A/N by Mikara: Hello minna! Long time no post! But no, the Fellowship is
still very much alive and kicking…at dahil wala kami magawa ngayong summer
puro pagsusulat na lang ang aming tinutupad…wala na ang diet, pag-aaral at
mga resolusyong pang-bagong taon. (And because we are being cooked slowly
and thoroughly in our houses in this godawful heat and are bored out of our
wits all that we've managed to do this summer is write. Diets, studies, and
New Year's resolutions all out the window…) Haaay… (*sigh*)
Anyway, as with all fics under the FellowshipOfTheROW this fic has in it R.O.W. Members whose sole purpose is to make this fic different from all other fics dealing with Life After Basketball for our beloved slam dunkers and three-pointers (depending on which kind of player you like). And because there are R.O.W. Members in this fic has OCs, or original characters in it, but hopefully other people will still appreciate the humor/romance here. Please, just read, okay? This probably isn't like any other fic with OCs and self-insertion that you've read before.
No flames, onegai. If you must, constructive criticism only. This is only my second fic that isn't in script or one-person thought train/POV format, or isn't a poem, and my first to be co-written with Hoshi. And to tell the truth I don't think she likes me much, do you Hosh?
Hoshi: Weeeell…
Some notes:
1. // - Hoshi's thoughts, as this is from her POV. Sort of.
2. Ayuru Mizukara, a.k.a. Mikara, a.k.a. the Shirei/Commander of MERV. Just so no one's confused…^_^
And one more thing—they're not in Japan anymore. Let's say that they're…in Harvard, or something. And Fujima's going to take graduate studies. Yeah. That's it. ^^
~Fujima Goes To College~
by Mikara-shirei and Hitaka Hoshi of the R.O.W.
"There he goes!"
"Whoa, he really IS good-looking!"
"I told you!"
Such were the whispers that followed Kenji Fujima everywhere as he went around the college campus, not to mention several muffled giggles and outright stares. Fujima calmly ignored the throng of goggling students: to tell the truth he actually enjoyed their attentions. But now wasn't the time to think about that—right now he had an exam to go to.
As he entered the appointed room the same things greeted him from the mostly female population of examinees. He sighed in defeat, and took a seat in the farthest row from the door. He didn't have to worry his little blue- eyed head though: Fate had been in a good mood today, and given him Mizukara Ayuru as his proctor. One well-placed from-under-the-megane stare from last year's valedictorian and Senior R.O.W. Member sent most big, burly guys running. Yes, you read that right. Big, burly guys LIKE Fujima. And I don't mean the innocent type of like. Nevertheless there was still a small crowd of admirers just outside, ogling at Fujima's strikingly *good* looks.
Among them was a distinct trio of teenaged girls who were arguing loudly. The one on the right, who was the smallest one and wore glasses, was the one doing most of the arguing. One of them, the tallest one, was leaning over the middle one in a threatening way. And the one in the middle had a conspicuously visible tic forming in the center of her forehead.
The one with the glasses, called Saeko, was turning red with frustration. "Hoshi-san, you've had your heart set on him since first year! Come on, this is your big chance!"
The tall one, named Hinata, nodded her head vigorously. "Sou, sou yo! You should be true to your heart!"
The one with the tic, Hoshi, retorted furiously, "You just got that line from a B-movie, didn't you?!"
"No, I got it from Mikara."
"Oh, even worse." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Did you hear what she was saying LAST week? 'You always hurt the ones you love.' How corny can you get?!"
Sayama Yuki, who was passing by and happened to overhear their conversation, smirked. "Apparently, not as corny as the forehead. Isn't that why we call her fanciful?"
"Stay out of this LunarChild."
"Whatever." The snow girl shrugged and resumed walking in the direction of the school freezers.
Urashima Nayomi, who was at the other end of the hall but had overheard the argument as well, waved. "Hey Hoshi I thought you liked Kojiro!"
"For the last time to everybody, I DO NOT!"
Nayomi beamed. "Aw, y'mean you deny your one-night fling where I saw the both of you disappearing into the night??"
"WHAT ONE-NIGHT FLING?!? YOU'VE BEEN TALKING TO MIKARA AGAIN, HAVEN'T YOU!?!"
"Oh, but she has just the juiciest information!" said the megane girl, faking a prepubescent fan girl accent. "But right now, I've got a nail- filing class that's gonna be taught by Kogure on the second floor, so ja ne!" She disappeared into the crowd.
"COME BACK HERE YOU—"
"Hoshi-san!" Saeko warned.
"BUT NAYOMI—"
"NEVER MIND NAYOMI!" Hinata was losing her temper. "Come ON, Hitaka! When Fujima comes out of that classroom all shiny and bright—" "Shiny and bright?! He isn't taking a bath!" "—Whatever! I couldn't think of anything to say!—You're going to walk up to him, introduce yourself, get that interview done, then somehow, sometime, you're going to get him to take you out somewhere and then you two will somewhat become friends, and somehow, somewhere, some time in the near future, you're going to make him bend down on one knee and beg you to stop bothering him!"
"BAKA HINATA! What are you talking about?!?" yelled Saeko, jumping up and hitting Hinata on the head Ayako-style. "Stop discouraging her!"
Hinata was about to reply when Mikara poked her head through the door. "Hey, can you guys keep it down? People are trying to take an exam here!"
"But Shirei, this is a matter of life and death!" Saeko said earnestly. "Hoshi-san's love life is in jeopardy!"
"Yeah! And we're trying to help her!" Hinata added helpfully.
"Well, could you help her somewhere else?!" Mikara yelled, starting to lose her temper too. "These people are trying to take one of the most important exams in their entire life, if you haven't noticed!!"
"But Shirei, we can't leave here just yet!" Saeko protested. "We're supposed to interview them after the exam, remember?"
"Correction: She's the only one who's supposed to interview anyone. Not you two. Now scram." The accompanying look the megane gave them as she spoke was enough to daunt even Sakuragi. "I think we had better get out of here," Hinata whispered to Saeko. The Junior R.O.W. Member looked from Hinata, to Mikara, to Hoshi, to Hinata and Mikara again, then nodded quickly. "Ja ne, sempais!" she shouted back at Mikara and Hoshi as she and Hinata jogged away to someplace safe.
"Finally…I thought those two would never shut up."
"Me too…and thanks. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but thanks."
"No problem." The taller girl headed back inside. "Just shut up now, okay?"
"Why you…"
But Mikara had already closed the door.
***
"Y'really think I'll stand right here all the while they're taking that exam, don't you?"
Mikara opened the door again. "Just testing," she replied serenely. "Won't you come in?"
Hoshi looked at the bespectacled girl and sighed. "Yeah, sure…" as she entered the classroom and sat on a chair at the back. She watched the examinees take the test she herself had answered—and passed—a year ago. She watched them squirm on the brown wooden seats, which creaked when someone squirmed too much. She watched them anxiously look at the blackboard, then at the clock, hoping they still had a lot of time left. She watched them bite their pens, shuffle their feet, and do almost every gesture you can do while taking a nerve-wracking exam.
Well, everyone except him.
Fujima looked as cool as if he'd just chewed a whole bag of ice. He hardly stopped to think as he answered the test questions quickly, totally calm and without so much as a single head-scratching, except for his hand which practically glided down the page.
/Fujima…/
Hoshi stared at the young man she'd admired—and downright fell for—for God- knows-how-long, ever since she had seen him in that game against Shohoku High in her freshman year. That was a day she'd never forget…
"Time's up people!" Mikara called out.
/Damn… Mikara, you have bad timing, I swear./
People breathed sighs of relief as they confidently handed their papers to Mikara, who was scanning some of them with amusement. One by one they slowly left, until only Fujima remained. He handed over his paper with a self-assured, I-just-know-I'm-going-to-pass smile.
"Confident aren't we?" Mikara said, grinning back.
"Not really."
"Yeah right."
"So can I leave now?"
"Not yet," Mikara answered, pushing him to one of the chairs. "Sit there and make yourself comfy."
"But-"
"SIT."
Fujima sat.
"You have to be interviewed first, remember? Good luck. Not that you need it, with her as your interviewer," the Shirei told Fujima in a low voice, and pointed to Hoshi, who was pointedly not looking at the two. "Your mere presence is enough to drive her into a state of neuroticism, so be gentle with her. So ja… for now. I'll be back in half an hour," she finished, finally going through the classroom door and closing it.
"W-Wait! Mikara! Don't leave yet!" Hoshi called. /The forehead just had to leave me alone with Fujima…/ She inhaled deeply, and walked over to Fujima, who was observing her every move. She sat on the chair beside his, and it was a while before she could actually look at any part of him without her heart pounding that loudly.
"So, you're going to interview me?" Fujima asked, a smile playing on his features. The light coming in from the window cast shadows on his face, and he looked so good, so bishounen, that Hoshi had to tear her eyes away from him to answer him with a small "Yes" without blushing. He didn't say anything, so she looked at him again and swallowed hard.
"I-I'm Hoshi. Hitaka Hoshi," she murmured shakily. /Pull yourself together!/ "I'm doing a study on the, erm, psychological impact of moving to a foreign country has on people who come from radically different societies. Especially athletes such as yourself."
"And? What do you want to know?"
"Tell me about your high school basketball days. You were from Shoyo High, and you were the captain, coach, and manager of the team in your last year."
"Yes, I was."
"Tell me about your teammates."
"Well, there was Hanagata, and…"
The interview went on as Fujima excitedly described his team, their practices and games, and an incident once when they saw Hasegawa hula dancing with a can of beans in the locker room, which made Fujima laugh so hard he nearly fell off his chair.
"So, what about members from rival schools, like Maki Shinichi?"
Fujima's face suddenly darkened at the mention of Maki's name. "Maki Shinichi…Shinichi Maki…" he repeated, starting to breathe heavily. "Maki Shinichi…Shinichi Maki…Maki Shinichi…"
Hoshi sweatdropped. "Uh, Fujima? Fujima? Fuuujimaaa? He-eelooo…" Fujima just kept on going, repeating Maki's name over and over again. /Gawd, what if he's gay?!?! No, no!/ Hoshi shook her head vigorously. "Just what is your relation to Shinichi Maki? I mean, have you ever gotten more intimate—" /shudder/ "—with him, as a person, gotten to know him, you know, outside of basketball?"
Fujima looked at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding? The man looks at least 35, for God's sake! Thinks 35, as well! I could never have any fun with him."
Hoshi breathed a sigh of relief. /Thank goodness…/
"Yeah, well…" Fujima stopped and sighed. "I miss playing basketball back home…" he said, more to himself than to Hoshi, and looked out the window to the court just below. Hoshi just stared at him for a while before saying, "Fujima-san, I'd like to ask you more questions, but the half-hour's up, so you have to go now. Arigatou… for the interview."
"Anytime, Hitaka-san." He picked up his things and walked to the door.
/Dammit, Hosh, you forgot the you-know-what!/
"Oh! U-Um, Fujima-san?" Hoshi almost let go of her folder when he turned around again. "I just want to say how great I think you are on the court…" she said haltingly. /Oh, great, I must look like an absolute flake, admiring him only for his basketball skills…/ "I mean it, I really do!" she added. /OK, that was a little too enthusiastic…oh God why does it have to be like this?!?/ "Er…I'll be going now." /Smooth, Hoshi, real smooth…/ She picked up her tape recorder and turned around. /Dammit…/
"Hitaka-san?"
Hoshi wanted to get away as soon as possible. "Yes?" she replied, not a little impatiently.
Fujima (deliberately?) missed the edgy tone. "If you don't mind me asking, how big a chance do you think I have of getting into your school?"
The R.O.W. Member raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm really not in a position to say anything definite about that, but based on how Mikara looked at your exam paper I do believe we have more than just the average chance of seeing each other again next school year."
"You can tell if somebody's going to pass or not by the look your friend looks at their exam paper??"
"Well, yeah." Hoshi shrugged. "Mikara isn't a valedictorian AND champion speed-reader for nothing. And she's not my friend, she's more of my rival."
"Really?" Fujima seemed to be smiling to himself. "In that case…if it's all right with you, I'd like to take a tour of your school."
"What?"
"I'd like to take a tour of your school," he repeated.
Could it be true? "And?"
"And I'd like you to be my tour guide," Fujima continued a bit humorously.
Hoshi's head was swimming. "You don't mean…"
"I mean what I mean," Fujima answered firmly. Then he softened. "Of course, if it's all right with you."
Hoshi stared at the former ace with increasing disbelief. /No way, this isn't real… I'm probably just asleep, yeah, and I'm going to wake up in a while… In a… very short… while…/ "Um…" Hoshi whispered, her voice wavering. "I… guess it's… all right… I mean… Why wouldn't… it be… all right…" /OMG… Did I just say that!?!? Baka Hoshi!!!/ She swallowed nervously. "I-I mean, okay, sure!" /Come on, get a grip… Breathe in… Breathe out…/
Fujima gave Hoshi a small smile. "It's settled then. Shall we?" he asked, gesturing toward the door. He didn't stop smiling.
"W-What!? Now!?" Hoshi gasped, a little too squeakily for her own good. /Oh God Hitaka, of course he meant now! You stupid git!!!/
Fujima's smile turned into a wide grin. "Well, yes, I'd like the tour now. Unless you have other plans you haven't told me about?"
"Uh, none, really, I was just… surprised." /I never thought I'd see the day my paranoia finally gets to me…/
Mikara suddenly strode through the door, interrupting their conversation. "Hoshi, what's taking you so long!? You know the interview's only for half an hour! You have other—Oh."
Hoshi quickly shook her head. "No, it's not that, Ayuru, I was just about to give Fujima-san a tour of the campus and…"
"A tour?" Mikara raised an eyebrow. "He hasn't even passed yet."
"But I'm pretty sure I will," Fujima interrupted, flashing his best cocky bishounen smile. "Don't you think so too, Mizukara-san?"
"Oh, shut up," Mikara said, completely blowing him off. "I've had enough of your kind's so-called charms from Sendoh."
"Sendoh?" Fujima straightened up immediately. "He's here?"
"No, he's not. Not yet, anyway. He's in Yale, finishing up his last year of college. Then he's going to take graduate studies here, just like you."
"Sendoh? Taking graduate studies? I'd think he would much rather be in the NBA."
"He's going to take graduate studies while playing basketball. It's going to take a while, but he's always been at the top of his class. Anyway, he isn't worried. As long as he has something to fall back on after his basketball days are over." Ayuru shrugged. "He knows that they're not going to last forever."
Fujima looked thoughtful. "Yes, that's always a good idea…" He looked at Mikara, then at Hoshi, then at nothing at all. "In fact, we have the same reason, Sendoh and I."
Mikara punched him teasingly on the arm. "Ooh…mastered your English lessons rather thoroughly, haven't you?" He blinked at this sudden display of affection. "Oh, come now, my dear Kenji, we must get to know each other if you're going to be Hoshi's boyfriend, ne?"
"W-WHAT?!" Hoshi had turned bright red. "MIKARA!"
"What??" The other girl feigned a look of innocence. "It's true, isn't it?"
"No, it's not, and it probably never will be, thanks to you!!!" Hoshi only got madder at the "Oh really?" look on Mizukara's face. "DAMN you!" She started push Mikara violently towards the door. The much bigger girl gave no protest. She was actually smiling when Hoshi gave one last heave, threw her out and slammed the door in her face.
"Have fun in there, you two!" she called out before heading in the direction of the library.
If looks could kill…
"That girl…that damn GIRL…" Hoshi glared at the door as if Mikara was still there. /How could she do this to me?!/
"That was some sideshow."
Hoshi spun around, hitting herself on the head mentally for forgetting that Fujima was still in the room. "Some sideshow? That happens every time Mikara and I get together." She sighed in resignation. It was inevitable that Mikara would tease her about liking Fujima. She should have expected it and gotten her out of the way long before. But it was too late now. He would never consent to being more than a casual acquaintance after what he had seen.
But the former Shoyo ace looked unperturbed. "Really?"
"Yeah, really." She started to gather up the rest of her things. No use staying here any longer…
"Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving." She picked up the last of her stuff. "I don't need to stay here any longer."
"But what about the tour?"
She looked at him slowly. "You're still thinking about that?"
"Heck, yeah. Why shouldn't I?"
"But you just heard…"
"I don't care about what I just heard." Fujima said gently. "Who knows, it just might come true."
/He can't mean… OMG. /
"Well…"
"So, how about that tour, Hoshi-san?"
"I… Uh, sure. Let's go…"
"Kenji."
"…Kenji."
~Owari~
So…how was it? Not too bad, I hope…we worked really hard to make this fic, so please, R & R! Ne, Hoshi-san?
Hoshi: Yes! R & R!
Ja ne minna!
~Mikara
~A member of the Fellowship of the R.O.W.
~MERV Commander
~CEO of the BlackEight Corporation
~A Pisces
~Hitaka Hoshi
~Another member of the Fellowship of the R.O.W.
~MERV Auditor
~The Maiden of Kojiro, whether she likes it or not
~A Cancer (but only to herself)
Anyway, as with all fics under the FellowshipOfTheROW this fic has in it R.O.W. Members whose sole purpose is to make this fic different from all other fics dealing with Life After Basketball for our beloved slam dunkers and three-pointers (depending on which kind of player you like). And because there are R.O.W. Members in this fic has OCs, or original characters in it, but hopefully other people will still appreciate the humor/romance here. Please, just read, okay? This probably isn't like any other fic with OCs and self-insertion that you've read before.
No flames, onegai. If you must, constructive criticism only. This is only my second fic that isn't in script or one-person thought train/POV format, or isn't a poem, and my first to be co-written with Hoshi. And to tell the truth I don't think she likes me much, do you Hosh?
Hoshi: Weeeell…
Some notes:
1. // - Hoshi's thoughts, as this is from her POV. Sort of.
2. Ayuru Mizukara, a.k.a. Mikara, a.k.a. the Shirei/Commander of MERV. Just so no one's confused…^_^
And one more thing—they're not in Japan anymore. Let's say that they're…in Harvard, or something. And Fujima's going to take graduate studies. Yeah. That's it. ^^
~Fujima Goes To College~
by Mikara-shirei and Hitaka Hoshi of the R.O.W.
"There he goes!"
"Whoa, he really IS good-looking!"
"I told you!"
Such were the whispers that followed Kenji Fujima everywhere as he went around the college campus, not to mention several muffled giggles and outright stares. Fujima calmly ignored the throng of goggling students: to tell the truth he actually enjoyed their attentions. But now wasn't the time to think about that—right now he had an exam to go to.
As he entered the appointed room the same things greeted him from the mostly female population of examinees. He sighed in defeat, and took a seat in the farthest row from the door. He didn't have to worry his little blue- eyed head though: Fate had been in a good mood today, and given him Mizukara Ayuru as his proctor. One well-placed from-under-the-megane stare from last year's valedictorian and Senior R.O.W. Member sent most big, burly guys running. Yes, you read that right. Big, burly guys LIKE Fujima. And I don't mean the innocent type of like. Nevertheless there was still a small crowd of admirers just outside, ogling at Fujima's strikingly *good* looks.
Among them was a distinct trio of teenaged girls who were arguing loudly. The one on the right, who was the smallest one and wore glasses, was the one doing most of the arguing. One of them, the tallest one, was leaning over the middle one in a threatening way. And the one in the middle had a conspicuously visible tic forming in the center of her forehead.
The one with the glasses, called Saeko, was turning red with frustration. "Hoshi-san, you've had your heart set on him since first year! Come on, this is your big chance!"
The tall one, named Hinata, nodded her head vigorously. "Sou, sou yo! You should be true to your heart!"
The one with the tic, Hoshi, retorted furiously, "You just got that line from a B-movie, didn't you?!"
"No, I got it from Mikara."
"Oh, even worse." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Did you hear what she was saying LAST week? 'You always hurt the ones you love.' How corny can you get?!"
Sayama Yuki, who was passing by and happened to overhear their conversation, smirked. "Apparently, not as corny as the forehead. Isn't that why we call her fanciful?"
"Stay out of this LunarChild."
"Whatever." The snow girl shrugged and resumed walking in the direction of the school freezers.
Urashima Nayomi, who was at the other end of the hall but had overheard the argument as well, waved. "Hey Hoshi I thought you liked Kojiro!"
"For the last time to everybody, I DO NOT!"
Nayomi beamed. "Aw, y'mean you deny your one-night fling where I saw the both of you disappearing into the night??"
"WHAT ONE-NIGHT FLING?!? YOU'VE BEEN TALKING TO MIKARA AGAIN, HAVEN'T YOU!?!"
"Oh, but she has just the juiciest information!" said the megane girl, faking a prepubescent fan girl accent. "But right now, I've got a nail- filing class that's gonna be taught by Kogure on the second floor, so ja ne!" She disappeared into the crowd.
"COME BACK HERE YOU—"
"Hoshi-san!" Saeko warned.
"BUT NAYOMI—"
"NEVER MIND NAYOMI!" Hinata was losing her temper. "Come ON, Hitaka! When Fujima comes out of that classroom all shiny and bright—" "Shiny and bright?! He isn't taking a bath!" "—Whatever! I couldn't think of anything to say!—You're going to walk up to him, introduce yourself, get that interview done, then somehow, sometime, you're going to get him to take you out somewhere and then you two will somewhat become friends, and somehow, somewhere, some time in the near future, you're going to make him bend down on one knee and beg you to stop bothering him!"
"BAKA HINATA! What are you talking about?!?" yelled Saeko, jumping up and hitting Hinata on the head Ayako-style. "Stop discouraging her!"
Hinata was about to reply when Mikara poked her head through the door. "Hey, can you guys keep it down? People are trying to take an exam here!"
"But Shirei, this is a matter of life and death!" Saeko said earnestly. "Hoshi-san's love life is in jeopardy!"
"Yeah! And we're trying to help her!" Hinata added helpfully.
"Well, could you help her somewhere else?!" Mikara yelled, starting to lose her temper too. "These people are trying to take one of the most important exams in their entire life, if you haven't noticed!!"
"But Shirei, we can't leave here just yet!" Saeko protested. "We're supposed to interview them after the exam, remember?"
"Correction: She's the only one who's supposed to interview anyone. Not you two. Now scram." The accompanying look the megane gave them as she spoke was enough to daunt even Sakuragi. "I think we had better get out of here," Hinata whispered to Saeko. The Junior R.O.W. Member looked from Hinata, to Mikara, to Hoshi, to Hinata and Mikara again, then nodded quickly. "Ja ne, sempais!" she shouted back at Mikara and Hoshi as she and Hinata jogged away to someplace safe.
"Finally…I thought those two would never shut up."
"Me too…and thanks. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but thanks."
"No problem." The taller girl headed back inside. "Just shut up now, okay?"
"Why you…"
But Mikara had already closed the door.
***
"Y'really think I'll stand right here all the while they're taking that exam, don't you?"
Mikara opened the door again. "Just testing," she replied serenely. "Won't you come in?"
Hoshi looked at the bespectacled girl and sighed. "Yeah, sure…" as she entered the classroom and sat on a chair at the back. She watched the examinees take the test she herself had answered—and passed—a year ago. She watched them squirm on the brown wooden seats, which creaked when someone squirmed too much. She watched them anxiously look at the blackboard, then at the clock, hoping they still had a lot of time left. She watched them bite their pens, shuffle their feet, and do almost every gesture you can do while taking a nerve-wracking exam.
Well, everyone except him.
Fujima looked as cool as if he'd just chewed a whole bag of ice. He hardly stopped to think as he answered the test questions quickly, totally calm and without so much as a single head-scratching, except for his hand which practically glided down the page.
/Fujima…/
Hoshi stared at the young man she'd admired—and downright fell for—for God- knows-how-long, ever since she had seen him in that game against Shohoku High in her freshman year. That was a day she'd never forget…
"Time's up people!" Mikara called out.
/Damn… Mikara, you have bad timing, I swear./
People breathed sighs of relief as they confidently handed their papers to Mikara, who was scanning some of them with amusement. One by one they slowly left, until only Fujima remained. He handed over his paper with a self-assured, I-just-know-I'm-going-to-pass smile.
"Confident aren't we?" Mikara said, grinning back.
"Not really."
"Yeah right."
"So can I leave now?"
"Not yet," Mikara answered, pushing him to one of the chairs. "Sit there and make yourself comfy."
"But-"
"SIT."
Fujima sat.
"You have to be interviewed first, remember? Good luck. Not that you need it, with her as your interviewer," the Shirei told Fujima in a low voice, and pointed to Hoshi, who was pointedly not looking at the two. "Your mere presence is enough to drive her into a state of neuroticism, so be gentle with her. So ja… for now. I'll be back in half an hour," she finished, finally going through the classroom door and closing it.
"W-Wait! Mikara! Don't leave yet!" Hoshi called. /The forehead just had to leave me alone with Fujima…/ She inhaled deeply, and walked over to Fujima, who was observing her every move. She sat on the chair beside his, and it was a while before she could actually look at any part of him without her heart pounding that loudly.
"So, you're going to interview me?" Fujima asked, a smile playing on his features. The light coming in from the window cast shadows on his face, and he looked so good, so bishounen, that Hoshi had to tear her eyes away from him to answer him with a small "Yes" without blushing. He didn't say anything, so she looked at him again and swallowed hard.
"I-I'm Hoshi. Hitaka Hoshi," she murmured shakily. /Pull yourself together!/ "I'm doing a study on the, erm, psychological impact of moving to a foreign country has on people who come from radically different societies. Especially athletes such as yourself."
"And? What do you want to know?"
"Tell me about your high school basketball days. You were from Shoyo High, and you were the captain, coach, and manager of the team in your last year."
"Yes, I was."
"Tell me about your teammates."
"Well, there was Hanagata, and…"
The interview went on as Fujima excitedly described his team, their practices and games, and an incident once when they saw Hasegawa hula dancing with a can of beans in the locker room, which made Fujima laugh so hard he nearly fell off his chair.
"So, what about members from rival schools, like Maki Shinichi?"
Fujima's face suddenly darkened at the mention of Maki's name. "Maki Shinichi…Shinichi Maki…" he repeated, starting to breathe heavily. "Maki Shinichi…Shinichi Maki…Maki Shinichi…"
Hoshi sweatdropped. "Uh, Fujima? Fujima? Fuuujimaaa? He-eelooo…" Fujima just kept on going, repeating Maki's name over and over again. /Gawd, what if he's gay?!?! No, no!/ Hoshi shook her head vigorously. "Just what is your relation to Shinichi Maki? I mean, have you ever gotten more intimate—" /shudder/ "—with him, as a person, gotten to know him, you know, outside of basketball?"
Fujima looked at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding? The man looks at least 35, for God's sake! Thinks 35, as well! I could never have any fun with him."
Hoshi breathed a sigh of relief. /Thank goodness…/
"Yeah, well…" Fujima stopped and sighed. "I miss playing basketball back home…" he said, more to himself than to Hoshi, and looked out the window to the court just below. Hoshi just stared at him for a while before saying, "Fujima-san, I'd like to ask you more questions, but the half-hour's up, so you have to go now. Arigatou… for the interview."
"Anytime, Hitaka-san." He picked up his things and walked to the door.
/Dammit, Hosh, you forgot the you-know-what!/
"Oh! U-Um, Fujima-san?" Hoshi almost let go of her folder when he turned around again. "I just want to say how great I think you are on the court…" she said haltingly. /Oh, great, I must look like an absolute flake, admiring him only for his basketball skills…/ "I mean it, I really do!" she added. /OK, that was a little too enthusiastic…oh God why does it have to be like this?!?/ "Er…I'll be going now." /Smooth, Hoshi, real smooth…/ She picked up her tape recorder and turned around. /Dammit…/
"Hitaka-san?"
Hoshi wanted to get away as soon as possible. "Yes?" she replied, not a little impatiently.
Fujima (deliberately?) missed the edgy tone. "If you don't mind me asking, how big a chance do you think I have of getting into your school?"
The R.O.W. Member raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm really not in a position to say anything definite about that, but based on how Mikara looked at your exam paper I do believe we have more than just the average chance of seeing each other again next school year."
"You can tell if somebody's going to pass or not by the look your friend looks at their exam paper??"
"Well, yeah." Hoshi shrugged. "Mikara isn't a valedictorian AND champion speed-reader for nothing. And she's not my friend, she's more of my rival."
"Really?" Fujima seemed to be smiling to himself. "In that case…if it's all right with you, I'd like to take a tour of your school."
"What?"
"I'd like to take a tour of your school," he repeated.
Could it be true? "And?"
"And I'd like you to be my tour guide," Fujima continued a bit humorously.
Hoshi's head was swimming. "You don't mean…"
"I mean what I mean," Fujima answered firmly. Then he softened. "Of course, if it's all right with you."
Hoshi stared at the former ace with increasing disbelief. /No way, this isn't real… I'm probably just asleep, yeah, and I'm going to wake up in a while… In a… very short… while…/ "Um…" Hoshi whispered, her voice wavering. "I… guess it's… all right… I mean… Why wouldn't… it be… all right…" /OMG… Did I just say that!?!? Baka Hoshi!!!/ She swallowed nervously. "I-I mean, okay, sure!" /Come on, get a grip… Breathe in… Breathe out…/
Fujima gave Hoshi a small smile. "It's settled then. Shall we?" he asked, gesturing toward the door. He didn't stop smiling.
"W-What!? Now!?" Hoshi gasped, a little too squeakily for her own good. /Oh God Hitaka, of course he meant now! You stupid git!!!/
Fujima's smile turned into a wide grin. "Well, yes, I'd like the tour now. Unless you have other plans you haven't told me about?"
"Uh, none, really, I was just… surprised." /I never thought I'd see the day my paranoia finally gets to me…/
Mikara suddenly strode through the door, interrupting their conversation. "Hoshi, what's taking you so long!? You know the interview's only for half an hour! You have other—Oh."
Hoshi quickly shook her head. "No, it's not that, Ayuru, I was just about to give Fujima-san a tour of the campus and…"
"A tour?" Mikara raised an eyebrow. "He hasn't even passed yet."
"But I'm pretty sure I will," Fujima interrupted, flashing his best cocky bishounen smile. "Don't you think so too, Mizukara-san?"
"Oh, shut up," Mikara said, completely blowing him off. "I've had enough of your kind's so-called charms from Sendoh."
"Sendoh?" Fujima straightened up immediately. "He's here?"
"No, he's not. Not yet, anyway. He's in Yale, finishing up his last year of college. Then he's going to take graduate studies here, just like you."
"Sendoh? Taking graduate studies? I'd think he would much rather be in the NBA."
"He's going to take graduate studies while playing basketball. It's going to take a while, but he's always been at the top of his class. Anyway, he isn't worried. As long as he has something to fall back on after his basketball days are over." Ayuru shrugged. "He knows that they're not going to last forever."
Fujima looked thoughtful. "Yes, that's always a good idea…" He looked at Mikara, then at Hoshi, then at nothing at all. "In fact, we have the same reason, Sendoh and I."
Mikara punched him teasingly on the arm. "Ooh…mastered your English lessons rather thoroughly, haven't you?" He blinked at this sudden display of affection. "Oh, come now, my dear Kenji, we must get to know each other if you're going to be Hoshi's boyfriend, ne?"
"W-WHAT?!" Hoshi had turned bright red. "MIKARA!"
"What??" The other girl feigned a look of innocence. "It's true, isn't it?"
"No, it's not, and it probably never will be, thanks to you!!!" Hoshi only got madder at the "Oh really?" look on Mizukara's face. "DAMN you!" She started push Mikara violently towards the door. The much bigger girl gave no protest. She was actually smiling when Hoshi gave one last heave, threw her out and slammed the door in her face.
"Have fun in there, you two!" she called out before heading in the direction of the library.
If looks could kill…
"That girl…that damn GIRL…" Hoshi glared at the door as if Mikara was still there. /How could she do this to me?!/
"That was some sideshow."
Hoshi spun around, hitting herself on the head mentally for forgetting that Fujima was still in the room. "Some sideshow? That happens every time Mikara and I get together." She sighed in resignation. It was inevitable that Mikara would tease her about liking Fujima. She should have expected it and gotten her out of the way long before. But it was too late now. He would never consent to being more than a casual acquaintance after what he had seen.
But the former Shoyo ace looked unperturbed. "Really?"
"Yeah, really." She started to gather up the rest of her things. No use staying here any longer…
"Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving." She picked up the last of her stuff. "I don't need to stay here any longer."
"But what about the tour?"
She looked at him slowly. "You're still thinking about that?"
"Heck, yeah. Why shouldn't I?"
"But you just heard…"
"I don't care about what I just heard." Fujima said gently. "Who knows, it just might come true."
/He can't mean… OMG. /
"Well…"
"So, how about that tour, Hoshi-san?"
"I… Uh, sure. Let's go…"
"Kenji."
"…Kenji."
~Owari~
So…how was it? Not too bad, I hope…we worked really hard to make this fic, so please, R & R! Ne, Hoshi-san?
Hoshi: Yes! R & R!
Ja ne minna!
~Mikara
~A member of the Fellowship of the R.O.W.
~MERV Commander
~CEO of the BlackEight Corporation
~A Pisces
~Hitaka Hoshi
~Another member of the Fellowship of the R.O.W.
~MERV Auditor
~The Maiden of Kojiro, whether she likes it or not
~A Cancer (but only to herself)