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CUPID

Part 1

Dodging an imaginary opponent, she swished the ball smoothly into the hoop, completing another three-pointer. She panted a little, dribbling the ball a little while more before flopping onto the side of the court to take a rest. She stared at the orange basketball as she gulped down some water. The sun was setting and a fiery hue spread over the sky.

 Orange... fiery...red...Hanamichi...

It had been a month since Hanamichi rescued her. She made fast friends with his friend Youhei too. It was pretty amusing when she told them that she was a girl.

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*FLASHBACK*

" Hey, Hana, you mean you play basketball too?"

" Of course! I'm the tensai! I can do anything!"

"OK! Play with me. I haven't played with anybody since last year. Imaginary opponents are not much of a challenge, you know!"

They proceeded with a one-on-one match, with Youhei just watching by the side. They had become fast friends within two weeks, and the both insisted that they keep Makoto out of fights while 'his' injuries were still healing. They teased Makoto that he was weak in fighting, and was surprised that Makoto grudgingly accepted their crazy offer.

Thirty minutes passed and now all Youhei saw were two tired but fired-up youths who were still trying to score a final basket to determine the winner. Another five minutes later, both were exhausted and they laid flat on the court, looking at the sky. The game ended with a tie.

" hehe... you've got good defense Hana.." pant

"Don't underestimate the power of the Tensai...Mak-chan"

(*Note: Hanamichi calls Makoto Mak-chan cos he looks small to him. Now, a description of Aoshima Makoto( a girl. pls dun get confused with the 'he' and 'her's):

She is a tall girl, about 175cm, but has boyish good looks. you know, the bishonen type^__^ so she looks a little like a effeminate guy, or a little boy^^;;;; Her very dark brown hair is cropped short with a centre parting and her eyes are marine blue. (you know, like Haruko's, not Rukawa!) She is a little muscular, what with playing basketball and such, but not the kind like Sakuragi. That's why he calls her Mak-chan. She looks like a young boy.)

While they were resting, Hanamichi curiously popped a question at Makoto.

" You're kinda good in basketball. Are you in your school team?"

Makoto choked a little on her water when she heard this. Oh well. The truth wouldn't hurt. They ARE my good friends after all.

" Nah. They wouldn't allow a girl in the team. But I played in the guy's team in junior high."

Youhei's jaw slacked and hit the ground as his eyes looked frantically for evidence of Makoto's words. Hanamichi seemed to be a little slow.

" Oh... which junior high were you fr-YOU'RE A WHAT??"

Makoto smiled and nodded. " I'm a girl."

It had taken quite some time for Hanamichi to accept the fact that his new buddy was of the opposite sex. It took an even longer time to convince him that he should not shy away from Makoto just because of she was a girl. After mush persuasion, Hanamichi still refused to play basketball with Makoto, saying that it was unfair to fight with a girl. Pissed off and frustrated, Makoto dropped a fist in his face and the duo ended beating the crap out of each other. That was the time when Hanamichi swore that he would never look at Mak-chan as a female again.

* END FLASHBACK*

Makoto chuckled at the flashback. She could hardly contain her laughter when Hanamichi's thoughtful look became a look of immense shock. Hanamichi. Sakuragi Hanamichi. She did not know the reason, but he brightened her life in high school. Before that, she had basketball, her childhood best friend, and the basketball team of Tomigaoka. She was the manager then, and everyone knew about her passion and ability for basketball. That was why she had agreed to play when one of their main players got hurt. She sighed. When they had all gone their separate ways, she was left alone. Not even Kaede was with her anymore. She missed basketball, as the high school she attended did not have a girls' basketball team. So, she often vented her frustrations every evening at the courts, fighting an invisible battle. Now, it was not the same. She had Hanamichi, and Youhei, and the other few friends that they hung out with. They were funny, and willingly accepted that she was a girl even though she did not look very convincing. But they treated her the same as everyone else. She got up again. Now, if her parents were with her, and she could get away from the horrible high school she attended, life would be perfect.

She bounced the ball into the court again, and dribbled a few times, before attempting a three-pointer from the side of the court. She took in a deep breath, bent slightly and jumped, before flicking her wrist, sending the ball flying towards the basket. The ball looked as if it was going to sail smoothly into the basket when a tall figure suddenly jumped up and blocked her throw. The ball was smacked down and bounced back to Makoto. She grinned. There was only on person she knew that could jump that high.

"Hana-kun, you're late."

"I'm tired, Mak-chan. The gori's giving me hell training." The redhead grumbled, dumping his bag onto the court.

She smiled. Akagi Takenori was really serious about the coming Kanagawa trials.

" We'll keep this short, ok? Ten minutes."

Hanamichi nodded. He approached Makoto and took a defensive stance, while Makoto contemplated her attack. A few weeks ago, Hanamichi had confessed that he was nervous about the coming competition and Makoto had offered to help him with whatever he needed to improve on. ( weird, hanamichi, nervous??) The competition was only a week away now, and even though Makoto had no part in it, her blood was pumping with excitement. She could care less about school, the institute being a prestigious school in Kanagawa, but no fun at all. Makoto had entered the school just to please her parents who were working in America. But she regretted her decision immediately. The school was just full of snobs and people who called her a crossdressing freak. (Makoto: Mind you! I'm a girl! Not a guy in a skirt!) She had wanted to enter Shohoku High School, which was much nearer to her house. Then, maybe she would have met Hanamichi under different circumstances, and she could still play basketball with Kaede.

Anyhow, she was eagerly looking forward to watching Hanamichi play in the league.

tbc