Sakuragi
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine this to happen. Never.
Who would have thought Mitchy would cream the boys' water polo team so easily? It was a humiliating defeat for Hisaki....but.....I sense that he'd rather lose than win over Mitchy. In fact, I think they lost on purpose. Now I'm really curious to know what Mitchy blackmailed him with. Hisaki's a proud guy- he won't give in so easily, but this time, I don't know what's wrong with his backbone.
Anyhow, even if they let Mitchy and Ryochin win on purpose, no one can deny that those two played amazingly well. Especially Mitchy. He looked so amazingly hot...the other girls were sighing and giggling over him. And Mitchy, being the way he is, bathed in their adoration.
*sigh*
That guy is one hell of a.......hunk.
*sigh*
Well, I'm done showering already and am now waiting with Ryochin for his Royal Highness.
"What is that guy doing in there?" Miyagi asks, visibly annoyed.
"Preening himself most likely," I reply.
"He can be so vain sometimes. As if he needs to bother. He looks like an idiot no matter how much he grooms himself."
I laugh lightly. Mitchy might be a little idiotic sometimes (seeing as he has the mentality of a 10-year-old), but I'm not going to lie and say he's not cute. He's not. He's not cute. He's HOT. Period.
Oh, and hear he comes now, running his fingers through his wet hair. The wet look really suits him. Really.
"Hanami, why don't we grab a bite somewhere and maybe head to my place to talk or something," he smiles that model smile of his, showing his pearly whites.
"Huh?" I answer stupidly.
"Or something. You know Mitsui-san, I don't have a good feeling about this 'something' you're talking about," butts in Miyagi.
"Oh, you don't have to bother, shorty. You're not invited."
"NANI?!!!!!" Miyagi bristles at the provocation. He's very sensitive about his height.
"Yare yare," Mitsui waves him off coolly, "Anyway, I was wondering if we could talk strategies later on. Since we're playing Ryonan, it'll help a lot if we planned our game."
"You? Strategize?" asks Miyagi incredulously.
"What's wrong with that?" rebukes Mitsui, annoyed, "What? I'm not allowed to do that? It's not legal?"
"I-iie...." I can see that Ryochin's a bit bewildered. So am I actually. Mitchy sure can be surprising sometimes.
"So? Come on Hanami. I've got a great place in mind......" Mitsui drags me away, leaving a rather perplexed Miyagi behind.
Poor Ryochin. Poor me.
I knew he was rich. I always knew he was much better off than I ever would be. I just never knew to what extent his wealth seemed to stretch. Him and the kitsune are one and the same. Rich boys. Spoiled brats. Cute faces. Hot bodies. Zillions of fan-girls.
And me? Well, I'll always be poor little Sakuragi Hanami- an orphan and an abandoned child. I think I have an uncle who lives somewhere here in Kanagawa, but I never bothered to look him up and neither has he bothered to drop by for a visit. I'm unwanted you see. A burden no one wants to have anything to do with.
Which is totally fine by me. I don't need anyone. I can live my own life. In fact, I've lived my own life, my way, the past 6 years or so. And I've made it this far. I'm proud of myself even if no one is. I'm going to Toudai. I'm going to be a 'someone' in the future. And I'll do it all alone.
"Hanami?"
Huh? Oh. Mitsui is waving his hand in front of my face, trying to snap me out of my little reverie.
"Hanami, what do you want to eat?" he asks, settling himself back into his chair.
"Um......" I open the menu and stare at it. Ooooooohhhh. It's all so French. It's no problem though. I've mastered the language since I was ten, right after tousaan died.
"I would suggest this, this, this, and this," points Mitsui.
"Hai. I'll trust your taste then," I reply, smiling a little. He can't read, but he knows what he wants. I can read, but I have no idea what I want. Ironic, life is.
Dinner was a very peaceful affair. I enjoyed the food immensely, but more so the ambience, and well, company. Mitchy can be a real charmer. He's such a smooth talker.
Anyhow, we walked to the park after dinner and sat on my favorite place- the swings. There, we started to discuss my abilities, or disabilities, to be more exact.
"Ryonan's a strong team. This year, they've got Uozumi as their captain. And there's Ikegami as well- he's a good defender. But we've only to worry about one person. YOU only need to worry about one person, and that's Sendoh. Got that?" Mitsui tells me, looking at my face earnestly.
"Hai, Wakarimashta. Demo, Mitchy....."
He shakes his head, already predicting what I'd say next. "Sendoh Akira spells more trouble than the entire Ryonan team put together. He's their ace, no doubt, and he made headlines last year as a rookie. This year, I'll bet my Porsche that he's beyond normal players. He's a genius, and you've got to be careful around him."
My eyes widen. "Sou? This Sendoh must be really good."
"He plays with only half his ability most of the time. Doesn't see the need to put everything into the game unless the need calls for it. Last year, he faced Maki of Kainandai and Fujima of Shoyo and lost to them only narrowly."
"Maki? Kainandai? Shoyo? Fujima?" my mind's in whirl right now. What are we talking about again?
"All right. To put it simply, YOU need to stop Sendoh Akira from scoring in the game."
"Why me? If he's as good as you make him out to be, then I'll be no match for him!" I protest.
"He won't be prepared," Mitsui replies smugly.
"Why not?"
"You're a girl, if you've forgotten that. Sendoh Akira has never played against a girl before."
That is so freaking sexist! Why do men think they're superior? Well, maybe because they're too full of stale air and expired ego. That should shed some light on this absurdity!
"So?" I challenge him, my head cocked up defiantly.
"And you're fast. You're fantastic at dribbling and stealing and you're quick to make decisions. Good ones. It'll help a lot if you played."
See what I mean about him being such a smooth talker? It's hard to stay mad at him.
"Ooookkaayyyy......." I oblige. Whoever said flattery gets you nowhere must have never been praised, much less flattered, before.
"So I want you to learn all the shots."
"No problem," I say confidently.
Mitsui smiles at me. "That's what you say now. You haven't played in a game yet so you don't know how tough it is to shoot and score. If things were that simple, basketball would be pointless wouldn't it?"
I smile. How true. Guess I'll have to play a game soon then.
Sakuragi
"HOHOHOHOHOHOHO~" comes the familiar Santa-like laughter from the gym entrance.
"Anzai Sensei!" everyone choruses, bowing in respect.
I was just about to shoot but decided I'd better show some respect. After all, it was thanks to this old man that I'm shooting so faultlessly now.
"Sensei," I nod.
Not surprisingly, he laughs. "HOHOHHOHOHO~ I see you're working very hard Sakuragi-chan,"
"Hai."
Ayako
"Mitsui's teaching her how to make some three-point shots," Akagi explains as the others resumed their training while the two of them stood aside in the other court.
"HOHOHOHOHOHO~" Anzai Sensei nods approvingly, "That's a wonderful idea. You're a good captain Akagi-kun."
The tip of Akagi's ears turned scarlet. "Well, it was Mitsui's idea really. He said he wanted to train her the various different shots for the upcoming match with Ryonan."
"Sou? HOHOHOHOHO~"
Both Anzai Sensei and Akagi watched as Mitsui instructed an attentive Sakuragi the fundamental principals behind making a simple shot.
I don't miss that hopeful look on Sempai's face.
Mitsui
The girl's got brains. She might understand better if I explained everything to her in terms of momentum, energy conversion, forces and dimensions.
It might not make sense to any other person, but I'm sure Hanami knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Sakuragi
Right. So that's it? Simple really.
"Go on," Mitsui urges me.
I smile and accept the ball that he was offering. "Please excuse my first try if it misses. I need to practice."
"Of course," he smiles back, in that charming way he has.
Here goes nothing.
Running all the theories and rules in my mind, I did exactly as I would in a physics experiment- correct angle, aim, posture, force, arm power.... I imagine the energy coursing through my body, leaving me at the tip of my fingers as it entered the ball, sailing away from me, and towards the net........
Mitchy gives me a thumbs-up.
The ball goes in.
I gasp. "It went in!" I was trembling with joy at my success. "It went in!" I turn to Mitchy, who sported a broad grin on his face. "Did you see that?" I took his hands in mine and pumped them furiously as I jumped up and down in the air.
Mitchy laughs and pulls me in for a hug. "I saw that."
I pull away when something hit me. "Ne, Mitchy, how'd you know it'd go before it even graced the net?"
Ryochin was running up to congratulate me, as was Ayako. Gori was watching me with the corners of his mouth slightly turned up. Anzai Sensei was laughing and the kitsune.........well, he didn't seem to care. My heart sank. I was hoping he'd seen that shot- but it didn't look like he had.
"Nice one Hanami!" Miyagi praises me.
"Sakuragi Hanami, you amaze me sometimes!" Ayako scolds me teasingly.
I smile at them but turn to Mitchy, face serious. I really wanted to know.
"Mitchy?"
"It's called confidence Hanami. Confidence."
Confidence, he'd said.
Well, that made sense. How else could he have known that the ball would go sailing into the net? Even with all the calculations I'd done in my mind, trying to ascertain if I'd place my shot, I couldn't tell for sure till it actually happened. But he'd known, even before the ball came close.
I've decided to pester him about it relentlessly till he elaborates.
"Mitchy, tell me how you knew!" I ask him for the umpteenth time. I'd successfully placed 10 out of my 14 shots. It wasn't perfect, I wasn't perfect, the way I wanted to be, but I felt satisfied.
He sighs. "Look, Hanami, if I tell you, will you promise to stop bugging me about it? I like you a lot but I need space to breathe all right?"
I nod vigorously. I feel like a stubborn child, begging for candy and not going away till I'd got what I wanted.
"I told you. Confidence."
"Demo--" I protest.
"You've done your best- your form was perfect, your angle, the force you exerted. The only thing left is to have confidence that you will score. That's all."
My eyes widen.
"Don't forget you promised," he reminded me gently as I open my mouth to ask another question.
I clamp my mouth shut. A promise is a promise. And anyhow, I'll think over what he just said.
Rukawa
Sempai left, but not before giving the d'aho a quick peck on the cheek. He was in a hurry or he'd surely kiss her properly. I would. Actually, no, I wouldn't. I'd never be in too much of a hurry not to kiss the d'aho properly.
She seems to be thinking something over. I don't think she's realized that we're the only ones left.
In as steady a voice as I can muster, I say her name. "D'aho."
Catching it, she looks up, her beautiful chocolate-honey eyes meeting mine.
"Rukawa?"
It took me awhile to register that she had actually called me by my name- so absorbed was I staring into her eyes, those deep, soulful eyes. Was there a hidden sadness there?
I opened my mouth to say something- most likely 'd'aho', but she was looking past me now.
"Can I help you?" she says.
Slowly, I turn around, slightly annoyed at the interruption, only to find a boy. A boy from Ryonan.
Hikoichi
Unbelievable! THE Rukawa Kaede is standing only a few steps away from me! This is too good to be true! I scribble this down in my notebook, lest I should forget it.
'Rukawa Kaede- Tall(never imagined him to be this tall), cold, piercing blue-eyes(not like Sendoh-san's which are always twinkling with mischief), fair-skinned(like white china), smooth complexion(like porcelain), well-dressed(in a black Tommy Hifilger shirt with a blue Adidas jersey on top, a pair of black Nike shorts, and a pair of classic Air Jordan shoes), rich(refer to dressing), has a beautiful girlfriend(very pretty! Sendoh-san would like her) and.......'
I jerk my head up suddenly. The great Rukawa Kaede has a girlfriend? Now this is new!
"Are you Rukawa's girlfriend?" I ask bluntly to the girl.
I saw a flash of annoyance cross her face and she answers in a cold voice. "What's it to you?"
I feel embarrassed. I tend to forget my manners sometimes.
"Ano..sumimaseng... Ore wa Ryonan no Aida Hikoichi." I bow low.
"Hnn." Rukawa snorts noncommittally.
"What are you doing here?" she directs the question to me without waiting for me to straighten up.
"Um, well, I'm here to..." I break out into a sweat. For a girl, she's really intimidating.
"Spy?"
"Um no, of course not," I gulp as I see her roll her eyes slightly at my pathetic defense.
"So what are you here for then? To line-dance?"
"Um, no, of course not," I say again. I'm so nervous I can't think of anything else to say.
"Of course not. You don't look like the type who can line-dance. I guess you must be here to give us details about your school's basketball team," she says matter-of-factly, though her eyes are challenging me to rebuke her.
"Um....."
"Forget it. Get lost."
I suck in a deep breath and tore out of the place before she could change her mind. Boy, that's one scary girl.
Sakuragi
He tore out of the gym as if dogs were at his heels. I can't help it. The look of terror on his face was really something. I start to laugh.
Rukawa
The d'aho is laughing. A soft, gentle laugh that sounds so melodious to my ears. Damn it. Why must this happen to me?
She gathers her things and moves to leave.
"Kitsune?" There. She's calling me 'kitsune' again. I must have imagined it earlier. "Ano, kitsune?"
"What is it d'aho."
"Was he from the Ryonan team?"
"How would I know."
"......"
"......"
"..jya then." She waves to me before jogging off into the night.
Leaving me to close up the gym and keep the balls. Damn her.
Sendoh
Hikoichi called me while I was having dinner and started blubbering into the phone. He was talking at breakneck speed so I didn't really catch what he was saying. Erm, no. Scratch that. I couldn't understand a thing. His words were stumbling over each other in his excitement. I swear that if saliva could pass through the phone line, I'd be one wet person by now.
After waiting patiently for 10 minutes for him to calm down and catch his breath (which doesn't seem likely to happen in the near future), I finally decided that enough was enough and that eating dinner had to be better than listening to him spewing nonsense.
"Hikoichi," I say in my nicest possible way.
"Sendoh-san?" he abruptly stops whatever it is he's going on about.
"You're not making any sense," I tell him bluntly and hang up.
Back to dinner then! I'm starving after the call.
"Sendoh-san!"
"Good morning Hikoichi. How may I be of help?" I say cheerfully. I'm a very morning person.
"Rukawa Kaede has a girlfriend!" he blurts out.
Huh? Who's Rukawa? More importantly, why would I care if he has a girlfriend or not?
"And?" I smile at him. It never hurts to smile.
"Just thought you might want to know."
"No. I don't want to know, Hikoichi," I say in exasperation. Does he think everyone's like him- so nosy?
"Oh. Okay."
I feel a little guilty so I try to make it up. "Any useful new information about Shohoku? We're playing against them in 2 days."
He brightens up immediately. "Of course. Let me check my notebook!" He flips the pages of his trusted notebook violently before starting to read out everything he had written.
Sometimes I really hate having a big mouth and a big heart.
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine this to happen. Never.
Who would have thought Mitchy would cream the boys' water polo team so easily? It was a humiliating defeat for Hisaki....but.....I sense that he'd rather lose than win over Mitchy. In fact, I think they lost on purpose. Now I'm really curious to know what Mitchy blackmailed him with. Hisaki's a proud guy- he won't give in so easily, but this time, I don't know what's wrong with his backbone.
Anyhow, even if they let Mitchy and Ryochin win on purpose, no one can deny that those two played amazingly well. Especially Mitchy. He looked so amazingly hot...the other girls were sighing and giggling over him. And Mitchy, being the way he is, bathed in their adoration.
*sigh*
That guy is one hell of a.......hunk.
*sigh*
Well, I'm done showering already and am now waiting with Ryochin for his Royal Highness.
"What is that guy doing in there?" Miyagi asks, visibly annoyed.
"Preening himself most likely," I reply.
"He can be so vain sometimes. As if he needs to bother. He looks like an idiot no matter how much he grooms himself."
I laugh lightly. Mitchy might be a little idiotic sometimes (seeing as he has the mentality of a 10-year-old), but I'm not going to lie and say he's not cute. He's not. He's not cute. He's HOT. Period.
Oh, and hear he comes now, running his fingers through his wet hair. The wet look really suits him. Really.
"Hanami, why don't we grab a bite somewhere and maybe head to my place to talk or something," he smiles that model smile of his, showing his pearly whites.
"Huh?" I answer stupidly.
"Or something. You know Mitsui-san, I don't have a good feeling about this 'something' you're talking about," butts in Miyagi.
"Oh, you don't have to bother, shorty. You're not invited."
"NANI?!!!!!" Miyagi bristles at the provocation. He's very sensitive about his height.
"Yare yare," Mitsui waves him off coolly, "Anyway, I was wondering if we could talk strategies later on. Since we're playing Ryonan, it'll help a lot if we planned our game."
"You? Strategize?" asks Miyagi incredulously.
"What's wrong with that?" rebukes Mitsui, annoyed, "What? I'm not allowed to do that? It's not legal?"
"I-iie...." I can see that Ryochin's a bit bewildered. So am I actually. Mitchy sure can be surprising sometimes.
"So? Come on Hanami. I've got a great place in mind......" Mitsui drags me away, leaving a rather perplexed Miyagi behind.
Poor Ryochin. Poor me.
I knew he was rich. I always knew he was much better off than I ever would be. I just never knew to what extent his wealth seemed to stretch. Him and the kitsune are one and the same. Rich boys. Spoiled brats. Cute faces. Hot bodies. Zillions of fan-girls.
And me? Well, I'll always be poor little Sakuragi Hanami- an orphan and an abandoned child. I think I have an uncle who lives somewhere here in Kanagawa, but I never bothered to look him up and neither has he bothered to drop by for a visit. I'm unwanted you see. A burden no one wants to have anything to do with.
Which is totally fine by me. I don't need anyone. I can live my own life. In fact, I've lived my own life, my way, the past 6 years or so. And I've made it this far. I'm proud of myself even if no one is. I'm going to Toudai. I'm going to be a 'someone' in the future. And I'll do it all alone.
"Hanami?"
Huh? Oh. Mitsui is waving his hand in front of my face, trying to snap me out of my little reverie.
"Hanami, what do you want to eat?" he asks, settling himself back into his chair.
"Um......" I open the menu and stare at it. Ooooooohhhh. It's all so French. It's no problem though. I've mastered the language since I was ten, right after tousaan died.
"I would suggest this, this, this, and this," points Mitsui.
"Hai. I'll trust your taste then," I reply, smiling a little. He can't read, but he knows what he wants. I can read, but I have no idea what I want. Ironic, life is.
Dinner was a very peaceful affair. I enjoyed the food immensely, but more so the ambience, and well, company. Mitchy can be a real charmer. He's such a smooth talker.
Anyhow, we walked to the park after dinner and sat on my favorite place- the swings. There, we started to discuss my abilities, or disabilities, to be more exact.
"Ryonan's a strong team. This year, they've got Uozumi as their captain. And there's Ikegami as well- he's a good defender. But we've only to worry about one person. YOU only need to worry about one person, and that's Sendoh. Got that?" Mitsui tells me, looking at my face earnestly.
"Hai, Wakarimashta. Demo, Mitchy....."
He shakes his head, already predicting what I'd say next. "Sendoh Akira spells more trouble than the entire Ryonan team put together. He's their ace, no doubt, and he made headlines last year as a rookie. This year, I'll bet my Porsche that he's beyond normal players. He's a genius, and you've got to be careful around him."
My eyes widen. "Sou? This Sendoh must be really good."
"He plays with only half his ability most of the time. Doesn't see the need to put everything into the game unless the need calls for it. Last year, he faced Maki of Kainandai and Fujima of Shoyo and lost to them only narrowly."
"Maki? Kainandai? Shoyo? Fujima?" my mind's in whirl right now. What are we talking about again?
"All right. To put it simply, YOU need to stop Sendoh Akira from scoring in the game."
"Why me? If he's as good as you make him out to be, then I'll be no match for him!" I protest.
"He won't be prepared," Mitsui replies smugly.
"Why not?"
"You're a girl, if you've forgotten that. Sendoh Akira has never played against a girl before."
That is so freaking sexist! Why do men think they're superior? Well, maybe because they're too full of stale air and expired ego. That should shed some light on this absurdity!
"So?" I challenge him, my head cocked up defiantly.
"And you're fast. You're fantastic at dribbling and stealing and you're quick to make decisions. Good ones. It'll help a lot if you played."
See what I mean about him being such a smooth talker? It's hard to stay mad at him.
"Ooookkaayyyy......." I oblige. Whoever said flattery gets you nowhere must have never been praised, much less flattered, before.
"So I want you to learn all the shots."
"No problem," I say confidently.
Mitsui smiles at me. "That's what you say now. You haven't played in a game yet so you don't know how tough it is to shoot and score. If things were that simple, basketball would be pointless wouldn't it?"
I smile. How true. Guess I'll have to play a game soon then.
Sakuragi
"HOHOHOHOHOHOHO~" comes the familiar Santa-like laughter from the gym entrance.
"Anzai Sensei!" everyone choruses, bowing in respect.
I was just about to shoot but decided I'd better show some respect. After all, it was thanks to this old man that I'm shooting so faultlessly now.
"Sensei," I nod.
Not surprisingly, he laughs. "HOHOHHOHOHO~ I see you're working very hard Sakuragi-chan,"
"Hai."
Ayako
"Mitsui's teaching her how to make some three-point shots," Akagi explains as the others resumed their training while the two of them stood aside in the other court.
"HOHOHOHOHOHO~" Anzai Sensei nods approvingly, "That's a wonderful idea. You're a good captain Akagi-kun."
The tip of Akagi's ears turned scarlet. "Well, it was Mitsui's idea really. He said he wanted to train her the various different shots for the upcoming match with Ryonan."
"Sou? HOHOHOHOHO~"
Both Anzai Sensei and Akagi watched as Mitsui instructed an attentive Sakuragi the fundamental principals behind making a simple shot.
I don't miss that hopeful look on Sempai's face.
Mitsui
The girl's got brains. She might understand better if I explained everything to her in terms of momentum, energy conversion, forces and dimensions.
It might not make sense to any other person, but I'm sure Hanami knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Sakuragi
Right. So that's it? Simple really.
"Go on," Mitsui urges me.
I smile and accept the ball that he was offering. "Please excuse my first try if it misses. I need to practice."
"Of course," he smiles back, in that charming way he has.
Here goes nothing.
Running all the theories and rules in my mind, I did exactly as I would in a physics experiment- correct angle, aim, posture, force, arm power.... I imagine the energy coursing through my body, leaving me at the tip of my fingers as it entered the ball, sailing away from me, and towards the net........
Mitchy gives me a thumbs-up.
The ball goes in.
I gasp. "It went in!" I was trembling with joy at my success. "It went in!" I turn to Mitchy, who sported a broad grin on his face. "Did you see that?" I took his hands in mine and pumped them furiously as I jumped up and down in the air.
Mitchy laughs and pulls me in for a hug. "I saw that."
I pull away when something hit me. "Ne, Mitchy, how'd you know it'd go before it even graced the net?"
Ryochin was running up to congratulate me, as was Ayako. Gori was watching me with the corners of his mouth slightly turned up. Anzai Sensei was laughing and the kitsune.........well, he didn't seem to care. My heart sank. I was hoping he'd seen that shot- but it didn't look like he had.
"Nice one Hanami!" Miyagi praises me.
"Sakuragi Hanami, you amaze me sometimes!" Ayako scolds me teasingly.
I smile at them but turn to Mitchy, face serious. I really wanted to know.
"Mitchy?"
"It's called confidence Hanami. Confidence."
Confidence, he'd said.
Well, that made sense. How else could he have known that the ball would go sailing into the net? Even with all the calculations I'd done in my mind, trying to ascertain if I'd place my shot, I couldn't tell for sure till it actually happened. But he'd known, even before the ball came close.
I've decided to pester him about it relentlessly till he elaborates.
"Mitchy, tell me how you knew!" I ask him for the umpteenth time. I'd successfully placed 10 out of my 14 shots. It wasn't perfect, I wasn't perfect, the way I wanted to be, but I felt satisfied.
He sighs. "Look, Hanami, if I tell you, will you promise to stop bugging me about it? I like you a lot but I need space to breathe all right?"
I nod vigorously. I feel like a stubborn child, begging for candy and not going away till I'd got what I wanted.
"I told you. Confidence."
"Demo--" I protest.
"You've done your best- your form was perfect, your angle, the force you exerted. The only thing left is to have confidence that you will score. That's all."
My eyes widen.
"Don't forget you promised," he reminded me gently as I open my mouth to ask another question.
I clamp my mouth shut. A promise is a promise. And anyhow, I'll think over what he just said.
Rukawa
Sempai left, but not before giving the d'aho a quick peck on the cheek. He was in a hurry or he'd surely kiss her properly. I would. Actually, no, I wouldn't. I'd never be in too much of a hurry not to kiss the d'aho properly.
She seems to be thinking something over. I don't think she's realized that we're the only ones left.
In as steady a voice as I can muster, I say her name. "D'aho."
Catching it, she looks up, her beautiful chocolate-honey eyes meeting mine.
"Rukawa?"
It took me awhile to register that she had actually called me by my name- so absorbed was I staring into her eyes, those deep, soulful eyes. Was there a hidden sadness there?
I opened my mouth to say something- most likely 'd'aho', but she was looking past me now.
"Can I help you?" she says.
Slowly, I turn around, slightly annoyed at the interruption, only to find a boy. A boy from Ryonan.
Hikoichi
Unbelievable! THE Rukawa Kaede is standing only a few steps away from me! This is too good to be true! I scribble this down in my notebook, lest I should forget it.
'Rukawa Kaede- Tall(never imagined him to be this tall), cold, piercing blue-eyes(not like Sendoh-san's which are always twinkling with mischief), fair-skinned(like white china), smooth complexion(like porcelain), well-dressed(in a black Tommy Hifilger shirt with a blue Adidas jersey on top, a pair of black Nike shorts, and a pair of classic Air Jordan shoes), rich(refer to dressing), has a beautiful girlfriend(very pretty! Sendoh-san would like her) and.......'
I jerk my head up suddenly. The great Rukawa Kaede has a girlfriend? Now this is new!
"Are you Rukawa's girlfriend?" I ask bluntly to the girl.
I saw a flash of annoyance cross her face and she answers in a cold voice. "What's it to you?"
I feel embarrassed. I tend to forget my manners sometimes.
"Ano..sumimaseng... Ore wa Ryonan no Aida Hikoichi." I bow low.
"Hnn." Rukawa snorts noncommittally.
"What are you doing here?" she directs the question to me without waiting for me to straighten up.
"Um, well, I'm here to..." I break out into a sweat. For a girl, she's really intimidating.
"Spy?"
"Um no, of course not," I gulp as I see her roll her eyes slightly at my pathetic defense.
"So what are you here for then? To line-dance?"
"Um, no, of course not," I say again. I'm so nervous I can't think of anything else to say.
"Of course not. You don't look like the type who can line-dance. I guess you must be here to give us details about your school's basketball team," she says matter-of-factly, though her eyes are challenging me to rebuke her.
"Um....."
"Forget it. Get lost."
I suck in a deep breath and tore out of the place before she could change her mind. Boy, that's one scary girl.
Sakuragi
He tore out of the gym as if dogs were at his heels. I can't help it. The look of terror on his face was really something. I start to laugh.
Rukawa
The d'aho is laughing. A soft, gentle laugh that sounds so melodious to my ears. Damn it. Why must this happen to me?
She gathers her things and moves to leave.
"Kitsune?" There. She's calling me 'kitsune' again. I must have imagined it earlier. "Ano, kitsune?"
"What is it d'aho."
"Was he from the Ryonan team?"
"How would I know."
"......"
"......"
"..jya then." She waves to me before jogging off into the night.
Leaving me to close up the gym and keep the balls. Damn her.
Sendoh
Hikoichi called me while I was having dinner and started blubbering into the phone. He was talking at breakneck speed so I didn't really catch what he was saying. Erm, no. Scratch that. I couldn't understand a thing. His words were stumbling over each other in his excitement. I swear that if saliva could pass through the phone line, I'd be one wet person by now.
After waiting patiently for 10 minutes for him to calm down and catch his breath (which doesn't seem likely to happen in the near future), I finally decided that enough was enough and that eating dinner had to be better than listening to him spewing nonsense.
"Hikoichi," I say in my nicest possible way.
"Sendoh-san?" he abruptly stops whatever it is he's going on about.
"You're not making any sense," I tell him bluntly and hang up.
Back to dinner then! I'm starving after the call.
"Sendoh-san!"
"Good morning Hikoichi. How may I be of help?" I say cheerfully. I'm a very morning person.
"Rukawa Kaede has a girlfriend!" he blurts out.
Huh? Who's Rukawa? More importantly, why would I care if he has a girlfriend or not?
"And?" I smile at him. It never hurts to smile.
"Just thought you might want to know."
"No. I don't want to know, Hikoichi," I say in exasperation. Does he think everyone's like him- so nosy?
"Oh. Okay."
I feel a little guilty so I try to make it up. "Any useful new information about Shohoku? We're playing against them in 2 days."
He brightens up immediately. "Of course. Let me check my notebook!" He flips the pages of his trusted notebook violently before starting to read out everything he had written.
Sometimes I really hate having a big mouth and a big heart.