Disclaimer:

I don't own the characters, the setting, nor the concept of this story. And thanks to my teacher who pointed out that all possible stories have already been written down (hence, there is no room for originality anymore), I apparently don't own the plot either.

A/N:

I made a lot of typos last chapter. However, as the story is reflective of my mood while writing it, I decided not to change a thing…kidding…I will reload it as soon as I get a proper Internet server…

And nope. No funnies this chapter. Maybe by the next. =)

No game either. I'm still trying to work it out in my head, sigh it's hard!

This is the real chapter 3, by the by.

Obsession

Chapter 3: We've Got Game

Sakuragi was furious. Fire was burning in his eyes and in his veins. He could hurt a person real soon…

"Itaii!!!" A wounded cry rose above the normal noise of the gym, a cry that made some people sit up in attention, some people cringe, and some people sweat drop.

A ball had smacked Sakuragi on the face (once again). So instead of hurting another person, he himself was hurt.

"Gomen, Sakuragi-sempai, gomen nasai!" A nervous freshman apologized profusely, scared of being pummeled to death.

The crowd gave a nervous laugh.

But Miyagi was not amused. "Pay attention, you idiot!" Miyagi chastised Sakuragi. "The practice game against Ryonan is tomorrow, and you're playing like the amateur you are!"

"Why you, shorty!" Sakuragi growled, for he was not in the mood to be reprimanded. "Do you know you're talking to the basketball tensai?" He turned to the poor freshman who had hit him with the ball. "And you—"

A paper fan hit Sakuragi on the head.

"Itaii!" Sakuragi exclaimed for the second time that hour.

"Don't terrorize the poor freshman." Ayako had snapped at him. "It was your own fault for not paying attention."

"But Ayako-san," Sakuragi tried to reason against the long-haired brunette.

"Is this the correct way to dribble?" Noma asked, interrupting whatever it is Sakuragi was saying.

"If I bend my knees a little, do you think that my shots would become more accurate?" Takemiya asked.

"How many more reps do I have to finish?" Ookuzu was rotating the ball around one legs, then joining both of his legs to rotate the ball around both. One leg, then two. One leg, then two.

Those three were Sakuragi's main problem. Like he did last year, the Three Stooges were relegated to the side courts for a lot of basic training. But that wasn't the one Sakuragi was having problems with.

"Well done, Takemiya-kun." Haruko cheered.

It was that. While it was the slave driver Ayako who trained him, the trio's trainer was no other than his dear, sweet Haruko.

"Pay attention to the game, Sakuragi-kun!" Ayako told him with a slap of her paper fan.

"Itai!" Sakuragi cried, wrenching his attention away from his so-called friends and Haruko.

Rukawa, who was passing by, muttered something derogatory about Sakuragi under his breath.

"Sakuragi!" Miyagi had once again appeared by the redhead's side.

Sakuragi almost jumped out of his skin.

"Sakuragi," Miyagi repeated. "If you don't perform up to par with your usual standards, we might not make it to the quarter finals."

"Nani?" A slow grin started to appear in Sakuragi's face. "I knew it." He puffed his chest out. "The fate of the whole team depends on me." He turned to his team captain. "Don't worry," he said solemnly. "I will deliver." With that, he ran out to the court. "Yasu! Pass the ball to me!"

Ayako gazed amusedly at Miyagi. "You manipulator,"

Miyagi blushed and scratched his head. "I had to tell him something."

Now that Maia was sitting down across from him, absorbed in a book, it was easy to see that she and Miyagi were siblings. First of all, they had the same shade of hair (she only wore her pink wig that one time, and that the streak in her hair was temporary, placed there because she just watched X-Men 2). But he saw that Maia's longer hair was more curly than her nii-san's, but right now, it was parted in the middle and placed in an elaborate bun at the back of her head. They had the same color of skin. The same chocolate brown that made the younger Miyagi look like an Egyptian princess or something.

"Hey,"

The two Miyagis' eyes were also of the same color, only that the younger one had taken to wearing colored contact lenses whenever she doesn't feel like wearing her eyeglasses (she claims she's blind as a bat otherwise). And right now, behind her brown-rimmed glasses, he's got a good view of those eyes, which were lost somewhere reading a thick history book.

"Hey, Yohei-kun," the call was followed-up by a poke of a pencil.

Mito Yohei snapped into attention. Was he just staring into space for the last hour and the half? Well, not into space, exactly but at…

"Are you OK?" A worried pair of warm brown eyes peered at him from behind those glasses.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. It's just that…" His voice trailed off as he gestured helplessly towards her.

"You're wondering what on earth I'm wearing," she grinned. "Honey, I've got an outfit for everything,"

Maia was wearing a long-sleeved brown blazer and a matching skirt. The outfit was completed by black high-heeled shoes. Taken together with the brown eyeglasses and her hair in a bun, she looked like a young professor or something. It was a lot more conservative than what she usually wears.

"And this is your studying attire," Yohei guessed weakly.

Next to her, wearing only a sweatshirt, jeans, and his oldest pair of loafers that still fit, Yohei felt like a slob.

Maia shook her head. "This is my library attire." Maia stuck her tongue out.

Yohei hid a grin. Because of his hand injury, he was unable to join any sports club, like what the rest of the Sakuragi gundan did. So he and the principal decided on a compromise.

flashback

"About what?" The principal asked in confusion. "What club are you looking for, young lady?"

"Why, the fashion club, of course!"

The men in the room face faulted.

The principal cleared his throat. "You say your name is Maia?" He waved her to take a seat, one that was vacated due to the Sakuragi gundan's impromptu dance.

The girl nodded. "Maia Miyagi," she sat down daintily.

"Oh, Miyagi Maia."

"No, it's Maia Miyagi."

"Exactly, Miyagi Maia."

Maia sighed. "It's Maia, sir. Maia Miyagi."

The principal frowned. "That's what I said. Miyagi Maia," he took out another brown folder.

"It's—"

"Have you been out of the country, Miyagi-san?" The principal interrupted the girl's correction, his eyes roaming all rover the file in the folder.

Maia nodded as her eyes lit up. "My mom's a personal shopper," she replied. "We've been traveling all around Europe for years. I'm home-schooled throughout junior high. And just last month we were in England. I bought the most amazing pair of shoes there. It's red with—"

"Ah, yes, yes," the principal interrupted her. Then, he remembered the Sakuragi gundan who were hanging on to every word spoken between him and Miyagi-san. "You boys may go," he waved a hand at them. "Just remember our deal."

"Sir, yes, sir!" The Sakuragi gundan answered in chorus, each hoping that Mouri-san was still down on her knees…

"Ah, except you, Mito-san," the principal said.

Mito sighed and went back to his seat as the rest of his friends shut the door.

"In your record, Miyagi-san, you did very well in your entrance exam in English and Math, but your History needs a lot of improvement." The principal mused.

"Well, sir, I haven't read much of Japanese History abroad." Maia shrugged.

The principal grinned. "You're in luck, Miyagi-san, Mito-san here had just volunteered to tutor you in that subject."

"What?" Half dozing off, Mito had jerked awake at the mention of his name.

"Aren't you, Mito-san?" The principal glared hard at him.

"Hai, hai!" Mito replied.

"Very well, as you were also home-schooled for a while, let Mito-san reacquaint you with the joys of a formal school system," the principal waved the two of them off.

"But sir!" Maia protested as Mito dragged her outside. "What about my fashion club? Sir! SIR!"

end of flashback

So that's why the two of them were spending the afternoon in the school library, instead of going into the gym to watch basketball practice. They usually hold tutorials on Sunday mornings, but tomorrow was a special day…

"Hey, Yohei-kun, you're spacing out again,"

"Huh?"

Maia grinned at him. "I just asked you if you're going to the practice game tomorrow against Ryuken,"

"Ryonan," Yohei corrected.

"Right," she wrinkled her nose. "Whatever."

Yohei nodded. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." He was looking forward to seeing the debut of the Sakuragi gundan. "How about you?"

"I just found the perfect outfit," she grinned. Then, stars began shining in her eyes. "And of course I'll be there to cheer on my honey,"

Yohei grinned. That would prove to be quite interesting, too.

~tbc

EndNotes Rant:

Thanks to those who reviewed!

crazy4u: hey, glad you liked it! Well, as you probably now know, I've come back from a vacation from hell. =) Yohei's in this chappie! I like him. On the other hand, don't like Rukawa, hard to write him in without making him very much OOC. Don't want flames!

Zackire: squeals in delight glad you liked it.

ayu: well, I'm not making Yohei play basketball. I've got something else planned for him. Besides, he won't be as funny as the other three. =)