Little Sister

Author: Shirodachi

E-mail: remuslupin@owlmail.com

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A/N: Revised. Please read again. Sorry for the very long delay. I had to fix plot holes and stuff.

Feedback: Very much appreciated, can range from constructive criticism to just plain "Nice!" ^^; Although I would like to know what parts you really liked. Flames, or any other kind of criticism are only taken into consideration if the flamer signs in/is not an anonymous reviewer.

CHAPTER 3

Hikaru Kiyota, fourth eldest in her family, had the task of setting the table before dinner. Tonight, however, something was in her way. A scowl formed on the seventeen-year-old's usually cheerful face.

Her brother's school things were scattered on the table, spilling out of his open schoolbag.

"Grrr…that baka! Never puts his things away! Never learns! He makes me so angry! Grrr!" She fumed, throwing them all into the bag, her voice increasing in volume.

With a fist, she pounded on the table, unable to control her anger. Something fell. She gnashed her teeth and bent down to pick the item up, which was a notebook. //I swear…that boy needs a keeper!//

Her eyes caught the piece of paper conspicuously sticking out from the pages.

"What's this?" Hikaru said to herself. She took it out and skimmed it. Her blue eyes rounded.

Yukime, the more serious twin, stepped into the kitchen, arms crossed. "Do you always squeal and dance around the room after you've finished your chores?" She glanced at the dinner table. "I see you haven't finished it yet." Her voice was cold as ice.

Hikaru wasn't fazed a bit, and her face lighted up even. "Yuki!" She waved the paper around. "Lookie, look at this!"

"I will if you'd give it to me…"

"I found that in Nobu-chan's notebook!" She giggled once more. "And I was just thinking he needed a keeper…but he already has one!"

"What - are - you - talking - about." Yukime deftly snatched the paper from her vagrant twin. "Homework, due next Friday, page 47 to 50." She read aloud, and gave Hikaru a superior look. "What are you fussing about? And stop squealing, will you!"

"C'mon Yuki," whimpered Hikaru, "you're much better than that! You're smarter than me! Surely you can figure that out."

Her twin said the magic words. Yukime hated un-figuring things out, especially if Hikaru already knew. As much as she loved Hikaru in her own sisterly way, she was a bit shallow of sorts. Yukime in all things wasn't. "Ah, whatever." She studied the scrap of paper intently. Her eyebrows raised.

"This isn't Nobunaga's handwriting."

Hikaru squealed and clapped. "I knew you'd get it! And it's written by a girl!" She grabbed the notebook and started flipping the pages. "Ooh! There's more here! All in the same handwriting!" There were hearts in Hikaru's eyes.

"Let me see…as the two are side by side now, I can certainly tell the difference. And it does look like a girl's handwriting." Yukime smirked. "At least our brother picked out a smart girl, judging from these notes. I commend him for that."

Then the said brother entered. Upon finding his sisters shoulder-to-shoulder, obviously conspiring about something (Hikaru was giggling occasionally), his face became a thundercloud.

Shaking his fist, he yelled, "Oi you two! Keep it down, I'm trying to watch TV-ooh!" His breath got knocked out of his lungs as one of the twins rammed him, all arms.

"Nobu-chan!" wailed Hikaru, shaking him. "Don't grow up so fast!"

"What the--ONEESAN!" Kiyota struggled. "Stop squeezing me--ow!"

The other twin, Yukime, stepped into his field of vision. She shook her head, but a smug look was plastered on her face. "I guess you don't need to waste more of my valuable time, eh, Nobunaga?" She passed the notebook over to his free hand. "Thank the girl for me."

"Yuki-neesan, not you too!" Eyes watering, he finally struggled out of Hikaru's very tight grasp. //What the hell is going on?// At last he was free and able to open the notebook.

The first thing he noticed was the caricature of his Math teacher who suffered from mental lapses every now and then. An arrow was pointing to it, with a message in neat handwriting: Very nice, you captured him perfectly.

He turned to the next page, then the other pages. Almost all had scribbles and comments.

"Yuki-neesan? Did you-"

"No, it wasn't us. Oh, this was inserted there as well. I guess she doesn't want you to forget homework." Yukime noticed her bawling sister, and narrowed her eyes. "Stop that right now, Hikaru!"

"I can't…" Hikaru blew her nose. "Nobu-chan's leaving us…"

A sound of disgust escaped from Yukime, and she pulled her twin out of the kitchen by the collar. Hikaru called out as she was dragged away, "You'll do the chores for me, won't you, Nobu-chan? Good boy…growing up so fast…"

Kiyota didn't hear his sister's last words though. //Who did this?// The piece of paper just answered his question.

He was surprised he could clearly remember Shiori Maki's face.

And the fact that he still owed her an apology.

***

"Ohayou, Imouto-san!"

Shiori froze, looked around panic-stricken, before scurrying to her seat.

She didn't pass in his direction. Kiyota was disappointed. He just hoped she wasn't traumatized from last week's events. He rose from his seat, just as the teacher sauntered in. He was forced to sit down again.

//Well, no matter, she sits in the same place everyday.//

***

The next day, he waited in a seat at the front row.

//Any minute now…// He tapped a pencil on the desk and made frequent glances at the door. Sure enough, the younger Maki entered, head down as usual. Kiyota decided he shouldn't startle her like yesterday, and was contented to watch her until she reached her seat.

It didn't go as he expected. She was two desks away from him. He cursed his forgetfulness and made his way to the seat beside her.

"A-hem." He heard the distinct sound of someone clearing his throat.

"Nobunaga Kiyota, return to your proper seat this instant."

The teacher! The whole class blinked at Kiyota, with the exception of a few others, which included Shiori. He rolled his eyes and waved to his fellow students while he returned to his original seat. The air filled with laughter.

//You'll get an especially nice drawing today, Sensei.// A smirk formed on his face as he plotted the caricature in his mind. As he started to draw, pen moving rapidly on a blank page, he caught himself wondering if Shiori would like the particular piece.

***

//Think, Nobunaga, think.// Where would someone like Shiori spend lunchtime?

She wasn't in the cafeteria. Kiyota always ate lunch there, and today he had to abandon his crew, saying that he had 'stuff' to do. They immediately assumed it had something to do with basketball.

//In any case, it is kinda connected with basketball// he convinced himself. He could have said "I have to look for Maki." They wouldn't know which, anyway.

Still, he checked out every brown-haired girl under 165 centimeters in the cafeteria before he left. On his way out, most of them were giving him strange looks, which Kiyota hoped weren't hopeful.

//Why would anyone not eat lunch in the cafeteria,// he pondered. He had to admit it could get a bit crowded. Shiori didn't look like the type who enjoyed crowds. But now he was having a hard time tracking her down. He ran outside, to the outskirts of the school building.

//Maybe she has a boyfriend.// The thought popped in his mind unexpectedly. Maybe they ate together in a secluded place, like…near the soccer field. Maybe her boyfriend was a soccer player - the reason why she wasn't interested in basketball!

But again, Shiori didn't look like the type who followed soccer. He was positive she would me more at home with…basketball. Naturally, the main reason was she was the captain's sister, nothing else.

If she did have a boyfriend, however, and they were eating together right now, he would be terribly sorry he had to ruin their special moment. But the apology was important. And of course, the note about the homework. And perhaps a small token of gratitude for returning the notebook, despite the weird additional scribbles on the pages.

Exhaustion took over, and Kiyota was forced to stop and lean on a tree. He had already circled the whole damned building. //People must think I'm shifting to the track club...// He took deep breaths to steady himself. //Now where should I look?//

He scanned his surroundings. No luck, and no sign of Shiori.

//Maybe tomorrow my luck wouldn't be this bad…// He was about to go back into the building when a lone, brown-haired figure sitting on a bench about five trees away caught his eye.

***

Shiori unwrapped the sandwich, bit into it, and almost choked it out. Someone was running towards her. She swallowed. //Is that…who I think it is?//

The bench was one of the sheltered places on the school grounds. It was a nice, quiet place, definitely a contrast to the noisy and packed school cafeteria. The downside was, she had to prepare her own lunch everyday. //It saves my allowance, at least.//

Whoever it was (and Shiori had a feeling who), he was really approaching the bench. She could just stare as the tall dark-haired boy leaned forward, dropping his hands to his knees. "Finally! I've been looking all over for you!" an out-of-breath Kiyota exclaimed.

The words seemed unreal. //Looking…for me?// Was she hallucinating..? Her thoughts were running amok but her body couldn't move a muscle.

He stood up straight and suddenly chuckled, scratching the back of his head. It was frightening, the way it made her whole body tingle. "At first I thought you were with…ah, nothing." He laughed again. Her face warmed up.

She still couldn't speak up, and sensed her companion fidgeting in the silence that followed. Should she greet him? Ask him why he was here? Or should she turn away? But why would she turn away? Here he was, actually talking to her!

"That's a nice-looking sandwich…" he pointed out, trying to initiate conversation.

Immediately Shiori's mouth opened, saying: "Do you want one? I've got more here," and she began rummaging in her bag.

//What in God's name are you doing, Shiori Maki!// a tiny voice inside her screamed. //This is so not me, I know…// she answered lamely as her mouth continued babbling about sandwiches and how she made them.

Finally she found one, and she stopped talking to give it to him. "Hey, thanks! I haven't had lunch yet." For a brief moment his hand made contact with hers. Her eyes rounded in shock.

//You aren't hitting on me, aren't you…// she conceded as he plopped down beside her, jolting her a little. //Because if you are, then I should be the luckiest girl in the campus.// A small sigh escaped from her. //Which would never happen.//

"This is good," he declared between munches. Shiori knew it wasn't true, but it made her heart light. It made her face heat up incredibly. She was grateful he didn't ask stupid questions such as How do you make it so red?

"Imouto-san." His voice broke through her thoughts.

She almost jumped, and didn't want to answer, but did. "H-hai."

He cleared his throat. "Errr…uhhh…"

Again, an awkward silence fell upon them.

"H-hai?" She repeated. Maybe he didn't hear her acknowledge him.

"I…the other day…I mean…last…"

He clammed up. For some reason, she was reminded of herself.

//That cannot be…// She finally gathered enough courage to peer at him, just from the corner of her eye.

The sight that greeted her wasn't the one she expected. He was trembling! And his face was all red! "Anou--" she found herself blurting out.

Her response made him jump. "Ah, YES! Hehehe…heh..." His laughter was strained and he was staring at the direction of the trees a few meters away. //What is wrong with him?// Finally he pulled a familiar-looking scrap of paper from his pocket. He simpered. "Oh, here it is. Found it in the notebook."

Homework, due next Friday

pages 47-50 : do it tomorrow

She was too stunned to say anything. It was now her turn to blush scarlet.

"And uh, thanks for returning the notebook." Kiyota was saying. He coughed. "And about the other day…"

"N-no, it's alright." A weak smile formed on her lips. //I think I'm gonna be sick...//

"Hontou? It's okay?"

She nodded, feeling like a puppet controlled with strings.

He looked relieved. "Well then…" He slowly rose from the bench.

//Is he going? Thank goodness…//

//No, no, stay!// Another part of her pleaded. Shiori was astonished at the unexpected reaction. She suddenly felt the urge to knock her head on the nearby tree, just to clear her head. Too many feelings were swimming inside.

" Er…hello? Imouto-san?" Kiyota was looking at her worriedly.

She looked up, eyes wide. "H-hai!".

"I was just asking…why don't you watch any of sempai's…I mean, our team's games?" He asked quietly.

When she didn't answer, he hastily added, "You don't have to answer…errr…"

She was wrong. He asked a stupid question. Just now, he asked her a very stupid question. "You mean basketball?" Of course, he was a basketball player.

Brown eyes lowered, and she found her soft voice. "It's simple. I hate basketball."

Whatever her answer was, he probably didn't expect it. He blinked. There was silence once more.

//Please, please don't ask me that again.// She prayed, and even shut her eyes. When she opened them, Kiyota was calmly looking at the school building. He must've sensed her return, because he turned back to her.

"Well…that's an answer I guess!" He laughed. It was a nice, warm laugh…

Kiyota followed her towards the school building. "Where's your next class?"

She gestured with her head. Shiori wasn't the best judge of expression, but she was pretty sure his face fell slightly. "Oh. Mine's the other way." He turned to the left corridor. "See you tomorrow then, imouto-san--by the way--!" He stopped and looked back at her. "You're good at making sandwiches. Can I have another one tomorrow?"

Shiori reached her next class, but her heart didn't slow down one bit.

***

Japanese terms:

Neesan - short for 'oneesan' which means older sister

Ohayou! - "Good morning!" Informal form.

Domo! - "Thanks!"

Hai - "Yes"

***

This chapter isn't as long as the others, and is full of Kiyota and Shiori's thoughts. Kinda boring but it's essential to the story. At least now you know why Shiori doesn't watch basketball. ^_^; Had a hard time finishing the third installment, so I settled for a kind of open ending. Tell me whatcha think. Fourth chapter…coming soon. ^^;

Again, many, many, and I mean MANY thanks for reading. Feedback is to writers as…uh, I don't remember.

And *gasp* I actually didn't put any disclaimers! Slam Dunk and its characters belong to Inoue Takehiko. Shiori Maki, Hikaru Kiyota, and Yukime Kiyota are mine.