

Sendoh looked at her. "We can try again. Another, proper date, maybe?"

Sakura looked at him uncertainly. "Would you be hurt if I tell you that you're too brotherly for me to think about you that way and now that I think about that kiss, although it was really really nice, its kinda icky because you're you?"

Sendoh laughed. "No, I wouldn't be hurt at all. That's what I like about you. Your honesty." He reached out and gently pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll still come to your games when I can."

"Oh, doumo." Sakura scratched behind her head a bit. She was a little slow in picking up things, and it was her tendency to push things aside when she couldn't make sense of them within a designated period of time. The tensai had better things to worry about. "Ah well, ja ne, Sendoh-san."

"Ja ne, Sakura-chan."

Sakura entered her house, and the gate clanged shut behind her.

*****

Sendoh watched Sakura shut the door, then turned to a particular clump of bushes nearby. "You can come out now, Rukawa-kun."

Nothing moved.

"I know you're there," he added, a bit too cheerfully.

Rukawa's head popped out of the bushes. Without bothering to look at Sendoh, he walked away down the pavement.

"You were lucky this time, Rukawa," Sendoh told him. "The next guy may be more aggressive, or have better chemistry with her." Rukawa continued to walk, so Sendoh jogged after him lightly and added, "You should have put a note with the keychain."

Rukawa stopped walking. "Hm?"

"Believe me, you should have put the note, or at least told her it was you as soon as she opened it. Bad move to stall there, Rukawa-san. You mark my words. With her temper, phew!"

"Hm." He started to walk away again.

"You're going to stall some more, aren't you?" Sendoh bounded alongside Rukawa. "I know you are, because that's what you do when you can't figure out what to do. I tell you this, you may still have almost a whole year left with her, but that time will fly, and faster than you think. Then before you know it, that last chance to tell her will have flown off."

"I'll tell her in my own time."

Sendoh sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Rukawa." He waved a bit, then started walking off in another direction. "Good luck!"

*****

"Hey, Sakura."

"Yohei."

"Have you figured out who gave you that keychain yet?"

"Don't talk about that stupid keychain!"

"Huh?"

"It's giving me a headache. Don't talk about it."

"…"

"I'll probably sell it sometime or the other. Serve him right, whoever left it on my desk. Hmph."

"Are you sure that's…?"

"Shut up, Yohei. Don't ever talk about that keychain again. Ever."

"Oh. Okay."

*****

Mission: Failed.

Rukawa returned to his ground state of being, which consisted of brooding, brooding, playing basketball and brooding. Things pretty much returned to normal: sleeping in class, after school practice, annoying Sakura in practice while actually secretly watching her, after-after school practice, eat, sleep.

Yay.

Sendoh had been right about time flying by. The Inter High eliminations breezed past, with Shohoku still keeping the title as best in Kanagawa. The Inter High league was then opened to them, and they had tremendous victories, which should have been satisfying to Rukawa, but not when Sakura was still just there out of his grasp and still making puppy dog eyes at Haruko.

He'd make a move. He told himself he would. But it was damn difficult when Sakura's happy eyes were only for Haruko and her angry eyes were mostly for him.

He'd find the right time. Sure he would. It would turn up eventually.

He just needed to be patient.