Melina swung the grocery bags into the trunk of her BMW, and closed the trunk with a thud. After doing so, she joined CJ in front, starting up the engine and pulling out of the parking lot.
As they drove down the road, CJ suddenly spoke up. "What d'you think of the guys?"
Melina raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"
"You know what I'm talking about," CJ said with a grin. "Are they boyfriend material or what?"
Melina suddenly tightened her grip on the steering wheel, but didn't let CJ notice it. She shrugged. "I dunno."
CJ stared at her, and turned away. "Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm talking to the infamous 'Black Widow'. How many guys have you dumped already? 50?"
"58."
That answer earned Melina some peace and quiet. To be honest, I sometimes wish that I didn't have to be known as the Black Widow. It's not like I DID anything to EARN that so-called title… She frowned. If only THAT didn't happen…
Suddenly, CJ tapped her shoulder, and pointed to the sidewalk. "Hey look, a coffee shop. Let's stop by for a while and get a couple of fraps."
That brought Melina's spirits up. She slowed the car, and parked in front of the café. She grinned at CJ. "C'mon, it'll be my treat."
* * *
DING DING!!!
Koshino looked up from his soda when he heard the door of the café open, and watched as two girls walked in. "Eh?"
Sendoh blinked at him. "What's up?"
Koshino didn't have to say anything when the girls walked up to the table beside them. One of them, rather tall with short reddish-brown hair and dark brown eyes, approached Sendoh, and pointed to the empty table beside them. "Excuse me, is this table taken?"
Sendoh smiled at the girl, and shook his head. "No, it's free."
"Thanks." The girl smiled at him in gratitude, and then sat down at the table with her companion, who had long brown hair and hazel eyes.
Koshino watched the girls with interest. It hadn't escaped his ears that they spoke with American accents. Are they tourists? He glanced at Sendoh, and noticed that his best friend was just as curious about them as he was. By mutual agreement, they decided to listen in.
The one with long hair grinned at her companion while she ordered. "That redhead – Sakuragi, right? – I'd really like to strangle him someday."
The other one raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"
"He belittled us. He thought we couldn't beat him. Him and that Rukawa guy."
"What do you expect? It goes like this: ¼ of the guys in this world are gays, another ¼ are married or have girlfriends, and the rest are jerks. And I think they both fall in the latter category."
"And what about that Mitsui person?"
"DEFINITELY a jerk."
"Kogure?"
A pause. "Can't say, but maybe he's gay."
Long Hair spluttered into her frap. "WHAT?!?!?! You serious, Mel?"
Silence.
Long Hair sighed, and shook her head. "Sometimes Mel, I think you're more mysterious than Ciel or Aleine, in spite of that big smile you usually project."
Short Hair's lips twisted into a half-smile, and she sipped her frap without another word.
Now taking his cue from their silence, Koshino turned to them, and asked, "Excuse me, but are you from Shohoku?"
Long Hair turned to him, and blinked. "By 'from', you mean do we STUDY there, or did we GO there and then leave?"
"Do you study there?"
Long Hair giggled. "Hell no! We just got back after having a game with them."
Nani?!?!?! Koshino glanced at Sendoh, and noticed a strange expression cross the taller boy's face.
Sendoh turned to Short Hair, and grinned. "Gomen, but I didn't get your names…"
Short Hair laughed. "Oh yeah, we haven't introduced ourselves." She held out her hand. "I'm Melina Anderson, but everyone just calls me Melina or Mel."
"And I'm Sendoh Akira. A pleasure to meet you, Melina-san," Sendoh replied as he shook hands with Melina.
In the meantime, Koshino turned to Long Hair. "I'm Koshino Hiroaki. And you are…?"
"Crisel Joy Carter. Just call me CJ," she said with a grin as they shook hands.
Koshino smiled back at her, and it took all of his willpower to avoid staring into her eyes for too long…
"So," Melina's voice cut through his thoughts. "Where are you guys from? Are you from Shohoku too?"
Sendoh laughed. "Nope, sorry. We're from another school, Ryonan High. Have you heard of it?"
Melina shook her head. "Not yet."
CJ eyed Sendoh for a moment, then fixed her gaze on Koshino. After a moment of silent analysis, she said, "You're basketball players, ain't ya?"
Huh? How did she figure that out? "Uh, yeah, that's right. Why, something wrong?" Koshino asked.
CJ and Melina were looking at one another, and there was a gleam of conspiracy in their eyes. After a while, CJ turned to Koshino. "Oh, it was nothing. Mel and I just had an idea. Anyway, we really hate to cut this so short, but we really gotta go."
Koshino and Sendoh moved back, allowing the two girls to step out and head for the door. Just as they were about to exit, Sendoh asked, "Will we see you again?"
Melina turned around to face him, a playful smile smack dab on her face. "Oh, we will Sendoh. Sooner than you think." With a laugh, she exited the café, leaving Koshino and Sendoh to puzzle over her words.
* * *
Ciel listened to the whistling of the wind as it whipped past her ears and blew her hair back from her face. She had just accomplished a certain errand, and she was now on her way home.
Home… Ciel's eyes narrowed slightly as she rounded a curve. Being here in Japan with my friends feels more like home than Park Avenue ever did.
Ciel had become so absorbed with her own thoughts that she didn't notice a basketball bound across the road from the court on her right. And neither did she notice that a guy was chasing it until the last minute.
Yikes! Ciel slammed on the brakes, and with a loud screech, her car stopped no less than two feet away from her almost-victim. "Hey, watch it! I could've hit you!"
The boy looked up, and eyed her angrily. He had short light brown hair and blue eyes. He picked up the ball, and then strode over to the driver's side of the car. "Look who's talking?! I'M the one who nearly got run over, and YOU'RE the one with the nerve to get angry! And… I don't believe it! You're a GIRL?!?!?"
Ciel raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong with that? Last time I checked, Japan was a free country."
The boy blushed slightly, but not much. Apparently he didn't want to sound sexist. Ciel exhaled slowly, trying to let her anger simmer down somewhat. Now's not the time to lose my head…
At that moment, there was the roar of an engine from behind, and a bright red car with a flash of silver careened down the road, going well above the speed limit. Ciel winced as it whizzed by, closing her eyes to prevent any dust from getting flung into them. When she opened her eyes, she noticed the boy pressed against the door over her car, looking stricken and relieved at the same time. "That was too close."
"Tell me about it," Ciel muttered. Suddenly, she grinned. "Well, now you can't accuse me of having tried to kill you, seeing that there are worse drivers than me."
The boy scowled somewhat, but it wasn't as bad as before. "That STILL doesn't discount the fact that you nearly ran me over."
Ciel shrugged. "At least I used my brakes. And besides, no one runs out onto a busy street unless they're on a suicide mission. It was your fault too, in a way; you shouldn't have chased after your ball like that."
The boy stared at her for a moment, then quite suddenly, he laughed. Ciel blinked in surprise. Huh? Is he some kind of psycho or something?
After a moment, the boy bent down over her, and extended his hand. "Gomen nasai about that. My name's Fujima, Fujima Kenji."
Ciel stared at him, but slowly smiled, and shook his hand. "Fujima…Kenji." She paused a moment, then asked, "What school are you from?"
"Shoyo. By the way, I-"
Suddenly, a voice called from the court. "Oi Fujima, come back so we can play again!"
Hai, hai, Hanagata!" Fujima replied. He glanced at Ciel, who then said, "Looks like you're needed. I'd best be going now." She started to pull away, but then, Fujima said, "Matte!"
Ciel turned back to him, and grinned. "We may meet again, Fujima Kenji. If Fate should be kind to us, we will meet. Ja ne!" With that, she drove off, and didn't look back.
* * *
Fujima stared, openmouthed, as the girl he had been talking to roared away in her Lamborghini. Kuso! I wasn't able to ask her name!
Hanagata came walking up to him at that moment, his eyes holding the glint of curiosity. "Who was that?"
Fujima blinked back to reality, and turned to his friend. "Nani?"
"Who was that," Hanagata repeated.
"Oh!" Fujima grinned, and shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't get to ask her name."
Hanagata shook his head, smirking slightly. "And you meet another roadblock in your quest to find a girlfriend. Fujima, when you meet a girl, you ALWAYS ask for her name first – even if she nearly kills you."
"Hai, hai," Fujima grumbled as he and Hanagata walked back to their other teammates.
"You know, she was kinda pretty," Hanagata said thoughtfully. "Long black hair, pale skin… Did you see the color of her eyes?"
Fujima nodded. "Royal purple." He smiled slightly. "Purple like the twilight."
Hanagata glanced at Fujima. "Since when did you become a poet?"
"Since I met her."
Hanagata laughed heartily. "Whoa, looks like Fujima Kenji's in LOVE!"
But Fujima wasn't listening. He gazed at the setting sun, a smile on his lips. If Fate is kind to us? Then I pray for Fate to be kind, so that I would see you again…even if this time, you REALLY run me over!