Author: I own the characters that are NOT from slam dunk…. If they are from Slam dunk, they are property of Inoue Takehiko. Please don't sue me… Also, a foreword, I tend to be long winded when writing my fics, so at least you get the overall picture, as well as the locations/background, and worth your dollar on internets charges! LOL Please do email me, and I can update the previous chapters. Thanks!

Many thanks to the following people for their reviews: Dinette, Ghostwriter, charon, fehrocious, SyiveSe, RaTt, Ruishi and GeneWeiss.

A reply to your suggestions:

One: I will try to define as many Japanese words or phrases as I can, but please do forgive me if I miss out a couple, for I would be more concentrated on writing the fic, and depicting the emotions that goes through the fiction, but readers, please feel free to feedback to me which words I have left out, and I will include the meaning in the next chapter after the feedback. ^_^

Two: Many thanks to Ruishi, since I got a bit confused there, as I misread the info on Mitsui's name, I copied from websites. And don't worry, ^_~ We all know Mitsui isn't a jerk, but just read on my story and you'll see. ^_^ He's brash anyway, but don't we all love brash men? :p

Words in italics or between slashes are thoughts, words within ^^ are actions, unless otherwise stated, words in brackets are locations usually before each section.

(=^_^=)  Chapter 7  – Telephone Calls  (=^_^=)

(Back in Akagi/Kimiko's house, 1st week February, Wednesday night)

-Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Moshi moshi, Akagi Residence." Akagi greeted monotonously, cradling the telephone on his shoulder whilst reading his textbook for tomorrow's lesson.

"Akagi-sempai! Moshi Moshi! Watashi wa Kimiko-chan desu!" cried Kimiko into the mouthpiece of the telephone.

/Itai… What a voice that girl has, ha ha…/ thought Akagi. "Hai, nani desu ka? Ok, spill it, Kimiko-chan. What's the deal with Mitsui?"

"Hai! But before that, what did you have for dinner, Nori-kun?" asked Kimiko, happily.

Akagi chuckled at the nickname his new friend had given him. Ever since Kimiko had bumped into Akagi on the first day of school, she had been a source of comedy for the 1.93m basketball player. They could talk about ANYTHING, and both of them knew that. This, after only a few weeks! Kimiko had confided in Akagi, much prior to this night, about being good friends, and Akagi could only agree, and smile at his new female friend, whose bubbly personality was as contagious as her laughter. He made her swear never to use that nickname unless in private, threatening her with a knock on her head if she did such a thing.

"Had some delicious tempura a-la Akagi. Courtesy of my mom. What about you?"

"Had a bowl of Oyako-don. Mom and dad had to work tonight, so dinner was prepared by my own hands, Nori-kun! You wanna come over for supper?" asked Kimiko.

"Nah, I've still gotta read up for tomorrow's lesson. Alright, enough of the chit-chat. Spill… what happened on the court today?"

"Ano, Nori-kun… well, Mitsui-san asked me out today."

"He what?!?!"

"I know, it's weird, isn't it? Out of the blue, he walked up to Yuki-sempai and I, and asked me to go out with him this Friday! Nori-kun, did you sabotage me and pay him to go out with me?" Kimiko's voice was getting to the point that she could get real mad.

"Of course not! Baka gaki, I do have better things to do than bet with that yarou over you. (laughing, which kind of sounds a bit like a gorilla laughing) So my best thought, for your benefit, boku wa no baka gaki, is that he asked you out of his own accord."

"If it's true, then… (Kimiko now shrieking) Sugoi! Ne, Nori-kun, I'm so happy!!!!! "

"Yare, yare, just please stop shouting into the phone, you're killing my eardrum cells, baka gaki."

"Hai, hai. I'm gonna call Yuki-sempai now, and ask her for some tips! By the way, I established a good friendship with Kogure-sempai today! He'll be calling me Kimiko-chan from today onwards like you, Nori-kun! Hee hee!"

"Are you sure? I thought I normally call you baka gaki, baka gaki! Ha ha ha ha!!!! Retorted Akagi."

"Baka Nori-kun! Nya Nya! Okay, oyasumi and sleep tight, Nori-kun! See you tomorrow!" bade Kimiko, and hung up the phone.

-click

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

( Kogure's house, 1st week February, Wednesday night)

-Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Moshi moshi, Kogure Residence!" Kogure greeted cheerfully.

"Ore wa, Kogure. Ogenki?"

"Hai! Domo genki desu! Replied Kogure happily."

"I just got off the phone with ba- I mean, Kimiko-chan. I heard you're calling her that too from today onwards." "Aa. We had that conversation whilst I was walking her back home. She was rather polite about it." replied Kogure with a chuckle. /Too Polite./

"She's a great girl, fun to be with. I also heard about Mitsui-san. Do you think it's legit? By the way, don't forget our picnic study session this Saturday afternoon, Kimiko-chan specifically asked me to remind you. She knows that tend to forget dates sometimes." remarked Kogure.

"That she is. About Mitsui, for now, I think it's legit. But I'll have to keep an eye on him. Hai hai, I won't forget about this Saturday. You're gonna love her cooking, Kogure. It's oiishi!"

"I just can't wait. Since when did you try her cooking?" Laughed Kogure.

"Oh, she came over to cook for me when mom was out of town with dad… a friend of my mom was giving birth, so they had to go. Boring for me, if you ask me."

"Ha ha… for you, most definitely. Ano, so I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Hai. Ja, Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi, Akagi."

-click

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

( Yuki-sempai's house, 1st week February, Wednesday night)

-Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Moshi moshi, Yamamoto Residence!" Yamamoto Yuki greeted rather hurriedly.

"Yuki-sempai! Moshi Moshi! Watashi wa Kimiko-chan desu!" cried Kimiko into the mouthpiece of the telephone.

"Hai, hai… what can I do for you, Kimiko-chan? It must be about your upcoming date with Mitsui-san, doesn't it?" laughed Yuki.

"Yare yare, and you're the lucky one to help me get ready, Yuki-sempai! Onegaishimasu?"

"Hai, hai, how can I refuse the first request of my junior?" laughed Yuki. "You do realize this is the first time you've asked anything of me that isn't basketball related." smirked Yuki.

"Honto ni? So do I get 2 more wishes, Yuki-sempai? Ha ha…"

"We'll see. How about I go over to your place after practice, and sleep over until Friday? You're lucky Anzai-sensei cancelled this Friday's practice, because of his own personal business."

"No problem, I'll just let okaasan know. I'm kind of sad that I won't be able to go for practice tomorrow, since I promised a friend of my mom's that I'd help her babysit. My mom owes me big time. Hai, wakatte ru yo. (Yes, I know.) Watashi wa honto ni lucky.(I'm so lucky.)" groaned Kimiko.

"Great! So I'll help you with your clothes, make-up… It'll be so much fun!"

"So I'll be counting on you then! See you tomorrow, Yuki-sempai! Domo arigato gozaimasu!"

"Daijobu, ne, oyasumi, Kimiko-chan!"

"Oyasumi, Yuki-sempai!"

-click

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, as Kimiko snuggled against the soft folds of her baby blue bed sheets, she had a wonderful dream about her upcoming date with her Mitsui-san. However, in another house in the Kanagawa prefecture, Mitsui Hisashi was having a nightmare…

/What the hell am I going to do about that date with that fat assistant manager? Geez, how did I get myself into this mess?/ He wondered. He was having second thoughts, and he imagined exaggerating images of her eating everything he ordered, and her taking advantage of him. (L.I.D.[author]: Typical of a male chauvinist pig. ~_~)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(=^_^=) Meow!

Japanese word meanings:

Baka Gaki = Idiot Little Brat

L.I.D.[author]: God knows if 99.9% of the Male Chauvinist Pigs in the world think this way, about an upcoming date with the girl NOT from their dreams… ~_~ Please feed back to me what you guys think!