Title: Loving You
Author: Seraph/Devil_Kirin
Pairing/s: HanaFujii, YasuHaru, SenHana?, RuHana?
Rating: PG-13
Status: On-Going
Genre: Multi-Chaptered
Chapter: 6/?
Email: seraph_kirin@hotmail.com
Disclaimers: All Disclaimers Apply.
Archive: SDBC, Fanfiction.net and Fandomination.net... that's about it I think.
Author's Notes: I'm becoming more depressed by the day... This fic is going nowhere fast. Thanks people, for kindly taking the time to read and review my fic... *sighz* I really should consider retirement...
Short synopsis: Ru-chan found out about Hana-chan's "little" problem with his "girlfriend"... What will Ru-chan do? Will Sen-chan come into the picture?
And so, ladies and gentlemen, on with the fic!
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Act One, Scene Five
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**********
The gods too, are fond of a joke. - Anonymous
**********
"Pass!"
Sakuragi caught the ball that was thrown in his direction. He turned, knowing that there was no one near the basketball post to guard him.
With a smooth, practiced stride, he ran towards it, picking up enough momentum for a lay-up shot.
The ball went in.
Ayako blew the whistle. "Time Up!"
The members of the team stood around the court, tired out by their practice.
Sakuragi remained standing at the place where he'd landed after that last shot, breathing heavily, sweat rolling off him.
"Hanamichi, good shot!" Miyagi praised. "Looks like all your hard work paid off!"
"It better," Mitsui warned, an amused gleam in his eye. "After all the hard work I put into coaching you, it should have some sorta result."
Sakuragi remained silent. He had not even looked up when the two had approached him, neither had he replied with his usual "Ore Wa Tensai Sakuragi!" that they were all so familiar with.
He was, for once, blessedly silent.
Miyagi and Mitsui exchanged glances at each other. Somehow, they did not seem to be surprised by the red head's out-of-character lacklustre.
In fact, from the glances they exchanged, one might say that they even anticipated it.
Obviously, they knew a lot more than the red head let on.
Sakuragi lifted his head up towards the place where the manageress' of the team stood.
Fujii was, once more, absent.
He frowned slightly, his chest heaving. [Why isn't she here?]
"Gather around here, Minna!" Ayako called out, slapping her infamous fan against her thigh lightly. "Anzai-Sensei has something to announce!"
Sakuragi walked towards the congregating members of the team, his face sombre.
Anzai-sensei smiled broadly. "I have something to tell you..."
**********
Oh joy.
They had another basketball camp coming up.
Well, it was not as if he had anything else to do but to do as what Anzai-sensei proposed was... madness.
Rukawa frowned inwardly as he prodded slowly into the locker room. It wasn't that he was totally against the idea and what it would do.
It was just that...
*****FLASHBACK*****
"We will be having a practice camp with together Ryonan, Shoyo and Kainan."
Silence.
"WHAT?!"
"Why are we having a camp with them?"
"You're not joking, are you?"
"..."
A ruckus was promptly raised to unimaginable heights as the players squabbled with each other over the conduciveness of such a plan.
"QUIET!" This came from Ayako.
Anzai-sensei smiled. It was good to see them so lively still, even after the tortuous training that they had been subjected to.
Ayako continued where Anzai-sensei let off. "This will not be an ordinary camp."
She held up her hand, holding back the tsunami of questions that she knew was coming. "JUST WAIT TILL I FINISH, WILL YOU?"
The players wisely shut up.
One angry Ayako meant a probable 20 - 50 rounds around the court.
And they definitely didn't want that, not after that nightmarish torture Ayako called "training."
"Now, listen up. Instead of the normal training that we do, this time all the five starting players teams will be spilt up into four teams - HOLD IT!" She glared at the team.
The players who were itching to ask questions immediately clamped their hands over their mouths. Those who were bursting with questions were guarded by those who had better control over their mouths.
Ayako gave a sigh of irritation. "As I said, the teams will be spilt up into four teams from A to D. The teams are posted up on the board. Go check it when you have the time to. PREFERABLY," she emphasized, glowering pointedly at a select few, "before this weekend."
Those said select few met her patent DEATH™ glare innocently, managing to look like guilty puppies caught in the act (except for Rukawa; he never bothers anyway).
Ayako growled and wrung her hands, rolling her eyes in the process as she turned her back on the players. [God, why do I bother?]
"Oi, Hanamichi!"
Sakuragi looked up. "Ryochin." Then he saw the boy beside him. "Mitchy."
Not bad. He even managed a smile for their benefit.
"..." The two boys looked at him.
Sakuragi felt slightly uncomfortable. It was as if they were trying to read his mind.
He shifted slightly, uneasy.
Finally, Mitsui spoke up. "Let's go check the board."
"Ah." Sakuragi let the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
For one ridiculous moment, he felt grateful to whatever powers above that had granted his small wish.
Of course, he didn't know that being the open book he was, Mitsui and Miyagi had read his uneasiness and unwillingness to confide in them, for the moment, that is.
They were concerned nevertheless.
They had been concerned for a week now.
Dense as they were, they had managed to connect Fujii's sudden disappearance from the team with Sakuragi's restlessness.
Even though they had received an explanation from the girl the next day after her first absence that, because she had been chosen for the school committee, she would be unable to join the team with its practices as much as she would like to, they had noted that Sakuragi appeared uneasy at Fujii's absence from the team.
You could say that they deliberately kept the reason why Fujii was absent from Sakuragi because they wanted to find out what was troubling the guy.
But they hadn't had much luck so far.
Sakuragi was proving himself to be a hard nut to crack. Heck, he could be even harder to force than Rukawa to spill his guts out.
Of course, one might note that the two's penchant for laughing at Hanamichi hadn't helped matters a bit.
Stepping up to the said board, Sakuragi ran his eyes down the list of names.
[Team A... nope. Not there.] He noted that Ryonan's Koshino Hiroaki was there though, together with Mitsui.
[Team B... Oh, what's this? Miyagi with Fukuda and Jin...]
[Team C... Grrr... Kiyota Nobunaga... Stupid Wild Monkey... Rukawa Kaede... Damned Kitsune with Wild Monkey... That should be fun.] Sakuragi stifled a snicker.
After all, the said Kitsune was also probably cursing his luck as well, however stoic he might appear on the outside.
[Team D is... Sendoh Akira... Hentai smiley...] Sakuragi smiled slightly, remembering their short encounter in that park. He shook his head slightly and read the next name. [Sakuragi Hanamichi... Oh here I am-What?!]
His eyes widened and he checked the list again. [Team D. Sendoh Akira. Sakuragi Hanamichi. Yadda, yadda, yadda.]
He felt his heart sink to his feet.
Nope.
His eyes hadn't deceived him.
He was in the same team as with the guy he 'christened' "Smiley".
[Damn.] Sakuragi groaned. [Can things possibly get any worse than this?]
He was so caught up with his own misery that he did not notice another who stood beside him, a barely controlled fury rising up inside of him as he read the names of Team D over and over again.
[Sendoh.]
*****END OF FLASHBACK*****
Rukawa's frown deepened.
He wanted so much to believe that the Hentai had planned all this before hand.
Unfortunately, he knew this was not true.
The names had been picked out at random, and there was, theoretically, and even when one took the time to consider the odds at random, practically so little chance that Hentai would strike gold.
But he did.
And the worst thing was, Lady Luck appeared to be on his side.
Rukawa cursed his bad luck inwardly.
He stared at his reflection on the mirror across him. [K'sou...]
His eyes darkened with visible emotion as he visualised the Hentai with the Do'ahou.
He clenched his fist, an ugly grimace making its way onto his face, disfiguring the handsome features.
[F*** you, Sendoh.]
Rukawa threw the ball he'd held in one hand all this while against the blameless mirror.
[I won't give him up without a fight!]
With that, Rukawa picked up his duffel bag and stalked out of the gym.
TBC...
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Author's Notes: I know that this isn't very good... but it sorta builds up the suspense, ne? ^_^;;
Sen-chan: *claps hands* Goodie! I get to appear in the next chappie!
Ru-chan: *growls*
Hana-chan: Ne, Seraph-san...
Seraph: ^_____^ Hai, Hana-chan?
Hana-chan: *puppy eye mode* Can we just skip the yaoi thing and just go into the HanaFujii thing?
Seraph: As much as I want to... No.
Hana-chan: Why not?
Seraph: Anou... bcoz Wowie wants some yaoi in her story?
Sen-chan: ^_^ Does that mean we get a chance at Hana-chan?
Seraph: *nods*
Ru-chan: And if I win? *leans forward eagerly* Do I get to keep him?
Seraph: ^_^;;; No.
Ru-chan: Why not?
Seraph: Bcoz this is a strictly non-yaoi fic with some yaoi elements.
Sen-chan: ^_^ You could put Miyagi-san and Ayako-san together... *looks hopefully at Seraph*
Seraph: No can do. ^_^;;;
Sen, Ru-chan: Why not?
Seraph: Bcoz I say so. And I want to sleep now, it's 1 am in the morning already.
Sen Ru, Hana-chan: Aw~~~ _
Seraph: Come on, be good boys and tell my reviewers what I taught you, ne?
Sen, Ru, Hana-chan: *chorus* A HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE AND MAY ALL YOUR WISHES FOR THE YEAR COME TRUE!!!!
Anyway, R & R, people! Have A VERY HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!! For all Chinese in the Babble, remember to collect as many red packets as you can, ne? Gambatte People!