Disclaimer: I do not own anything. *stops to think* Okay, so maybe I do... But not SD so don't sue...

A/N: Hey! That rhymes! Amazing... Anyway, thanks to all the reviewers!!! You spur me to greater heights of writing.... I love you!!! Also, this is a RuHana/HanaRu... No need to worry about it... Sendoh's just here to spice things up... To RuSen/SenRu fans, I'm very sorry to disappoint you... This is a RuHana/HanaRu fic, anyway... Okay! 'Nuff said... This chapter was written to make up to my dear Aki-chan coz I was mean to him in the previous chapter...


Legend:


~place/time/flashback~
"dialogue"
//thoughts//
inserts
*sigh or something like it*
/*stuff outside the fic*/


Chapter8: Lost


Yup, there was no mistaking it. He was definitely lost. He finally admitted this to himself after passing the same checkpoint for the somethingth time. He had actually lost count.

"Dammit! Why don't they just make those mall directories?! That would make life easier...." ranted the poor unfortunate soul.

Actually, directories were all over the place. He just wasn't a keen enough observer to notice the signs: he wouldn't see them even if they were right under his nose. Exasperated, tired and hungry, he just sat down the nearest bench to at least give his feet a fairly good rest after a long time of walking around in circles.

//This shouldn't be happening...// he thought. //One moment they were beside me, windowshopping; the next they were gone! Oooh... What a fix I'm in... What will I---//

"Sakuragi-kun?" the sound of his name interrupted his thoughts.

"Hmm?" suddenly recognizing the person, he felt somehow relieved. At least there was someone whom he knew. "Smiley! What are you doing here? Aren't you with your dad?"

Akira flashed him a smile not unlike his usual ones. "Yeah, that was about an hour ago... He had a meeting with his other associates so he just told me to go and enjoy myself," he answered. He wrinkled his brow. "Although, I think I might find this place more amusing if I had company... By the way, where are the others?" he asked, looking around.

"A-anou... I have a problem, Smiley...."

"E?"

"Uh, well, you see, I'm kinda... *sigh* I'm kinda lost..."

"Oh! It's a good thing that I found you, then!" Sendoh smiled again. //Hah! This is my chance! Eat your heart out, Rukawa Kaede!!!// "Have you eaten lunch?" he asked.

"Um, no..." Sakuragi answered.

"Yosh! Let's eat, then! My treat!" Sendoh was on cloud nine.

"Hontou? Demo, is it okay?" Hanamichi hesitated. They weren't exactly close friends... He had been nicer to him only because the Ryonan player had saved his ass back in the sports shop and was about to save him again.

"Of course it's okay! This is a great opportunity for us to know each other better, ne? And besides, I'm sure you can join your teammates later... In the meantime, could you keep me company? It's lonely if you're all alone, you know...." his smile was a sad one.

Sakuragi knew the feeling all too well. He thought for a while and said, "Okay, then! Let's go!"

/*chibi-onna: And the Oscar goes to... Sendoh Akira for his wonderful performance!!!*/

Getting the sign of approval, Sendoh grabbed Hanamichi's hand and raced to a good restaurant. Sakuragi just let the smiley drag him. //He's not so bad, after all...//


~at the other end of the mall, 45 minutes ago~


"It's kinda quiet, don't you think?" Kogure asked no one in particular.

"Yeah, it's like, something's missing..." Mitsui agreed.

Ryota stopped abruptly as if remembering something important. His sudden halt caused Mitsui to bump into him.

"Hey, shorty! What's the big idea?!" Mitsui was annoyed.

Miyagi was still deep in thought that he didn't hear the other's insult. Then he spoke in a panicked voice, "It's Hanamichi! Hanamichi's gone!"

The group froze as they heard what the pointguard said.

"WHAT?!" Akagi hollered.

Ryota winced at his captain's voice and repeated his earlier statement. "Hanamichi's gone. I swear he was just behind us when I last looked, but..." he was unable to continue. He was worried about his friend who was lost in an unfamiliar place.

Akagi tried to keep a cool head. "Listen up. We'll go to that fountain over there to wait for Rukawa. Then we'll decide how to search for that baka..." He didn't show it, but everyone knew that he was also worried about the redhead. They walked in silence.

As soon as they arrived at their destination, they saw that Rukawa was just about to take a seat. They quickened their pace so as not to waste time. They told the rookie of the situation at hand, and he regarded them with his usual emotionless façade. What they didn't see was the brief flash of panic that almost showed itself to the others. But he couldn't risk it... Not yet...

"I'll just inform the authorities," he answered coolly. "You guys go ahead and eat lunch first. I'll meet you here later."

His guests nodded, thinking that this was probably the best course of action to take. They parted ways; the group off to have lunch and Rukawa to handle everything else.

In a way, he blamed himself for what happened. If only nature hadn't called, he could've kept an eye out for his Hana... He never thought that a simple momentary visit to the men's room was going to lead to all this.

//I'd rather have kidney stones than lose you...// Kaede thought as he made his way towards Customer Service. //Stupid pitstop... I never really should've....// Rukawa was dwelling on should'ves, would'ves and might-have-beens again. //What if something happened to him?// His mind was not going to lay off. But he shook his head and tried with all his might to think as positively as he could. //Hana, you're gonna be okay... You have to be.//


~at a restaurant, an hour and a half later~


Sendoh was having the time of his life. What could be better than eating delicious food with the love of your life for company? It was better than even basketball, his first true love. He sighed as he took in the redhead's features as he was talking animatedly about something that the ace player was only vaguely aware of.

".... and so I, the tensai, decided to punish them! They have the nerve to insult me... They always favor that stupid kitsune. Good-for-nothing fox... And that Gori! How dare he..." Sakuragi was going on a tirade of rantings about how he was normally treated by the Shohoku Basketball Club members.

Akira pouted cutely. "They're so mean! How could you possibly live with all that? Why don't you transfer?"

"What do you mean, Akira?" Apparently, they were on a first-name basis in the course of their long conversation.

/*chibi-onna: *gasps* already?! Wow... Aki-chan's good at this...*/

"Well, I could always ask Coach Taoka to take you in..." the wheels in Sendoh's brain were starting to turn again.

"Hmmm... I don't know..." //Even if they treat me that way, I still feel at home with them... And besides, they need the tensai because they're all useless!!// At the thought, he suddenly laughed. "Nyahahahahaha!!!!"

Sendoh sweatdropped. //That was weird...// At this point, their meals were being served. "You have lots of time to think, Hana-chan, so don't rush it... In the meantime, let's just eat our meals before they get cold, ne?"

Just like a child, Hanamichi said, "Un!" enthusiastically and started to dig in. Being the said 'child', Sakuragi was eating very messily, being hungry and everything. Bits of rice were scattered everywhere!

The spikey-haired man smiled to himself. //Kawaii...// he thought. He then got his handkerchief and proceeded to wipe the redhead's face clean. "Ne, Hana-chan... You shouldn't be so messy when you're eating..."

Hanamichi stiffened at his new friend's sudden action and the most unbelievable thing happened. He blushed.

//Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!!!! Why the hell do I feel this way???!!! And why the hell am I blushing?!//

Sendoh, being the flirt that he is, kept his handkerchief and decided to let his slender fingers do the work: caressing the face of his love as softly as a butterfly would to a flower. //He looks even cuter when he blushes like that...// Akira smirked. //You'll be mine, Hana... Soon...//



They had been searching for him for only roughly an hour, yet they all felt as if it was already half a day. The people from Shohoku High School were all worried, even if most of them would rather bite their tongues than admit it.

Rukawa was scanning the area as accurately as he could, wanting to see his beautiful Hana as soon as possible. His eyes passed by a particular restaurant and something red caught his eye.

//Could it be?// he started to walk towards the restaurant faster, determined to see if Sakuragi really was the person beyond the glass wall.

Noticing that Rukawa was probably onto something, Ryota called out to him,"Oi, Rukawa, wait up!"

As he was getting closer, he saw that it was indeed Hanamichi. His heart jumped with joy as relief washed over him. He saw Hanamichi, and only Hanamichi.

However, he also saw that the redhead was blushing, and fingers suddenly reached out to wipe the stray bits of rice from his cheeks then down to his lips. The fingers were dancing erotically over the golden skin and those perfectly shaped lips. Rukawa then looked at the owner of those skillful fingers. And what he saw shattered his world and made his heart constrict with pain.

"Masaka... Sendoh..." he spoke the offending name and bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. The others finally caught up with him, just as the hand drew away. They looked at the direction of Rukawa's gaze. They didn't notice that it was already a glare.

They immediately dashed into the restaurant to fetch their friend. "Sakuragi-kun!" Haruko burst out. "We were so worried about you!! We're so glad you're okay...." She was wiping her tears away.

Finally snapping out of his reverie, Hanamichi whispered, "Haruko-san..." However, the sound of it was quite... different. Hanamichi wasn't blushing like he used to anymore.

"Baka! You made them worry!" Akagi was relieved enough to restrain himself from giving Hanamichi a bonk in the head.

"Hey! Who ever said I was worried?"

"Yeah! I wasn't worried at all..."

"Do'aho..."

One by one, the team members denied their earlier feeling for the redhead. Except for Kogure and Ayako, of course.

Hanamichi frowned. "Thanks, guys, the tensai feels really loved," he said sarcastically. It was only then that the others noticed his companion.

"Sendoh," the captain said in surprise.

Smiling sheepishly, Sendoh explained, "You see, I found him sitting on one of the mall benches.. I decided it wouldn't hurt to accompany him seeing he was alone and all, so I went over and he told me that he was lost. Then we decided to eat lunch together. Isn't that right, Hana-chan?"

The others gaped at him. If looks could kill, Sendoh would long be dead, judging from the death glare Rukawa was giving him.

//Ha-ha-hana-chan???!!!//

//Oh my god, Sendoh is so dead...//

//He's definitely NOT gonna get away with calling him that...//

These thoughts and similar others were running through their heads. Rukawa's thoughts were somehow different.

//You have no right to call him that, you fucking bastard!//

However, not one of the others' pictured thoughts happened.

"Is something wrong?" Sendoh put up the innocent act again.

/*chibi-onna: Now I'm really convinced that Aki-chan should have an Oscar...*/

"No, it's nothing.." Akagi answered him because he was the first one to recover from shock. Turning back to Hanamichi, he said, "Are you done eating?"

Sakuragi looked at his empty plate. "I guess I am."

"Then let's go. You made us all tired so we're heading back to Rukawa's house." Akagi practically ordered him.

Hanamichi sighed. "I have to go now. Thanks again, Akira."

With that, they went on their way, although some of them were still baffled about how the two addressed each other: as if they were long-time friends.

Meanwhile, a fox nursed its bleeding heart.


A/N: Gah! This chapter was completely unplanned!!! That's why it took me a little longer than usual... Anywayz, I hope you liked this.. I know I've been mean again; only this time, my victim's Rukawa... Gomen ne, Ru-chan!!! *sigh* I can't make one happy without making the other miserable... Oh well, that's life. Future chapters will cheer Rukawa up! Please, r&r...