Aleine sped down the highway, her Ferrari's engine roaring as she pressed harder on the gas pedal. Gotta make it on time…
She ignored the shrieks and cries of outrage as she whizzed by pedestrians. She didn't give a damn about any of them. After all, no decent person stands in the way of a Ferrari. Especially if SHE'S the one behind the wheel.
She reached the gate of Shoyo just as the end of a Jaguar disappeared into it. She followed it in, and parked beside the other sports cars her friends drove.
Aleine smirked as she lifted her sunglasses from her face, perching them on her head. We must be quite a sight, she mused as she walked alongside her friends, ignoring the stares of the Shoyo students.
For this day, they had dressed to watch a game, but still with the impeccable fashion sense that never failed to make them look like celebrities or supermodels. Denim pants that hung low over the waist; garrison belts; Nike sneakers; and a variety of tops in different cuts, colors, and patterns. As for accessories, they often chose sunglasses, sleek body bags, and one piece of jewelry, usually a watch, bracelet or necklace. They all wore simple earrings, ranging from studs to small hoops.
Melina raised her eyebrow as she surveyed the scene. "Why does it feel like everyone's staring at us?"
CJ grinned. "Cause they've never seen anything like us before except maybe on TV." She winked playfully at a passing male student, who nearly fell over when she did so. "And besides, it isn't everyday that a group of New York girls comes around."
Aleine didn't react to that. She loved the way she could intimidate these other people simply by looking good. Bow, lowly peons. Bow to your Queens!
They entered the gym, and the sound of cheering and anticipation filled the air. Aleine's lips lifted up in a small smile. She enjoyed being in the midst of a crowd before a basketball game. The air crackled with energy and excitement, and made her feel enervated herself.
Jesse called to her. "Hey Aleine! Let's go find our seats!"
Aleine turned around, and followed Jesse up the stairs to the benches. They took a seat at the highest portion of the stands to get a better view of the games. She leaned back slightly, and crossed her arms. Let's see how well Shohoku does.
* * *
Ciel watched patiently as the teams were announced. First was Shohoku. She watched as Akagi, Mitsui, Miyagi, Rukawa and Sakuragi walked onto the court. The starting lineup seems pretty good, she thought. I wonder who will play for Shoyo?
A loud cheer erupted from the other side of the gym, making Ciel look up in surprise. An entire wall of green-shirted people sat on the bleachers opposite them, each person holding a plastic soft-drink bottle in each hand.
Beside her, Aleine smirked. "Well lookie there, they've got a pep squad."
"That's no pep squad. That's the rest of the club members of Shoyo Basketball Club."
Ciel looked up, startled to hear a strange masculine voice. She saw a tall boy in a navy blue jacket, with a small smile on his face, blue eyes, and a really weird hairdo.
Aleine's eyes narrowed as she looked up at the stranger. "Who are you?"
The boy's smile became broader. "I'm Sendoh, Sendoh Akira." He turned to Ciel, and grinned ruefully. "Gomen nasai, but I thought you were CJ-san."
CJ-san? Ciel smiled back at him, and said, "Oh, are you a friend of CJ's? She's right over there, beside Melina."
At the mention of Melina's name, the smile on Sendoh's face became wider. "Honto?! Ah, arigatou…err…"
"Ciel, Ciel Duvalier. And this is Aleine McAlistair." Ciel indicated Aleine, who simply stared back at the guy with her cold blue eyes.
Sendoh smiled politely as Aleine, then turned back to Ciel. "Thank you again, Ciel-san." With that, he walked off towards the end of the bench, where Mel and CJ sat next to each other.
Ciel smiled to herself. So it seems I'm not the only one who has made new friends. She glanced back at the court. Shoyo's starting lineup was about to enter.
A chant rose from the supporters of Shoyo as they started to thump the bottles against the other like drumsticks. "Ike, ike Shoyo! Hote, hote Shoyo!"
She sat at attention as Team Shoyo entered the gym. Several unfamiliar faces passed by, then she noticed one, a tall boy with black hair and dark eyes behind glasses. That must be Hanagata.
Another deafening cheer rose from the Shoyo side as the last – and shortest – team member walked onto the court. Unlike the others, he had a Shoyo jacket draped over his shoulders, as though he wasn't going to be playing right away.
Ciel smiled. There was no mistaking who he was: short, light brown hair and deep blue eyes. Fujima Kenji.
* * *
Fujima sat down on the bench after giving the team some last-minute advice and encouragement. He surveyed them with a proud smile on his face. We've worked very hard these past few days. That work will not go to waste.
His eyes floated over the bleachers on the opposite side, looking at the crowd that had come to support Shohoku. He noticed that Kainan and Ryonan had turned up, and were currently seated on the bleachers at a maximum distance apart. He smirked. The rivalry between the two teams was so strong that if any of them looked at a member of the other team, sparks almost flew between them.
Meantime, the space between Kainan and Ryonan was filled in by a few other supporters of Shohoku. A row near the top caught his eye, and as he scanned the faces there, he saw one that made a gleam appear in his eye.
That's her! That's the girl who nearly ran me over! He stared at her, and a strange smile that could only be described as infatuation appeared on his face. She looks great. Her long jet-black hair hung loose over her shoulders, partially covering a short-sleeved white top that had something printed on it in blue. Her purple eyes gazed back at him calmly, as though she knew he'd be there.
He grinned, and focused his attention on the game. Arigatou, Kami-sama! This time, I SWEAR I'll get her name!
However, his happy little bubble was burst when he realized something. Wait a minute. What is she doing on Shohoku's side? His smile slowly turned into a scowl as he scanned the members of Team Shohoku. Which one is she supporting? Akagi? Nah, he's not good enough in the looks department. Kogure? Too soft-spoken. Miyagi? Too arrogant. Mitsui? Same problem as Miyagi. The redhead? Too loud. Rukawa? Now his mouth turned downwards in a total frown. It made sense. After all, the guy was handsome in his own way, and an excellent player, or so he heard. He wasn't wanting in anything to impress a girl.
He lifted his chin slightly, and clenched his jaw in determination. Well then, this is one girl he won't get.
* * *
Melina trained her gaze on the guy who sat on the bench with an old man. He was obviously a Shoyo player, but maybe only a reserve. Still, she was curious about him. "Sendoh, who's that guy on the bench?"
Sendoh was quick to answer. "That's Fujima Kenji, ace of Shoyo. He's the captain, manager, coach AND point guard all at the same time."
"Really?!" Melina asked in disbelief. "Wow, he must be really organized to handle all those roles at the same time. How does he manage to look so calm? I'd probably be crazy if I took on all those roles."
Sendoh grinned, and shrugged. "I don't know. I was wondering about that myself."
Melina didn't say anything anymore, just focused her attention on the game. Shoyo was the first to score. This team has a definite height advantage, she mused. I wonder what Shohoku will do to compensate for that?
As the game wore on, Melina realized something, and it concerned Akagi and a certain Hanagata, the center for Shoyo. This doesn't look so good. Akagi is tall, and so is Hanagata. It wouldn't have been so bad if Hanagata weren't so fast on his feet. But Akagi's just too damn slow!
There was a deafening cheer from the Shoyo side, making Melina snap out of her thoughts. Shohoku was lagging by nine points now, after that previous shot by Hanagata. "What did I miss?"
"Hanagata just performed a fade-away," Sendoh replied, the awe in his voice obvious.
Melina's eyebrow quirked up in a lazy way. "A fade-away? No big deal, I could do it blindfolded."
The lilt of a challenge was in Sendoh's voice. "You're quite confident when you say that. How will you prove it?"
"Sometime soon, Sendoh, you yourself will get to see how I play," Melina replied, and let her tonality close the subject.
* * *
CJ watched the game with a smile of interest. Shoyo's players were tall, and that would work for their side, but didn't mean there were no means of countering it. Speed is going to be practically crucial here, as well as quick thinking. One wrong move and their heads will be lying on the chopping block.
"What're your takes on this, CJ?" Melina asked in a quiet tonality.
"Not good," CJ answered. "If the point difference goes higher than a single-digit number, then Shohoku will be under the axe."
"Ooh, really?" Melina's eyes twinkled in anticipation. "This game gets better by the second!"
CJ sighed, and shook her head. Mel's always into all this thrill stuff. That girl's probably got nerves of steel. This was true, especially considering the fact that she enjoyed inline skating, skateboarding, and (whenever she got the chance) skydiving, bungee jumping, and snowboarding.
She stood up, and grinned at Melina. "I'll go get something to drink. You want anything?"
Mel nodded slightly, her attention too focused on the game. "Yeah, get me a Coke or something."
"Okay." CJ glanced at Jesse. "You want anything?"
Jesse didn't answer; she was too absorbed with the game.
CJ shrugged, and stood up, heading for the snack bar outside the gym. As she walked, she didn't notice a group of teenage boys stare at her in wonder and amazement.
* * *
Kiyota Nobunaga felt his jaw slacken as the girl walked by. His eyes followed her as she sauntered to the snack bar and started to buy some drinks.
Beautiful… The girl was remarkably tall, with waist-length chocolate-brown hair that hung in a long thick braid down her back and held in place by a wooden hairclip in the shape of a rose. She had dark brown eyes, and slightly tan skin.
Her clothing was no less impressive. She was wearing a bright red short-sleeved top, which had an angel printed on the front holding a pitchfork with the words "I'm No Angel" above it. A pair of low-waist denim pants clung to her hips, and was held up by a striped red and black garrison belt. A pair of red and white Nike Shox sneakers peeked out from beneath the hem of her pants.
Kiyota felt someone nudge him in the ribs, and he looked up to see Maki glaring at him. "Leave her alone, Kiyota."
"What's wrong with looking at her?" Kiyota threw back at his Captain. "She's very easy on the eyes."
Even Jin agreed with him. "Kiyota's right, Maki-sempai. She IS very beautiful. What's wrong with looking?"
Maki simply rolled his eyes at them, and Kiyota knew that he was getting irritated with them. The sad thing about Maki is that he's got a one-track mind.
The girl had finished ordering and paying for her drinks, and was currently walking back to the gym. She smiled at them playfully, before heading back to her seat with her friends.
Kiyota grinned like a lovesick boy, which is exactly what he was. Maki had to drag him towards the gym so that they could continue watching the game.
In his heart, Kiyota vowed to find that girl again, Even if I have to scour Kanagawa from top to bottom to find her.