Chapter 3: Getting to Know Each Other a Little too Well

Summary:
=> Their paths have crossed and their eyes have met...and each held his gaze for a little too long. What does it mean? Yes, yes, I know that you know, but... Just--humor me for a while, okay?
=> Oh yeah... There's an OC here... I made her Sendou's girlfriend... Don't kill me, I had to find someway for the story to fit the song... And I didn't know how to break Sendou and Koshino up without making Koshino sound like a very jealous ex...
=> Eh... Rhygell-chan... I have a slight hint of HanaRu here... I mean, Sendou's got his kanojo, Rukawa's got to have his -- um, guy.
=> BTW, remember in Chapter 1 (Reflections), it's sort of indicated there that Sakuragi and Rukawa still hold mutual hatred for each other? Well, somewhere along the way they, erm, fall in like. Maybe I could get a friend of mine to write a story for that part...

Disclaimers:
=> song - not mine. I forgot who it belongs to.
=> Slam Dunk - Takehiko Inoue's.

I call you, and you call me
It's funny how we get along so easily

"One-on-one."
"Eh?"
"Play one-on-one with me."
A smirk crept onto Akira's face. Kaede realized what he was thinking.
"Do'ahou." Not to mention hentai.
"What?!" Akira exclaimed, laughing.
"Basketball, bakerou," Kaede said, the same blank expression on his cold, passive face.
Akira grinned. "Oh. I thought for a minute there that--"
Kaede sighed. "Tsss... Hentai na do'ahou," he cut in.
* * *
Akira wiped the layer of sweat that had formed above his upper lip. His game with Kaede had tired him out thouroughly.
Kaede had his arm over his mouth, breathing hard. He was tired as well, having tried to prove to himself that he was better than Sendou Akira.
The Ryonan ace glanced at his watch, then looked up at Kaede.
"Yosh, sayonara, Rukawa!" he said to the fox-eyed freshman.
"Hn," came the reply, less colder than usual.
Akira smiled to himself, failing to catch the slight loss of the chill in Kaede's voice. He'll never change.

We're just friends, aren't we
You've got yours, I've got mine
And friends are all we ever could be

Kaede watched the retreating person silently.
He turned and walked to his bike, unchained it from where he was, and mounted it.
"Oi, kitsune!"
He easily recognized the braying voice of Sakuragi Hanamichi. Although he very much wanted to go home and soak his sore muscles in a hot bath [A/N: Need help, Kaede-kun? ^-^'], he stayed where he was, glad to hear the voice of his kareshi.
Sakuragi looked to the distance in the direction where Sendou was walking.
"Isn't that smiley? You were with him just now, weren't you?"
No, I wasn't. How much more obvious could it get, Hana-chan? Kaede didn't move a muscle.
Sakuragi wasn't fazed, however, nor did he take notice of Kaede's silence. He merely glanced at his watch [A/N: Ei, Kaede doesn't have a watch! Hehehehehehe...], then suddenly exclaimed, "Shimatta! I've got to go, kitsune -- I'm gonna be late!" then sped off.
* * *
"Akira-san!"
Akira turned in the direction of the voice.
Something suddenly slammed into him which knocked all the air out of his lungs, almost making him fall over in the process.
He winced. "Itai..."
A girl of about 15 grinned at him. "Konnichiwa, Akira-san!"
Putting the infamous smile back in place, Akira picked up the ball that the girl had thrown at him. "Kari-chan! Genki desu ka?"
Kari smiled, and slid her hand into his. "I'm great! You, how did your day go?"
"Oh, same as usual." As he responded, he thought about the game he had that afternoon. He remembered the scowl on Kaede's face whenever Akira scored, and the signs of silent triumph in his cold blue eyes whenever he scored.
"Akira-san?"
Akira shook his head in a lame attempt to clear his mind. "Gomen ne, I wasn't listening. You were saying?"
The girl smiled. "Nan de mo nai. It's just that... well, you've been getting sorta distant lately. What's on your mind?"
Oh, right. I haven't told her about my dream yet.
He then settled for looking politely puzzled. "Eh?"
"Oh, never mind."
They continued in silence for a few minutes, Kari walking jovially along the street and Akira just allowing himself to be led.
"Well, this is where I leave you. Ja ne!" Kari reached up and gave him a quick peck on the lips. [A/N: Sendou obliged by bending down so it could be easier for her, hehehe...] She then walked away, her brown ponytail bobbing up and down.
Akira tried hard to focus on the color of his kanojo's eyes, but something else kept forcing its way into his mind.
Cerulean-colored eyes...

But we're getting to know each other a little too well
We're strating to show our feelings, and people can tell

Kaede woke up much earlier than usual, due to the persistent shouts that called his name.
He rubbed his eyes, dragged himself over to the window, and fumbled with the lock on it for quite a while before he was finally able to force it open. Leaning out, he saw the vice-captain and the ex-MVP outside.
Don't those two ever spend any time away from each other? "Nandato?"
"We have practice today! Come on, you're gonna be late!"
Like you won't be if you keep standing there.
Kaede groaned before shutting the window, and made his way to his closet. Much as he enjoyed the thrill that basketball brought him, he just wasn't in the mood for it that day.
Three minutes later, he was forcing himself out the front door.
"Need a lift?"
He looked at the duo for a while before he nodded once in unvoiced gratitude [A/N: poetic phrase, ne? ~_~'], and followed them to Mitsui's Mazda.
* * *
Kaede stared out the window on the drive to the school gym, as Mitsui and Kogure kept talking and talking and --
"Hey, isn't that Sendou of Ryonan?"
He snapped out of his daze and immediately looked in the direction that Kogure had indicated. Sure enough, the spike-haired player was there on the sidewalk, a girl by his side. The girl was talking animatedly; the ace's mind seemed to be wandering.
Well, duh. Who wouldn't recognize that hentai's trademark hairstyle?
Something tugged at Kaede's heart, something he couldn't decipher, at the sight of the girl walking beside Akira.
"Eh, Sendou!" Kogure called out as the car passed by the two. Since they were in a residential zone, it was alright for them to stop for a while, which Mitsui did.
Immediately, Akira beamed and walked over to them. "Ohayou!"
Mitsui smiled at him. "Hey, looking good! Who's the pretty lady?" he said in a flattering voice to Kari, who grinned playfully as she joined the group and wrapped her arm around Akira's.
"This is Kari, a good friend of mine, " he replied.
Kaede snorted. Not comfortable with saying what you mean, are you?
"Oh, Rukawa!" Akira exclaimed, taking notice of the pale boy.
"Where're you guys headed?" Kogure asked.
"We've still got quite a walk ahead of us. We're going to the pizza parlor to meet up with some friends, then... Well, we haven't quite got any plans yet," Akira answered.
Mitsui gestured to the back. "We can drop you off there. Care to hitch a ride?"
"You sure it's not too much trouble?"
"Hai! Come on, get in."
Akira opened the back passenger door, and motioned for Kari to climb in. "After you, m'lady."
Kari giggled, and sat next to Kaede, who muttered, "Yare, yare."
Akira followed her in, and they drove on.
* * *
"He was so quiet. Is he always like that?" Kari questioned Akira as Mitsui's car moved away.
The latter smiled down at her. "Yeah. No one knows why, though. He's also usually as cold as stone, like -- no emotions or something."
There was something about the way he looked at me when he saw Kari and me together, though.

Everytime that your eyes meet mine
I light up like a neon sign
Yes, we're getting to know each other a little too well

Akira wandered on, lost in thought. He had left Kari with their friends at the pizza parlor, saying he had other things to do.
What, like think to the death of you?
He couldn't help but recall the distant, far-off look in Kaede's eyes in the car that morning.
Most likely wanting to be left to his own thoughts, doesn't want to be bothered.
And Akira realized that he was little by little starting to understand the incomprehensible Rukawa Kaede.

We have lunch every now and then
And I find myself humming love songs again and again

That Kari... she never succeeded at making me frown even once, did she?
Akira tapped his pen against his head, figuring out his geometry homework. [A/N: Rhygell's influence... her writings lately are always geom-associated...]
He switched the radio on, hoping that it would help him concentrate on his schoolwork...
Instead, he found himself singing along to the tunes on the radio.
Heaving a sigh, he closed his book and threw his pen across the room. Damn. Now I really can't concentrate.
Maybe I'm thinking too much about Kari, he concluded. He smiled as he pictured her running to him, her smile as bright as the sun. I'm crazy in love with her.
Then he pictured Kaede all of a sudden.
Eh... nandato?

On too many nights, I'm working till ten
And I hope that you know
That it's hopeless to go on when

Not good.
Kaede watched the ball circle on the rim once, twice... before it finally dropped into the basket.
Breathing heavily, he pulled up the neck of his shirt and wiped the sweat above his lip. It was awfully hot in the gym, and he was perspiring just standing there.
Oh, what the heck. No one's around anyway. He stripped off his shirt, baring his powerfully- built figure and perfectly chiseled abs. [A/N: *swoon* (0__o)' Fine, I made this up...]
Kaede tried to remember exactly how Akira did his fade-away shots, and did his best to imitate him...
The ball bounced on the ring and flew off.
No good. I'm thinking about him too much.
He had the sudden urge to hit his head on the wall, or give the floor a headbutt [A/N: Sakuragi-style! Hehehehehe...] in desperate attempts to clear his head of any thoughts of Sendou Akira, but knew that hurting himself wouldn't be any help.
Haven't you learned enough from the mirror, Kaede? That voice again.
Now he desperately needed to hit something.
Kaede breathed deeply, trying to calm his raging emotions. He picked up the ball and rolled it between his palms as he stared at the net.
Why did he suddenly become a big part of my life, anyway?
He bounced the ball as hard as he could against the floor and turned his back on it, ignoring the swishing sound that followed.
I can't concentrate.

We're getting to know each other a little too well
We're starting to show our feelings, and people can tell

"Akira-san..."
"Hm?"
"Nothing... Just wanted to check if your mind is still in your body..."
Akira laughed and kissed his kanojo on her forehead. "What made you think it wasn't?"
Kari looked down. "oh... Lately, when we're out, you're... I don't know... um..."
The Ryonan ace, tilted the girl's face up to meet his. "Come on, tell me," he prompted her.
The latter sighed. "Akir-san, I know you're not an okama in any way, but... You like Rukawa-kun, don't you?"
She flushed, slightly embarrassed, upon seeing Akira's reaction, but she pushed the feeling away and met his eyes, daring him to tell the truth. "Tell me the truth, Akira-san."
Akira sighed. "Kari... daisuki da ne... demo..." He broke off and looked at her, pleading with his eyes, begging her to understand the internal conflict inside him. [A/N: Any comments on the sentence?]
In those few moments of his hesitation, Kari understood. She silenced him, pressing a finger to his lips. "I kinda gathered that. Wakatteru. If you want, Akira-san... I'll give you time to yourself..." she whispered.
Akira smiled gratefully at her.
A genuine smile, Kari noted. I haven't seen one of those in a long while.
She stood up. "Well, then... Ja ne, Akira-san." She kissed him for a brief moment then started to leave.
Akira suddenly reached out and pulled her to him. He hugged her, and murmured into her ear.
"Arigatou, Kari-chan." He released her. "I'll take you home."
* * *
Kaede walked alongside Sakuragi, the silence pressing in on him from all sides. Damn.
Usually, the silence didn't unnerve him, seeing as he practically lived by it. But now... he shivered.
Sakuragi draped an arm over Kaede's shoulders. "Daijobu?"
Kaede shrugged the arm off. Sakuragi stopped walking. "Oi, kitsune, what's wrong?"
Nothing. Just a guilty conscience.
"Kitsune... Matte... Tell me what's wrong."
Tired.
"Oi...nanda?"
Just tired. [A/N: This and the previous italicized line was taken from FF VIII when Rinoa was trying to coax Squall into going to the concert... My thanks to Hironobu Sakaguchi for making such an excellent game...]
The redhead reached out and shook the ace by the shoulders. "Chikusho, kitsune! Talk to me!"
Kaede gripped Sakuragi's wrists almost painfully. "It doesn't concern you, do'ahou!" he half-screamed furiously.
"Then who?! Why don't you fucking tell me, huh, kitsune?! Why don't you fuckin' tell me if there's nothing for you to hide?!" Sakuragi yelled back at him. "Dammit! I can't take your silence!!" His eyes glinted dangerously. "Is it Gori? Megane-kun? Micchy? Ryocchin? Ayako-san? Haruko-san? Nozaru? Oyaji? Substitute player?" Silence. "It's smiley, isn't it? Oi, kitsune, answer me! Oi!"
At the simple mention of Akira, Kaede ceased all motion. He dropped his hands and his gaze wandered to the ground.
Sakuragi understood right away, but it did nothing to appease his fury. "So it's smiley?! What does he have that I don't?! Everything?! Maybe you never really fuckin' loved me to begin with!!!" He brought their lips together in a bruising kiss; Kaede struggled weakly, though he responded. "Remember how my kisses used to feel, kitsune? Do you remember?! Or do you think about and remember nothing except that bastard now?!"
Breathing heavily, Kaede reached out to touch him. "Hana-chan... please don't make this harder than it already is..." Sakuragi slapped the offending hand away. Fox blue eyes brimming with unshed tears, Kaede bit his lip. Hana-chan...
Sakuragi looked at him, the expression on his face different. His eyes had lost the fire of anger; brown eyes dead and dull. It was worse than the hysterical Sakuragi Hanamichi of a while back.
"Hana-chan..." I love you, I really do. But Akira is...
"You know what kitsune? You made a nice choice. Sendou is so much better in basketball. He's taller. He's got a hot body and he's not an idiot --"
"Hana..." Kaede couldn't restrain the pain, hurt and confusion from creeping into his voice. Don't. Please don't.
Such lifeless hazel eyes.
"I thought this is what you wanted. I'm setting you free. Omedetou on picking such a good replacement, kitsune." At that, Sakuragi turned away from him.
Kaede watched as the stubborn redhead walked away, feeling his heart shattering.
After a while though, he turned back, face uncharacteristically emotionless. "You brought this upon yourself... Rukawa. Sayonara."
My fault... all my fault... Gomen nasai, Hana-chan... demo...

Everytime that your eyes meet mine
I light up like a neon sign
Yes, we're getting to know each other...

Kari reached out and put her hand on Akira's shoulder. "Nee, Akira-san, isn't that Rukawa?" she said, indicating the lone figure standing by a lamppost.
Akira pulled over next to the person. "Oi, Rukawa-kun..."
Blue eyes met his own, and Akira saw a ghost of a smile flicker across Kaede's features. Something glistened on his cheek in the light, and Akira recognized it -- as a tear trail.
Rukawa Kaede -- crying?
"Where're you headed?" he asked, deciding to ignore the emotion that arose in the aftershock of seeing evidence of Rukawa Kaede's tears.
"Nowhere... Home, maybe."
"Need a ride?" Akira offered, gesturing toward the backseat. "I'll just take Kari home, then you. Is that ok? -- I mean, if you want a ride back, that is."
Wordlessly, Kaede climbed in.
* * *
"Where to, Rukawa-kun?" Akira said 10 minutes later.
Kaede directed him in the direction of his dwelling. Awfully nice guy he is...
* * *
Akira stopped the car infront of a stately abode, gaping at the gorgeous facade. Kaede smirked, taking note of the look on Akira's face. He got out of the car, but before he closed the door...
"Nee, Sendou-san..."
"Hai?"
Kaede nodded. "Arigatou."

Yes, we're getting to know each other
A little too well...


~tsuzuku~

Finally! Sorry it took such a long time, I had lots of stuff to do and neither inspiration nor drive to continue... It took me 3 weeks (well, maybe not) to complete the chapter...

How'd you like the HanaRu break-up scene? Credit goes to Zenquin for rewriting that entire part, and for agreeing to write the HanaRu get-together before this chapter, although maybe they haven't uploaded it yet (? they're two separate halves residing in one being... I'm betting Quindos was being sick while Zendene was so happily writing it... anyway, that part is dubbed "chapter 2.5" by yours truly...)