Sorry for the slight delay. School and fics just don't mix together.
Disclaimer: I do not own any SD characters. (I wish I did, though.)
How to catch a Tensai…
Chapter 1
January 24, 2003. Saturday.
Good grief. Last night was the worst night of my life.
I think I've been up most of the night staring at the ceiling, thinking of the best way to get Sakuragi's attention. I've been missing out on sleep so much that I was starting to think it wasn't worth it anymore.
Imagine only sleeping for ten hours!
Well, don't look at me. For someone who practically sleeps 24/7, ten hours just doesn't seem long enough.
But eventually, my other half, the one with the crazy hormonal problem, gets the better of me.
So then I stare at the ceiling once again, and scrunched my pale face hard.
The hours went by, and still, I thought of nothing.
Then suddenly, out of my reverie, it just came to me.
Later that day.
Okay, first things first.
First stop? Flowers.
I'll be needing them to make my plan successful.
Well, actually, the plan is just the flowers. Come to think of it, it doesn't seem such a good idea now than it did last night.
But heck, I have no other choice but do this.
There wasn't exactly a Plan A, or a Plan B, for that matter.
I stop at a local flower boutique, where this fat lady hovers over her product looking like a chicken that just laid her eggs.
When I step inside, her beady black eyes appraise me from head to toe, then clucked her tongue.
What? What's wrong?
She started grumbling to herself.
"Another one. These young 'uns just keeps on coming. I'm getting really tired of almost the same faces. Yah, another young 'un, and I cant take it anymore."
Looks like somebody got off from the wrong side of the bed.
The way she's talking, you would think she doesn't want any customers. But that wouldn't be right, would it? After all, business is business.
Trying my best not to pay attention at her, I looked around, hoping to be done and over with this. But it seemed to me that it wasn't such an easy task.
Sure, flowers were labeled nicely and appropriately, but jeez, as if that helps.
Well, to prove my point, over there, neat rows of flowers occupy a shelf. On top of them, there was a tag reading:
Roses, Daisies, Lilies, Ferns.
Right. Now there's a whole lot of options. But on the right of me, baskets of flowers were still labeled as:
Red, White, Yellow, Pink, Peach.
Wait. Not yet done. Still on my far left, labels flashed:
Big, Small, Fragrant, Non- fragrant, Basket, Bouquet.
Shoot. I feel a migraine coming up. I want to bang my head on the counter, but the fat lady with the clucking tongue prevents me from doing so.
Think of Sakuragi, Kaede.
Sighing resignedly, I squared my shoulders and tired to locate a flower that will at least stand out. If I found one, I swear I'll take them in a span of a heartbeat.
I slowly turned around, rotating to a full 360 degrees.
Nothing. Nada. Kaput. Zero.
Nothing really special.
Misery started to creep inside me. Suddenly, the fat lady cleared her throat.
"Oi, young man, if you're gonna stare at me flowers for another minute more, me flowers are gonna spurt in your nose. Yea, I tell you, flowers growing in your long, pointed nose!"
".…." Uh, was that a threat?
"Ayuh. Same problems every time also. Young ones always get the dizzy trying to find the "perfect" flowers. Perfect my ass." She stopped her tirade and snorted.
"Pardon my words, lad, but there ain't just no perfect flowers."
I just stood there, gaping at her like an idiot, not really knowing what she was talking about. And besides, she seemed to be talking to no one in particular, and doesn't really need an answer.
"Can't choose, eh? Can't blame ya too, sonny. All my flowers are damn beautiful!" she said, belching a loud laugh.
I dont really think so, I'd like to say, but my mouth remained closed.
"Alright, alright. I kinda like ya sonny, and since I'm feeling good today, I'm gonna help you pick one."
She then proceeded to tug me in the arm, propelling me towards the direction of the shelf. You know, the one labeled as Roses, Daisies, Lilies, and Ferns.
"Listen to me, sonny, roses are the way to go. Classic beauty. Endless. Never goes out of style. That is, if the lucky person does not have a particular favorite. I reckon, though, there's no particular favorite or you wouldn't have been staring at me flowers like an idiot."
Classic beauty. Endless.
It suited me really well, and these words just captured what I thought of the person whom I'm gonna give these flowers to. Truth be told, she's really quite helpful and nice, except for the 'idiot' part.
Well, you had to admit you did looked like an idiot staring at the flowers like it were your first time.
"So, roses it is, huh? Now, let's go on to the color. Well, sonny, now the colors are a bit hard. But they got symbols."
Symbols? Jeez, I never thought flowers were so trivial.
"Over here, you got white. It means purity. I'm sure you know that, don't you?"
She looked at me expectantly.
I just nodded.
"Yea, I'm liking you more, sonny. Looks like you got a brain. That helps. So, now, the yellow means friendship for some, and sometimes meant jealousy."
Nope. Not yellow. I certainly do not like to be 'just friends'.
"And of course, the red 'uns!" she squealed, pulling my arm yet again and pushing the red flowers in my face.
"It means love, dontcha think? And aggression too. Really famous flowers."
Hmmm. Aggression.
I like that.
Later, I walked out of the boutique holding a fresh bouquet of red roses, wrapped in a pink sheet and large bows and ribbons dangling from it. [1]
"197… 198…199…"
Sakuragi Hanamichi brushed the sweat that glistened on his forehead with the back of his hand.
"200. Yosh."
It was Saturday morning, no- make that afternoon, and here he was practicing shooting baskets just as coach had taught him. He didn't want to admit it, but even though he was a Tensai, there's just room for a little more improvement.
His eyes traveled the clock that hung lopsided in one of the walls. It read 1: 30.
Need a break.
Hehe. This was exactly what Ayako- san had been meaning to when she said that the clock needs to be removed.
The sooner, the better, she had said. [2]
He didn't understand it at first, but now he did.
Well, it just so happened that every time there was a practice, everybody's eyes will be trained on the clock until it reaches the taboo hour (for Ayako- san's view anyway), six o' clock. You know, the time when practice is supposed to be done.
And this kind of attitude makes the guys lose concentration. Everybody would be whining and moaning, all demanding to take a break just because the clock says so.
Then Ayako- san would get all red, and starts to reach for her infamous and deadly fan.
And there goes the moaning and whining.
Well, who could blame them? Akagi's training was enough to make everyone sick.
Everyone except Rukawa, that is.
Hey come to think of it, Kitsune isn't here to shoo me out of the gym as if he owns the place. Hmmp! Baka kitsune.
If anything, it was weird. That Rukawa would always appear out of nowhere just when he was in the middle of important secret practices.
But there was no sign of him, or his battered bike (must be from all that crashes he's had when he was sleeping) anywhere.
He didn't realized it, but his mind turns a serious direction towards the 'hated' rival.
He was in the middle of contemplation if whether or not Rukawa was really related to a sick fox by blood when suddenly he changed course of contemplation.
Ne, stupid as he is, you gotta beat those eyes. And those lashes, too.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
Yup, kitsune's eyes are great, especially when he's raving mad and directs it toward me.
Wait. What was he doing, thinking of the kitsune?
He slapped his forehead hard, stood up and went to the lockers to shower.
Baka Sakuragi. Thinking of nonsense thoughts.
Good thing it was a Saturday today and there isn't so many people around. I hate to think that people would see me in this state.
A state in which it screams: I'm off to stalk someone!
No, I wasn't planning to stalk somebody, well; I just look like one.
Anyway, part of the plan is to drop these flowers off at the school gym, where I'm sure Sakuragi would be playing.
How did I know this? Snoop around, of course.
I would secretly watch him train, and it's funny you know, how satisfied I get just by watching him, hidden, and from afar, too.
So, I always find an excuse to snoop around, and watch him.
And because of all that snooping around, I'm pretty sure that by this time he's probably long gone home, and that I'll have the locker room all by myself.
And that's where I plan to leave these. The flowers, I mean. In his locker.
So when Monday morning comes, and he opens his locker, it'll be the first thing he'll see.
I step inside the gym, poking my head first to make sure that nobody really was inside.
Seeing no one, I step inside, and find my way back in the shower room. And that's when I heard it.
The sound of showers squeaking, and the pitter- patter of water hitting the shower tiles.
I stood still for a moment, my heart beating wildly.
Someone please, give me a cold shower before I lose control.
I gripped the door of the shower room hard, but it slipped.
My hands were slick with sweat.
I was torn on what to do.
Seconds ticked by, and now, even my forehead started to glisten with perspiration.
Finally, with a look of resolve, I open the shower room doors, the sound of the water and the do'aho's low humming filling my ears and my senses.
Hey, was that the door opening?
Sakuragi listened again for a sound, but heard nothing.
He went back to his humming.
I was right in my guess.
It was Sakuragi in the shower, and oblivious yet again, even if I made a ruckus opening the door.
I almost fall all over me in haste, hurrying over to come inside.
And now, here I am.
I strode over to the lone covered stall, stopping short when I finally reached it.
A peek. Just one little tiny peek.
My chest heaved at the thought that it was a mere curtain that separates us both.
I clutched the shower curtains hard, and moved it slightly aside, just enough to make a tiny little peek.
I almost hyperventilated.
His back was turned to me, his face tilted towards the downpour of water.
He was still oblivious to everything, and he was still humming quite loudly.
But screw the humming and his denseness.
I turned my attention to him.
I watched, almost dazedly, as a particular droplet of water trailed down his back…
It trailed further down…
And down…
Until it disappeared from the cleavage of his firm…
…butt.
Oops. I forgot to breathe.
A/N:
[1] Sorry to have stayed on this part for so long. i just had to.. xD
[2] Another one of my OC thoughts! Gomen!
Continue or not?
