First Date

By coolpriss

A/N: Thoughts are in Italics. Please, please review!! T_T

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 5: Akagi's Dilemma

He was seated on his favorite carrel near the window where people seldom pass. He's got everything he needed. His books were neatly arranged across his desk. Three freshly sharpened pencils lay next to his Physics book. There were seven more in his bag, just in case. His notebook was opened to a blank page, ready for his calculations and trial problems.

But there was another item on his table that does not quite belong to the group. A small, black walkie-talkie was right on top of his Chemistry book. Akagi had been staring at it ever since he placed it down.

The library was almost empty at the moment and it was the perfect time to study. And Akagi needed to study. Unfortunately, his mind was not cooperating.

Where could they be? How could Mitsui have lost them?! What if Miyagi bumped into one of those gangsters again? What if my dream was right? What if Ayako was right? If something bad happens to them it's gonna be all my fault…

Akagi blinked with a start. He closed his eyes, his frown deepening. He gritted his teeth as he remembered what happened a week before.

No, this isn't the least bit my fault…

// flashback //

"AYA-CHAN!"

Miyagi's whine reached almost every corner of the school. It was followed by the sound of the famous paper fan getting in contact with one of its usual customers. Akagi just shook his head and went back reading his Chemistry textbook.

"Somebody ought to snap that Miyagi out of it," Mitsui sighed, leaning against the door of Akagi's classroom. "It's really starting to embarrass me. And the team. If Ayako doesn't want to date him, then find another girl. It's that simple."

"He tried," another voice piped in. Akagi and Mitsui turned to see Sakuragi with tears brimming in his eyes. "But it didn't work. They saw that the one girl Ryocchin really loves is Ayako and they all dumped him. He's been through the hell of being dumped yet he still remains faithful to his one true love… He's a brave man…" Sakuragi sniffled, tears streaming down his face.

Mitsui snorted. "Brave man? He's nothing but an idiot if you ask me. Get lost, Sakuragi. This is our floor. Go back to the Freshmen's level."

"I can go wherever I want, Mitchy!"

Akagi had been reading the same line in his book for the umpteenth time. Finally, he heaved his breath. "Urusai yo! Can't you see I'm doing something?"

"It's lunch, Akagi. Don't you have anything better to do other than study…" Mitsui squinted at the book Akagi was holding. "Chemistry?! Sheesh, Akagi, you really need to get a life."

"This IS my life and if you don't get out of it soon you won't have one yourselves! I'll bet you anything you're gonna flunk the Chemistry test today and I'll have to beg for your make-ups again!"

"Did we just hear a bet?" The Sakuragi guntai suddenly appeared out of nowhere. All four of them were wearing silly bow-tie suits looking exactly like those men in casinos. "How much are we betting for?"

A huge red cross was on Akagi's head. "There are no bets--"

"They're not betting for money!" Sakuragi cut Akagi short. He grinned mischievously. "Gori's not that low!"

Akagi looked suspiciously at the redhead. "What do you mean I'm--"

"If Mitchy gets a higher score in their test today, Gori's gonna get Ayako to go out with Ryocchin!" the self-proclaimed tensai announced exuberantly.

"NANI?!" both Akagi and Mitsui exclaimed at the same time.

"Ooohh…" the guntai were all rubbing their palms together. "That is much more interesting…"

The bell signaling the end of their lunch break rang at that moment.

"Gambatte to the both of you…Ja ne! NYAHAHAHA!" Sakuragi started walking away.

"Mate yo! What if I get a lower score? I'm not gonna get the two of them together! It's like committing a suicide!"

"SAKURAGI! THIS ISN'T A BET! I DON'T BET!"

"Well, I don't think it's official yet," Kogure mused, walking towards them. He smiled at the two fuming boys. "Give me your hands." The bespectacled boy took hold of each arm and brought the two palms together. "There. Now, it's officially a bet."

"NANI?!" Both Mitsui and Akagi snatched their hands back.

"Right on, Kogure-sempai!" Suichiro laughed, patting the older boy's back before heading for the stairs. The first period bell was already ringing.

"KOGURE!" Akagi now turned his wrath to the vice-captain.

"A bet is a bet, Gori," Yohei butted in. "It's sorta like a promise. Once you break it, you'll lose your good image. And everyone heard about the bet…" He looked around, letting his sentence trail off.

Almost everyone was out of their classrooms and was watching the scene.

"Nani…" Akagi raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, break it up people! Go back to your classes!" a teacher called out. The crowd slowly dispersed. "That includes you, Mitsui Hisashi! Your classroom's over here."

"I don't care about anybody's image!" Mitsui muttered, walking back to his classroom. "I am NOT involving myself with those two!"

Akagi turned back to his classmate. "Kogure…" His voice was icy.

"Maa, maa, Akagi," Kogure sweatdropped, slowly backing towards his seat inside the room. "I--it's only a date…I think Ayako should give Miyagi a chance, ne? Besides, you're good at Chemistry…you always get the highest scores…"

"That's not the point. I DON'T BET!"

"Akagi Takenori, take your seat! We are about to begin the test," the short, fat teacher looked at him sternly.

Akagi finally sat down and took the paper passed to him. He took out his pencil and started reading the first question.

'True or False. The simplest group of hydrocarbons consists of the alkynes, which is characterized by a carbon to carbon triple bond.'

"What the…" Akagi's eyes bulged. He raised his hand and the teacher nodded. "Sumimasen, sensei. This is Organic Chemistry, Chapter Twenty-Three."

"So it is."

"Today's test was supposed to be on Chapter Nineteen: Stoichiometry. We haven't discussed Organic Chemistry yet."

"I'm afraid you did not get it correctly. I told the class to do an advance reading because there will be an exam about it."

Akagi's brows furrowed. "But you specifically said Chapter Nineteen."

"No, I specifically mentioned Chapter Nineteen. I said we're going to leave Chapter Nineteen for your Finals. This test was on Chapter Twenty-three."

Akagi clenched his fists. Nani…

"Is there anything wrong, Akagi?" the teacher finally noticed Akagi's frown.

"Iie. Daijobou, sensei."

He sat down and closed his eyes for a while. Doijobou, Akagi…Relax…You can do this…You've read this chapter before for advance reading…all you have to do is remember it…

He opened his eyes and wrote 'False' on the first blank. See…it's all coming back now…I am NOT failing this test!

He was on his eleventh question when a knock came at their door.

"Excuse Akagi Takenori for a moment!"

Akagi looked up. What now?!

Their teacher was trying to hold back a thin, small man whom Akagi recognized as one of Rukawa's professors. "Mate, Hosokawa-sensei! We're in the middle of a test!"

"I'm gonna loose my mind if that Rukawa doesn't wake up in my class sometime soon!" he managed to throw his heavier colleague back and stomped right in front of Akagi's desk. "You're his captain right? Well, if you don't make him stay awake for the rest of my time I'll personally make sure he gets banned from the basketball team!"

"But I'm in the middle of an exa--"

"IF YOU DON'T COME WITH ME RIGHT NOW HE'LL NEVER PLAY FOR SHOHOKU THIS YEAR!"

"Akagi, go with him already! He's disturbing our test!" the girl next to him pleaded. Everyone else was either scouting for answers or glaring at him.

"Fine!" Akagi slammed his pencil down and handed his paper to his professor. "I'll finish it when I come back."

It took twenty or so minutes to get the slumbering fox up. Getting Rukawa's eyes open was fairly easy. It was getting those eyes to stay open for more than two seconds that was tricky. When he finally got Rukawa awake for more than a minute, Akagi rushed back to his room to finish his paper. He sat down in a huff and started scribbling wildly. He was halfway through when the bell rang.

"NANI?!"

"Okay at the count of three…" Kogure said. "One…Two…Three!"

The two pushed their papers on top of each other's noses.

"C plus."

"C."

"NANI?" both exclaimed at the same time.

"I can't believe it!" Mitsui was now holding his paper as if it was some kind of important, life-saving document. "I actually scored higher than Akagi!"

// end of flashback //

No, it's not my fault. Dark clouds were brewing over Akagi's head at the memory of that day. If it wasn't for that darn Rukawa, I could have passed that test even if I didn't study the chapter! If it weren't for Kogure, the bet wouldn't be real! If it weren't for Sakuragi, there wouldn't be any bets! If it weren't for that Mitsui, Sakuragi couldn't have thought of doing that bet! DAMN THEM ALL!!

He started venting out his anger at the transistor radio sitting on top of his opened Chemistry textbook. He gripped it so tightly it was about to crumble when it suddenly talked.

"Akagi, can you hear me? I found them. They're at the movies."

It was Mitsui.

"YATTA!" Akagi exclaimed, forgetting where he was.

The old librarian narrowed her eyes at him. But Akagi didn't even notice.

"Watch them carefully, Mitsui. Don't loose them again! Miyagi's in his oblivious-to-everyone-but-Ayako state and disaster is bound to happen if we don't stop it in time." Akagi finally noticed Mitsui's silence. "Hello? Mitsui?" All his "What if's" earlier suddenly came flodding Akagi's head. "MITSUI? MITSUI! DOSHITA NO, MITSUI?! MITSUI! MITSUI!"

"Urusai, Akagi! You're blowing my cover!"

Akagi let out a breath of relief. He finally noticed the librarian, who has always been friendly to him, now stalking her way towards him. Akagi quickly stuffed the radio inside his bag, along with his books.

"Akagi-san…" the old woman approached him, her voice high-pitched. "I never thought I'd say this to you but…" she shook her head remorsefully. "I'm kicking you out of this library. You are banned from coming here for the rest of the day. You can bring your books and your phone someplace else."

"Wakarimashita, Nakamura-sensei," he stood up and bowed apologetically. "It won't happen again."

With a nod, the librarian went back to the front desk. Akagi sighed and picked up his bag. He was near the door when Mitsui's voice rang out again.

"That's it, Akagi! I am NOT gonna stand and watch the two of them embarrass our team! Over and OUT!"

"NANI?! MITSUI?! MITSUI!" Akagi was fumbling in his bag for the communication device but stopped when the irate librarian opened the door for him.

"Hontoni gomen nasai!" he bowed one last time before the door was violently shut in his face.

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