Carnival Delight!

By coolpriss

Disclaimer: The only stuff I own are the basketball booth, Miyagi's hot, ill-fitting shirt and the stuffed kitsune…read and find out! And please review!!!

Chapter 4: The Shohoku Freak Show!

"Eewww!"

"Yuck!"

"Ugh! Gross!"

Miyagi sighed heavily -- and instantly regretted it. The heavy, stinking smell of Korky's vomit all over the front of his plain white shirt filled his nostrils, making him want to throw up himself. He stood up weakly from his seat, deeply embarrassed, not daring to look at Ayako. He stepped down quietly onto the pavement and stood there motionless, head hanging low. Ayako gazed at him sympathetically, her fingers pinching her nose. She followed him out of the car. The rest of the team gathered behind her, including the groggy, blue-lipped, red-nosed, heart-and-star-eyed culprit, his flower hat hanging on his left ear.

"Eh? What the heck's that smell?!" Sakuragi sniffed around, making a face. "Smells like puke. Ha! I bet it's Kitsune! What, that was only three turns and your stomach's given up already? You're so weak!" Sakuragi tried to step towards Rukawa, but the world just won't stop spinning and he landed flat on the ground instead. "Nani?"

"BAKA!" Akagi slammed his fist on Sakuragi's head just when he was sitting upright, which sent his face back on the floor. "Don't you have a single sensitivity in your body?" He watched Miyagi gingerly.

"What do you mean?" Sakuragi turned his eyes towards the curly-haired boy with his back on them. "Ryocchin?"

They all stood there motionless for a few moments. Then an ear-splitting cry broke the silence.

"NANDAAHH?! Why does this always have to happen to me?! Why ME?!" Miyagi suddenly faced all of them, tears cascading down his ruddy cheeks.

"Ryota…" Ayako watched, stunned, as Miyagi closed his eyes and dug his shoes on the ground, the viscous substance, with several recognizable reddish solid stuff (hotdog remnants ,;;) oozing down his shirt.

"When I was small…" Ryota started.

"You're still small, Ryocchin…" A dream bubble had begun forming, but Sakuragi's comment popped it out right away. A huge red cross appeared on Miyagi's head.

"Urusai!" Mitsui hissed, darting a pointed look at Sakuragi.

"Te me…you were the one who forced that bozo to ride there anyway, Mitsui!" Sakuragi bellowed, but was silenced by Akagi's quick punch on the head.

"When I was a kid," Miyagi corrected himself. "My parents brought me here along with my brothers and sisters. We also had a similar package wherein there was also a clown guiding us. I wanted to ride on the Roller Coaster but my parents and siblings didn't want to. So I forced the clown to ride with me. He didn't want to at first but I dragged him into the car and forced the seatbelt on him until he couldn't move."

Everyone turned and looked maliciously at Mitsui.

"What? I didn't know about the story!" the boy protested.

Miyagi cleared his throat. "I was enjoying the ride immensely. But when I glanced at the clown, his face was bluish-green, with eyes swirling…and…and…he…" Miyagi started howling again.

"Daijobou, Miyagi-sempai," Haruko took a step forward. Then she stopped and covered her nose.

"…I -- hic! -- I've been --hic!-- scared of clowns eversince…--hic--!"

Ayako brought out a wooden pincher out of nowhere, tweaked it on her nose, and stalked towards Miyagi. "Maka! You shoun't me aflaid of dat clown! You should me mad! Who do dey tink dey are? Trowing up on you like dat! C'mon, Lyota, let's get you a new shirt. You stink!" She grabbed the back of Miyagi, which was spew-free, and stomped off to the only booth in sight that sells shirts.

"Kawaii!" Haruko squealed as a prize for another booth caught her attention. She ran excitedly towards a huge, ugly-looking stuffed fox.

"Nani?" Sakuragi eyed the toy warily, his right eyebrow rising and falling. "Kitsune…" Then another stuffed animal beside the fox caught his attention. "Ne, Haruko-san! Don't you think this one's cuter?" he grinned, pointing at a monkey with bright red hair.

"Iie, that one looks scary…I like this one better!" Haruko turned to Sakuragi with huge, shimmering eyes. "Sakuragi-kun…"

"Huh? Ah! I'll win that monkey for you, Haruko-san!" Sakuragi rushed to the person behind the booth. "Give her the monkey!"

"Er, you have to play first, sir…" the girl was shaking when she handed Sakuragi five small basketball balls.

Sakuragi looked stupidly at the balls then at the hoops. A wide grin spread across his face. "Ha! This is a piece of cake for Tensai Sakuragi! Nyahahaha!"

"I--if you shoot all five of those balls, you get a small prize. B-but if you want that stuffed fox, then y--you need to shoot five sets…" the girl moved quickly out of her booth as Sakuragi started throwing the balls. Not one went inside the hoop.

"Nani?! There must be something wrong with your balls!" the redhead pointed accusingly at the dealer.

"Do'aho," Rukawa muttered as he took Sakuragi's place on the shooting section. He started shooting. All five balls of all five sets went in.

"Congratulations!" the girl grabbed the stuffed fox and presented it gratefully to the tall Kitsune.

"Te me, Rukawa! Show off! Are you looking for a fight?!" Sakuragi's red head was smoking.

"Rukawa-kun…" Haruko's eyes turned to hearts and a silly smile was plastered on her blushing face.

Sakuragi glanced at Haruko then at Rukawa then pounced back at the bewildered girl who went back to her place behind the counter. "Give me some more basketball balls! I'll show that Rukawa!!!"

Rukawa looked slightly over his shoulder as he handed the fox he won to a little girl passing by. The delighted child grabbed the stuffed toy and ran excitedly away.

"Are you really making fun of me, Rukawa?!" Sakuragi bellowed, the balls he was throwing were bouncing around the booth but not one went inside the hoop yet. The girl was now hiding under the counter, her hands over her head, muttering "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die" over and over again.

"Yamero!" Akagi thundered, picking Sakuragi up by the back of his neck. He looked around. "Has Ayako and Miyagi returned yet?"

"Haaiii…" Miyagi answered wearily. He was now wearing a pink, "The Lost Paradise" shirt that was obviously ten sizes too small.

"Wahahahahaha!!! Ryocchin! Is that you?! Wahahahaha!" Sakuragi roared in laughter, pointing at the embarrassed boy.

"There wasn't anything else bigger. And it's much better than that reeking shirt earlier! Besides, I think I like the color pink on you, Ryota…brings out the color of your earring…" Ayako grinned.

"Aya-chan…" Miyagi bowed his head and cried waterfall tears.

"Where's Mitsui and Kogure?" Akagi looked around.

"Here," Mitsui announced as he walked towards the group. Kogure was behind him, supporting the feeble buffoon. "We went to the First-Aid tent to make sure he doesn't barf all over Miyagi again… wahahahahaha!!! What happened to you?!" he started laughing the moment he saw the point-guard.

"Shut up!" Miyagi muttered, turning away from his guffawing teammates.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" an excited voice approached the company. A fat, red-faced, malevolent-looking man stopped and gazed at them one by one. "A fox, a red-haired monkey, a giant gorilla, a funny-looking clown, and a gay person…you'd all do well on my freak show, whaddaya think, eh? C'mon, freaks, it's your time to shine!"

"NANI?!!"

A thick cloud of smoke enveloped the fat man. Soon, the Shohoku basketball team and a disoriented clown walked away.

"That fat monkey! That's what he deserves! Calling me a monkey!"

"This is all your fault, Sakuragi! Stop calling me 'Gori'!!!!!"

"I AM NOT GAY!!! I have only one earring, which is supposed to look very masculine; and I'm wearing this stupid shirt because Aya-chan won it for me!!! BAKA!!!"

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A/N: I'll give you the same warning as last time: this wasn't reread either. It's late already and I am to leave for my dormitory early tomorrow morning. I'm really, really sorry for the errors this chapter may have. I'll make up through the next chapters soon, I promise! For now, please R+R and let me know if anybody's still reading this thing and if I should continue staying up at night just to write this! ^o^ Please, please review!!!! Thanks!