Sakuragi

Hanazawa never turned up that day even though I waited till ten in the sweltering shade of a nearby tree.

It was all that Kitsune's fault. If not for him I could have met Hanazawa.

Hold on. Why am I so eager to meet Hanazawa? Is it because I have found a friend in him? I really don't know...

I didn't hear from Hanazawa for a long time until about a week before the IH.

------------
Kenshin says:
yo
TENSAI says:
hey! long time no see
Kenshin says:
sorry about the no show that day
my flight was cancelled at the last min, so i had to take another flight. and i didnt have the opportunity to tell you beforehand... sorry
TENSAI says:
oh ok... nvm
Kenshin says:
oh i heard from mito that while waiting for me, you had a 1-on-1 with kitsune
-----------

I bristled at the sight of the word 'Kitsune'. Even though I did admire his moves and techniques, I sure wasn't going to admit I lost 4-11 to that Kitsune.

But since he has spoken to Yohei, he'd probably know that I'd lost. Sigh. I'd better not lie then, otherwise I'd lose my credibility...

----------
TENSAI says:
yeah... and i lost
Kenshin says:
when did you start playing bball?
what about kitsune?
TENSAI says:
i started spring this year. i think kitsune started in middle school
Kenshin says:
is he good?
TENSAI says:
i hate to admit this but...... yeah
Kenshin says:
hmm...... the IH is coming up real soon?
TENSAI says:
yeah, 1 more week
Kenshin says:
good luck =) hope you guys win
TENSAI says:
thanx
oh you knoe last week i was stuck in school with anzai-sensei
Kenshin says:
anzai-sensei? is he your coach? that white-haired buddha? i heard he's a really good coach
oh really? why?
TENSAI says:
coz he wanted to teach me more stuff.......
Kenshin says:
whoa. anzai-sensei actually bothers to give you 1 to 1 training..... you muz be really good to catch his attention
TENSAI says:
of course. i am the tensai. nyahahahahahaha.......
TENSAI says:
oh hanazawa will you be going to watch me the tensai strut his stuff at the IH?
Kenshin says:
call me kiyo
no... such a pity
TENSAI says:
ok... kiyo, call me hana
Kenshin says:
sure
TENSAI says:
oh shucks, i gtg now
cya after the IH
bye
Kenshin says:
bye
good luck =)
------------

I couldn't wait. I just had to tell Yohei that Kiyo and I were on a first-name-based relationship. (not THAT type of relationship, you hentai!)

I picked up the old, worn phone and dialled the all-too-familiar number.

'Hey Yohei!'

'Hey Hana! You have good news?'

Ah... Yohei knows me too well. He could already tell. After all, we are best friends.

'Duh. Hanazawa asked me to call him Kiyo.'

'That sounds like a girl's name.'

'Don't make fun of his name, baka!'

'Looks like you've made a good friend online. And you once told me that it was impossible to make good friends online.'

'Forget I ever said that. That's all for now, bye!'

'Bye!'

Yohei

I replaced the receiver in its cradle. It sure seems that Rukawa and Hana have become good friends online. Only online. They always seem to fight or argue in real life.

But honestly, I found several similarities in Hana and Rukawa. Both were orphaned and broke, their blissful life with their immediate families shattered by tragedy. Both had a fiery passion for basketball and were good at it. Both had a big ego and high self-esteem and above all, both had an unquenchable thirst for victory. Oh yes, and both always seemed to be getting into fights.

The main differences between them was that Hana had a stand-by-him Guntai while Rukawa had no friends. And Rukawa was perpetually being chased by fan-girls while Hana was constantly rejected by girls.

I flopped myself onto my bed and folded my arms comfortably under my head. Too bad the IH had to interrupt such a nice little masked drama.









A/n: Thanks all for the reviews. It really is encouraging to see that there are people out there who read your fics. =)