Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk. If I did, then I wouldn't be doing this.

A Beautiful Distraction

Kimi and I were on our way to the basketball gym, and I haven't told her that Rukawa was my partner for the project. Apparently, they have the same project and she ended up with Youhei Mito. Actually, I wouldn't have minded that myself. He does look a bit responsible and a lot better than Sakuragi or Rukawa.

"I wish I was in your class Kimi, then I would've had a chance to be Rukawa's partner." Kimi said, sighing. "By the way, who is Rukawa's partner?! You haven't told me yet."

I didn't answer. I wanted to keep her in suspense anyway. Plus I could just see her reaction once I tell her: She'll be jumping up and down and screaming and shouting all over the place. The thought of the embarrassment later on for her would just kill the both of us.

"Just exactly why are we going to the basketball gym?" Kimi wondered.

"Why? Don't you want to see your dahling Rukawa playing?!" I smiled evilly at her. "I know that that is one of your famous desires..."

"Shut up!"

I just smiled knowingly. "Oh all right, I'll stop."

"Good."

As we enter the basketball gym we could see that the entire team was practicing, both the starters and the bench warmers. Of course, Rukawa was practicing by himself, oblivious to the fact that he wasn't the only one that was practicing.

Of course that didn't mean that we weren't noticed. Mito-san actually noticed and walked towards us. "Good afternoon, ladies," he said with a charming smile. He smiled extra wide for Kimi and looked at him and then Kimi and then at Mito and smiled evilly.

"What?!" Kimi asked me.

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Nothing!"

"What!"

I was about to say 'nothing' again when someone interrupted.

"Hello, gorgeous, how can we help you?" he said. I just looked at the guy and guess who he was.

Mitsui.

I just smiled back. "Yeah, do you think that you can get Rukawa-kun to talk to me for just a minute? It's really important." I finished with one of my more charming smiles.

Mitsui-sempai frowned at me. "Why would you want to talk to him gorgeous, when you can talk to me? I am much better in socializing anyway."

I was getting really annoyed with him calling me gorgeous, but I didn't showed it. "Normally I wouldn't talk to him, but it has something to do with school, so can you please do me this -" I stopped talking because I could see their captain looming over Mitsui's shoulder, looking extremely mean and nasty...

"Well gorgeous, keep talking, I've got time."

"No you don't." But that didn't come from me, It was from Akagi-sempai and then he dragged Mitsui off and pushed a basketball into his stomach. "Play."

Kimi just looked at me questioningly. All I could do was smile nervously at her. "So," she said, "you were teasing me and all this time you wanted yo talk to him yourself?" She wasn't exactly mad, she was just getting back at me.

Finding no way out of this situation, I sighed. "All right, all right, I'll tell you everything -"

"I knew it!" she shouted. "You do like Rukawa! And all this time you've been denying it!"

"No!" I shouted, "I don't-" but once again I was interrupted.

By Rukawa's fangirls.

"You!" one of them shouted, pulling me close to her face. "How dare you be Rukawa's partner! If I ever hear that you insult and torment -"

Isn't the world just full of interruptions today?

"Let her go." It was Rukawa-kun, looking coldly at the girl and grabbing my left arm. His touch was kinda warm and a bit tight. The girl was too busy looking at him to grip me tighter and after a while let me go. Rukawa then gave her an ice cold look and then dragged me off away from the girl, who was by the way still staring at him acting that I wasn't there.

"What do you want?" he asked impatiently. "I have things to do here."

"Where else am I supposed to find you?" I was trying to keep my voice down.

"If you ask me -"

"Well I'm not." I interrupted. He gave me an icy cold glare and as I stared at him I shook involuntarily. And for a moment I think I just saw him smirk. "Did you just smirk?" I asked not sure whether I was imaginging things.

Rukawa just answered me with another icy cold glare. I guess not.

"Anyway, I was wondering whether you really want to go through the subject or would you like to change, cause-"

"Whatever." He answered, bored to death.

Now I'm the one to actually care about my education and my grades and I was not about to allow this no good annoying cant-even-string-sentences guy ruin my record in this school.

"Well, excuse me for actually caring about my grades!" I snapped crossing my arms across my chest, glaring at him. "If you're not gonna help at all I can do this by myself." I don't think that he was actually listening to me, he was just dribbling a basketball. Let's see if I can make him listen. And really quickly I stole the ball he was dribbling.

I was now behind him and I think I just caught his attention because he turned and looked at me and the ball he was dribbling which were right now in my hands. I gave him smirk myself and passed him the ball. "Think about what I said." I called after him, giving Kimi a high five and walked out the door.



"NYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sakuagi exploded right after Keiko left. "Rukawa was upstaged by a girl! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Doahou." I muttered, slightly angry that she was able to upstage me and slightly impressed that she was actually able to steal the ball from me.

For the rest of practice, I couldn't stop thinking of Keiko. Why the hell did I save her from that freaky girl a while ago. Why did I stay to listen to her when I could have easily walk away? Why did I like touching her arm? How can that doahou do that to me?!

I was thinking so hard that I was getting distracted. Some of my shots have not been going in.

"Oi, Rukawa!" Akagi hit me with a ball in the head. I turned to our captain. Ow.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked. "Distracted?!"

"Maybe it's that girl." Ryota said.

God, am I that transparent?

Mitsui-sempai grinned evilly. "Can it be that the ice king has found a girl that can melt him?"

I remained my cold exterior but inside I think I was dying of embarrassment. Even Akagi sempai was finding this amusing, dammit!

"NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Now that laugh was getting unbearable. It was all that I can do to not throw about all te basketballs in is face. "Kitsune's in love."

"DOAHOU!" Normally I wouldn't shout but I did that time. The entire gym went suddenyl quiet and everyone looked at me. I think my emotion got the better of me and I stalked in the locker room thinking.

Now why did I just do that?!