"Are you SURE this is the right place?" Hanamichi grumbled as the members of Team Shohoku stepped off the bullet train and onto the platform.
Kogure checked the paper he had in his hand, and nodded. "Yup, this is it. Get off at the fourth station, and then take a cab from the station to the flat. The directions are specified here."
Ayako grinned brightly, and she walked ahead of them. "Come on, let's get going! We don't want to keep them waiting, do we?"
* * *
Melina sighed as she rode down the path, the hooves of her horse, Firebane, clattering against the stones and pebbles that littered the road. What a beautiful day!
It was a warm Saturday morning, the perfect weather for riding. She had spent the entire morning riding through the estate, roaming around as free as the wind.
The moment she reached the end of the path, she dismounted, intending to walk the rest of the way back.
As she neared the road towards the flat, she heard voices coming from the front. Huh?
"Oi Megane-kun, you REALLY got us lost thing time!"
"Stop making so much noise, Hanamichi-kun! If you hadn't been so noisy and if you had stopped arguing with Rukawa, then maybe we would STILL be in the cab and wouldn't be walking around in the middle of nowhere!"
"Yeah, Aya-chan's right!"
Melina giggled to herself, and she tugged the reins of her horse. Time to give them a surprise.
* * *
"Hey you guys! What are you doing all the way out here?"
Kogure looked up the moment she heard the voice, and his jaw dropped. "Me-Melina san?!" What is she doing here?!
Melina smiled at him as she approached. "Hi everyone!" As she walked out from the cover of the trees, a rowan red horse followed her from behind.
Kogure gaped at her and the horse. "Um, if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing out here with a horse?"
Melina laughed. "Don't seem so surprised! I always go out riding if the weather permits. And besides, all of this land and the horses belong to us anyway, so even if I felt like riding out in the middle of a storm, no one would really mind."
For a moment, all time froze. The silence was broken when Kogure managed to stammer, "You…you OWN this land we're standing on?"
"Yeah," Melina replied. "She looked at Kogure with an odd expression, then asked, "You mean Erin never told you?"
Kogure shook his head. "She never told me."
"Oh." Melina gazed at them, then she grinned. "In any case, it looks like I'll have to tell you everything on the way back." She walked ahead of them. "C'mon. We can get back to the flat if we walk this way."
Kogure fell in step beside her. For a while, they walked in silence, and he took this time to digest the startling discovery he had made. Why didn't Erin-san tell me?!
At length, Melina spoke. "Our families – the McAlistairs, McNallys, Carters, Andersons, Drakensburgs, and Duvaliers – are quite…prominent in New York. The McAlistairs own much of the land on which New York City stands, while the Drakensburgs and Duvaliers are members of the diplomatic corps. The Carters are connected to an old presidential family, and the McNallys are among the biggest corporate stockholders. And as for us Andersons, we own a large pharmaceutical company that deals in painkillers and anesthetics."
For the third time that day, Kogure's mind became numb from an overload of information. Now that he thought about it, the names Melina had mentioned WERE very affluent. No wonder they go around in sports cars and live on prime real estate.
Melina halted at that moment, and Kogure did the same thing. They were now standing in front of a huge mansion, with wide clerestory windows draped with red curtains, and fronted by a cobblestone driveway with a fountain in the middle.
Naturally, they were startled at seeing such a massive house.
"This is probably the biggest house in Kanagawa," Miyagi whispered to Kogure, who nodded. No doubt about it.
At that moment, Melina turned to them, and smiled. "Sorry to leave you guys like this, but I have to bring Firebane back to the stables. I think you can find your way from here. Ja!" She slipped her foot into the stirrup, and gracefully got onto the horse. She kicked her heels into the animal's flanks, and galloped off towards the back of the house.
Kogure watched her disappear around the bend, and sighed when she was out of sight. This has been a day full of surprises. He walked to the front door, and rang the bell.
* * *
Erin looked up the moment she heard the doorbell ring. Huh? She turned from the computer screen, and glanced at Ciel, who was sitting at her desk, looking over some documents. "Who do you think that could be?"
"Must be the visitors," Ciel replied without even looking up from her papers.
"Oh yeah, right." Erin cut her connection to the online trade room of Wall Street, and stood up. She walked out the library, past CJ's study, and down the stairs. She moved towards the front doors, and opened them to be greeted by Kogure's face. She smiled. "Hey Kogure! So glad you guys could make it!"
Kogure grinned back at her. "Ohayo, Erin-san. I hope we aren't too late…"
"Oh no, you're early, actually. We thought you guys wouldn't come in until this afternoon. Don't you have practice?" Erin asked as she led them to the living room.
Kogure sounded apologetic. "Gomen nasai, but Akagi thought that we'd forego practice for today to come and visit."
Erin glanced at Akagi, and he just gazed solemnly back at her. Oh. She smiled. "No prob. You can play later, if you want. We've got an outdoor court at the back of the house, but its kinda off-limits right now cause Jesse's busy fixing her Harley."
Mitsui blinked at her. "A Harley?"
"Yeah. Jesse used to run around with a biker gang before we met, but she's given up that sort of life. She still keeps her Harley though, and she'd rather ride it than a car." Erin glanced around, and noticed an unfamiliar girl sitting between Akagi and Ayako. She smiled at the girl. "Hi! I don't think we've met before. What's your name?"
The girl blushed, but smiled. "Ohayo. My name is Akagi Haruko."
"Oh, Akagi's little sister? Cool, another girl to talk to!" Erin said cheerfully. "My name's Erin McNally, but just call me Erin. There're five more of us living in this big old house. Melina Anderson I'm sure you've met already; she's the one who led you here. CJ Carter is in the kitchen; Ciel Duvalier is in the library; Aleine McAlistair is at the pool; and Jesse Drakensburg is at the court. If ever I run into any of them, I'll drag them over here so you can meet them."
At that moment, she got a brilliant idea. "Hey, I know! How about I give you a tour? That way even if I left you on your own you wouldn't get lost, and Haruko can meet the others!"
With that idea in mind, Erin led the others to the kitchen, where CJ was sitting on the counter and staring at the oven. Just as they entered, there was a light ping, and she opened the oven door to pull out a tray of chocolate chop cookies.
Erin smiled as she sniffed the air. "Mmmm, smells good!"
CJ grinned good-naturedly as she transferred the cookies to a plate. "Thank you very much!" She glanced at the faces all around her, and noticed Haruko standing close to Ayako. "Hey, you're a new face!" What's your name?"
"Akagi Haruko," the girl replied softly.
CJ's smile grew wider. "Hi Haruko! I'm CJ Carter, but just call me CJ. So you must be Akagi's little sister, huh?"
Haruko nodded in response.
Erin turned to them, and led them out of the kitchen. "Come on, let's go to the poolside. Aleine ought to be there right now."
* * *
Aleine stared up at the sky, squinting at it, trying to memorize the shape of the passing clouds. After a moment, she picked up her pencil, and rapidly began to sketch.
At that moment, the door to the pool from the main house opened, and she heard many footsteps heading her way.
She didn't need to look to know who it was. "What are you doing here, Erin?"
"Hey Aleine, look up."
Aleine peered at them from the top of her sketchpad, and realized that Team Shohoku was peering down at her. When her eye fell on Mitsui, she smirked. "I didn't expect to find you here, do'aho."
Mitsui scowled. "I didn't know you sunbathed, Snow Bitch. Don't you melt at all in all this heat?"
Aleine's smirk became wider. Oh ho, feisty today, are we? "Fortunately, no. And how do you manage to talk? A do'aho isn't supposed to have a tongue." She put down her sketchpad, and ran a hand through her hair. She had done her usual morning laps around the pool, and spent the rest of the morning waiting for herself to dry out while she sketched the view through the skylight.
At that moment, she caught sight of another girl in the group. Huh? She gazed at the girl, not noticing that she was making her squirm. "And who might you be?"
"A-Akagi Haruko," the girl stammered.
"Akagi…so you're Akagi's little sister," Aleine muttered. She gazed at her for another moment longer, then stood up, taking her sketchpad and towel with her. Without saying another word, she left Erin and the others at the poolside.
* * *
Jesse reached for the wrench, and used it to tighten a bolt on the wheel. When it had been screwed as far tightly as it could go, she picked up a rag, and wiped off the excess grease. Almost done…
"Hey Jess, where are you?!"
Jesse groaned. "Go away Erin! I'm not finished here yet!" She stood up, and wiped her arms with another clean rag, frowning when the oil streaks just grew longer. Only water can get rid of this now. When she turned, she saw Erin and Team Shohoku standing at the edge of the court.
Erin grinned wickedly at her. "Yo grease-monkey. You done with you little 'baby'?"
Jesse wanted to run and hide, because she didn't want the boys to see her looking so dirty, but it was too late. "Hi everyone! Sorry that you have to see me looking like I came out of some hole in the earth."
The members of Team Shohoku laughed at her joke, and she took the time to see who was present. It was during this time that she noticed another girl. With a smile, she walked over to the girl. "Hi! I'm Jessica Drakensburg! And you are?"
The girl smiled. "Akagi Haruko."
"Oh! Well Haruko, pleased to meet ya!" Jesse held her hand out for Haruko to shake. But when she realized how dirty her palm was, she grinned ruefully, and withdrew it. "On second thought, maybe next time."
"Well anyway, we'll be going to the library to see Ciel," Erin said, and she led the others away, heading towards the inner parts of the house.
When they were gone, Jesse sighed, and rubbed the back of her neck. Without a moment's hesitation, she walked over to the bucket filled with water, and poured the cool liquid over her head.
* * *
SPLASH!!!!!
Rukawa looked up when he heard the splash of water over something. Nani?
He saw Jesse standing there, an empty bucket in one hand and dripped water onto a puddle on the ground. The skin on her arms and legs was slick with moisture, and her wet T-shirt clung to her body and flaunted her shapely curves.
For the first time ever, Rukawa Kaede, the supposedly ice-hearted rookie of Shohoku High School, openly stared at a girl whom he SUPPOSEDLY had no feelings for.
Rukawa urged himself to turn away, but he could not. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her.
"You want something?"
He was sent crashing back to reality when Jesse spoke to him. He resumed his ice-cold demeanor, and answered her. "Nothing."
With that, he walked away from the court in a daze, his mind reeling with but one thought, WHY HER?!?!?!?!
* * *
Ciel looked over the documents that her uncle in Paris sent her, trying to see if the trade contract would be beneficial for both France and Nigeria.
A knock sounded on the door. Without even looking up from her papers, she said, "Enter."
The door of the library creaked open, and Erin poked her head in. "Ciel?"
Ciel glanced at Erin, peering at her through her glasses. "Yes?"
Erin opened the door more fully, and Ciel realized that Team Shohoku was there, most of them smiling at her in greeting. Ciel smiled back as she put aside the contract and removed her reading glasses. "Hello everyone. I'm sorry if I wasn't able to go down earlier. I had to attend to some papers my uncle from Paris sent me." She paused when she noticed an unfamiliar face amongst those gathered. With a smile, she got up from her chair, and approached. "Hello. I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting yet. I'm Ciel Duvalier, but everyone just calls me Ciel. And you?"
The girl smiled shyly. "Akagi Haruko."
Ciel smiled back. "Haruko…I see, you must be Akagi's little sister." She glanced at Erin. "Where are the others?"
Erin shrugged back in answer. "On you know, the usual."
Ciel was about to ask something else, but then the intercom beeped, and CJ's voice resounded in the library. "Hey Ciel, lunch is ready. Mel's down here already, and so is Aleine. Bring the others down here too."
Ciel sighed, and pressed the button on the intercom. "Yes, we'll be down in a moment." She released the button, and glanced at her companions. "Let's have lunch, shall we?"
* * *
Jesse checked the engine one last time before turning it off. She removed her helmet, and smiled to herself. At last, peace and quiet.
She had taken her Harley out for a test drive after she had managed to fix it, and she knew she would never make it back in time for lunch. Because of this, she decided to pack a picnic lunch for herself.
Just then, she heard a rustling noise behind her. She turned around, and noticed a tall figure standing there, a figure with black hair, pale skin, and dark blue eyes. Rukawa.
Jesse smiled at him. "Hey."
Rukawa only glared back at her. "Hey."
"What are you doing here?"
"Nothing."
"Are you lost?"
No response.
Jesse smirked. Though he hadn't said anything verbally, his body language spoke volumes. He's not only lost, she mused, but irritated and hungry to boot. She simply shrugged, and turned away. "Fine. If you'd like to know, it's lunchtime already and the others have probably started by now. You better get on back to the mansion. Aren't you hungry?"
Rukawa didn't respond.
Jesse rolled her eyes. If that's what he wants, then that's just fine and dandy. I won't budge unless he asks me to.
* * *
Mitsui was smiling to himself as he followed the others towards the dining room. These girls are really well off; I bet that the food will be great!
They stepped into the dining room at that moment, and he felt his heart sink a little. The setting was very formal, and he hadn't had any experience with it yet.
They took their places at the huge table, and Mitsui felt himself stiffen when he looked at his place. There were more than seven pairs of forks and knives; three spoons; and three glasses. How am I supposed to eat like this?! Which fork am I supposed to use first?!
He glanced at the seating arrangement. All the guys were lined up on one side, while all the girls were sitting together on the opposite side. Aleine was sitting to his right at the head of the table, and CJ had the place across from him. Riyota was seated to his left, and Ayako had the seat across from him. To Miyagi's left sat Hanamichi, and Haruko across him. Next to Hanamichi was Akai, and Ciel had the place in front of him. Kogure and Erin sat across the table from each other, and Melina sat to Erin's right. There were two vacant seats: one in front of Melina, and another to Melina's right, at the head of the table.
Mitsui realized that there were two people missing. Where are Rukawa and Jesse?
* * *
Rukawa glared at Jesse as she walked back to her Harley, and opened the seat compartment. She brought out a blue-checkered cloth, and a small wicker basket.
He watched as Jesse unfolded the cloth, and lay it out on the grass. He felt his stomach rumble in response as she opened the basket and brought out an assortment of sandwiches, canned drinks, and fruits. He wanted to ask her for something to eat, but his pride wouldn't allow for it.
So Rukawa Kaede simply stood there, watching Jesse as she ate, debating with himself over what he should do. I want to ask her, but that would make me look weak! But she's just a GIRL for crying out loud! This shouldn't be too hard…
He felt something bump against his chest, and instinctively, he caught it. He glanced at the object, and realized that it was a bright red apple.
Nani? He glanced up at Jesse, and noticed her smirk as she looked back at him. "What's this?"
"An apple, what does it look like?" Jesse answered.
Rukawa narrowed his eyes. "That's not what I meant."
Jesse tilted her head back slightly, as if challenging him. "Then what DO you mean, Kaede?"
Rukawa blinked in surprise. "You remembered my name."
"Of course," Jesse replied with a shrug. "I don't easily forget the names of those I've challenged."
Rukawa's surprise dissipated into irritation. So that's her way now, is it?
But Jesse didn't react to that. Rukawa wasn't sure if she had noticed or she didn't really care. She smiled up at him. "Aren't you going to eat?"
* * *
Ciel glanced down the table, checking up on the others to see if they were still alright. She had figured as much that their guests weren't that used to eating with cutlery and silverware, especially Mitsui, Hanamichi and Riyota. The noise they were making was deafening, not to mention irritating, so she decided to help them and spare the others the misery.
She turned to Haruko, and whispered to her, "Hey Haruko, could you do me a small favor?"
Haruko glanced at her, blinking innocently. "Sure. What do you want me to do?"
"Why don't you…HELP Hanamichi a little, hm? He obviously doesn't really understand how to use a knife and fork. And tell Ayako the same thing so she can help Riyota."
"But what about Mitsui-san?"
Ciel glanced at Aleine, and noticed that the latter was gazing at Mitsui as though he were a toy she intended to play with. Not good. "Err, I think Aleine will take care of Mitsui."
Haruko nodded, and passed the message on to Ayako. After a few minutes, the noise had been reduced considerably. Ciel smiled in satisfaction. My eardrums have been spared.
However, a few seconds later, there was a sharp cracking sound, that of many pieces of glass shattering. Ciel looked up, and realized that Hanamichi had accidentally broken the glass he was using because his grip was too strong.
Almost everyone at the table found this a little funny, except for Akagi and Kogure, who looked extremely embarrassed, and Aleine, who looked just plain irritated. She signaled to one of the maids who stood waiting near the kitchen door. "Clean that up and give him a new glass. An ordinary one, if you may; I don't want to see any more Venetian crystal pieces ending up as shards in the trash bin."
Silence fell over the table, and for a while, no one spoke. Ciel sighed, and simply munched her salad quietly. This is NOT good at all.
* * *
Jesse watched Kaede eat, her half-smile still on her face. The guy ate at a painfully slow pace, quite unlike the guys Jesse was used to seeing. Not that she was in a hurry, at any rate. The others weren't expecting her to be back until late in the afternoon, anyway. But Kaede's friend will probably want him back early.
She waited a few more minutes, making sure that Kaede wasn't going to eat anymore. Once she had confirmed this, she started to clean up, putting the empty cans and plastic wrappers in the basket.
Kaede stared at her, watching her with his cold blue eyes. After a while, he bent down, and started helping her put everything away.
Jesse blinked in surprise. Why is he helping me? I didn't think he would… She peered at him closely, trying to get past his cold façade, and grinned. "Why Kaede, I never knew you could be such a gentleman!"
Kaede didn't stop moving, and he didn't look at her, but there was no mistaking the small blush that colored his pale face momentarily.
Jesse did her best to stop the laughter that was welling up inside of her. She folded the blanket, picked up the basket, and placed both items in her Harley. She glanced at Kaede as she got on her bike, "I think that it would be best for the both of us if we went back now. By the time we get there, the others ought to have finished their lunch. We can have a game later this afternoon. Maybe you can settle your score with me then, hm?"
Kaede's eyes flashed in her direction, and Jesse thought she caught the hint of a cocky smile on his face. He walked up to her, and got on her bike.
Jesse shook her head. Very cute guy, very good player, and VERY big ego. She put her helmet on, and lent her spare to Kaede. With that, she started up her Harley, and roared off through the forest, heading for the mansion.
* * *
Erin shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The silence was almost unbearable, the only sound coming from Mitsui's clattering silverware. Please, please, SOMEONE talk about something, ANYTHING!
At long last, CJ spoke up. She grinned brightly, and asked, "So, when's your next game? Who'll you be playing next?"
Almost everyone perked up. "Our next game will be tomorrow," Akagi answered. "We will be playing against Shoyo."
Ciel looked up suddenly. "Shoyo?"
Kogure nodded. "Hai. They're a very good team; one of the Top Four in Kanagawa." His face became one of curiosity. "Why, do you know about them?"
Ciel lowered her head again, and Erin noticed the small smile on her lips. "Yes, sort of."
This set off a talk about Shohoku's past games. Erin learned that Shohoku hadn't been able to get even to the finals of the Inter High yet, but that they hoped to do so this year, now that their lineup was strong. They talked about Hanamichi's travails, and how he had dunked the ball on Naito's head when they had a game against Miuradai.
This sort of talk continued for quite some time, until Aleine's voice cut through like an icy knife. "Mitsui, could you PLEASE, for the love of God, STOP making so much noise? You really DON'T know how to use a spoon, fork and knife, do you? Where have you been till now, some cave in the remote mountains living with wolves?"
Mitsui choked on a piece of fudge cake at that moment, but Aleine didn't make a move to help him. She merely glared at him with a look that would have made the Sahara freeze over.
Erin shook her head. That Aleine… She folded her napkin neatly, and placed it on the table. She smiled at the others. "Now that everyone's finished, why don't we play, hm? We can wait until Rukawa and Jesse get back, then we can REALLY have fun!"
That seemed to bring the spirits of the guests up a notch or two as they gamely got up and walked out the door of the dining room.
Erin waited until most of the others were gone, then she approached Kogure, and tugged his sleeve. "Hey."
Kogure glanced at her momentarily. "Is something the matter?"
"Listen Kogure, I want you to do a little favor for me." Erin reached into her pocket, and brought out her wallet. She pulled out several hundred-dollar bills, and placed them in Kogure's hand. "Take Mitsui and the guys out to a good dinner; someplace nice, and let them eat all they want. If the money isn't enough, pay for the deficit, and I'll pay you back. If there's change, you can have it."
"But Erin-san, this is too much! You don't have to do this," Kogure protested.
Ciel appeared at Kogure's side. She had been waiting outside the door for Erin, and had heard the entire exchange. "It's just fine. After all, we don't think that Mitsui got to eat much."
Erin nodded. "My point exactly. So you go out, have a nice dinner, and keep the change. Go clubbing or something. Whatever."
Kogure looked at the two of them for a while, then smiled a little. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Erin-san, Ciel-san. I owe you a lot now."
Erin grinned broadly. "Y'know, there IS something you can do to return the favor. Win the game with Shoyo. That's all I ask. Your winning will be better than paying me back with money."
Kogure smiled broadly. "I promise, Erin-san."
* * *
Mitsui frowned when he felt his stomach grumble. Oh no, this is NOT good. He hadn't had the change to eat a decent lunch because of the cutlery problem, and the snack of cookies and water that CJ had brought them while they were playing basketball just wasn't enough. I need my strength for the game versus Shoyo tomorrow.
Suddenly, Kogure said, "Oi, could you guys wait a moment? I need to do something for a minute." With that, he walked away from their group, and entered…a bank.
Mitsui blinked, surprised. A bank? What would Kogure do there?
Moments later, Kogure came out, counting a thick wad of paper bills in his hand.
Mitsui's eyes widened. He smirked as Kogure walked up to him. "Wow Kogure, you never told us how rich you were. Why do you never treat us out, eh?"
Kogure smiled back at him. "And that's what I'm going to do right now. That's why I have all this money."
"You don't always have so much money," Akagi said suddenly. "Where did you get that?"
"Erin-san gave it to me," Kogure answered. His voice was soft that Akagi didn't hear it, but Sakuragi did. He threw his head back, and laughed so loudly it echoed off the walls of the nearby buildings. "NANI?! Erin-san gave you money?! Then that means she's your girlfriend already!"
Mitsui snickered as Kogure's face turned five shades of red, and he ducked his head to hide his blush. It was a very rare thing to see the usually calm and collected "Megane-kun" look so flustered.
After a moment, he looked up, grinning. "Anyway, let's have dinner. It'll be my treat."