Title: Colleague
Author: Kuroi Tenshi [kuroi_22@hotmail.com]
Pairing(s): SenKosh ::waves flaglets happily:: ; SenRu [but it won't last long]; RuHana
Warnings: Shounen Ai; Uhm, words? Cursing (A lot, so be warned!)
Rating: PG-13
NOTES: Sorry for the super long update. . I lost inspiration for a while and had to divert my attention elsewhere, but due to a certain person's not-so-gentle-prodding I've decided to continue my SenKosh baby and try my best to finish the fic. ^_^
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Part 5
Sendoh could feel the slight tugging. But his brain came up with a blank whenever he tried to locate where the tugging was coming from. And he didn't particularly care so he gave up the seemingly futile attempt and simply allowed the tugging to continue. His was pretty occupied anyway. He was looking at the wide expanse of blue above him.
But it wasn't blue anymore. It was already red-orange, casting shadows on the streets below. Sendoh sighed, looking at the clouds slowly drifting away.
"Yo, Sendoh?" someone said, waving a hand in front of his face. "Sendoh!"
He blinked and stared at the young woman in next to him, flailing her arms wildly. The tugging stopped. "Yoriko?"
The longhaired sophomore nodded then looked below. "The fish got away. Probably got tired of struggling for its dear life while you spaced out." She sighed and took off her glasses while she sat next to him on the pier. "Koshino's gone, huh?"
Sendoh stared at her in disbelief.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not exactly your best friend but we've been friends since kindergarten. Give me more credit than that," she grinned. Her long brown hair swayed with the wind when a light breeze picked up.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Yoriko made a face and stood up. "Sendoh, I, of all people, know how smart you really are, if only you'd use your brain. But this proves that you can be that stupid."
"Hey! Did you come all the way here just to insult me?" He pouted.
"I was thinking along the lines of talking some sense into you but I guess that's out of the question, you being the dolt that you are." She picked up her bag, which she set down when she got there few minutes ago. "Learn a valuable lesson from your fish, okay?"
Sendoh stared at her with question marks floating around his head. "Stop speaking in riddles, Yoriko."
The girl rolled her eyes and sighed, getting ready to leave. "Just…learn from the goddamn fish!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. "It eventually grew tired to struggling—an act too important for him—but you merely stared at the sky, totally oblivious to it and its struggle. Sendoh, don't be stupid." With that, she walked away.
Sendoh stared as his friend's figure growing smaller and smaller as the distance grew. He sighed and placed his fishing pole on the ground. He leaned on the railing and propped his chin with his two hands, sighing heavily.
It had been three days since the incident (if he could call it that) during lunch. Koshino was hardly there whenever Sendoh looked for him at their room and when they did see each other at the hallways, his best friend would be surrounded by other people that Sendoh would've been lucky enough if Koshino gave him so much as a wave.
He missed spending time with his friend. Koshino had even skipped practice one afternoon. And Sendoh had no idea what was going on with him. He wondered briefly if he had done anything wrong to ruffle his friend's overly delicate feathers but he came up with nothing.
He hadn't done anything to him. Most of his time had been devoted to Rukawa that he didn't have the chance to even annoy his friend. So what was wrong with Koshino?
~*~*~*~
"What's wrong with you?" Hanamichi paused from eating his burger to look at his companion. They were eating at Danny's that afternoon, trying to pass time since both were bored out of their minds and didn't know anyone else to call other than each other.
Koshino shrugged. "Nothing." He continued to bury his fries under a mountain of ketchup and mustard. He glared at the messy pile and emptied the bottle's content on the little platter. "Stupid. Baka. Idiot."
"Why don't you tell me what's bothering you instead of taking it out on poor, defenseless means of nourishment?"
"You wouldn't understand." Yeah, right. Hanamichi would be the very last person he knew who wouldn't not understand. But hey, he was sticking with his hypocritical self. "It's nothing. I'm just bored," he replied, trying to smile a bit despite the urge to strangle each and every patron of Danny's present.
Hanamichi shrugged then froze. Koshino arched an eyebrow. What was wrong with him now? He craned his neck to look outside the glass window to see whatever Hanamichi saw. And immediately froze as well.
He straightened up and cleared his throat. "Maybe they're on a date," he said cheerfully. "Don't let them see us or they might feel the need to join us. It might ruin their date." Hypocritical Koshino, make one move and you're history, I swear! he threatened his other self.
He sat straighter on his chair at their booth when the chimes of the stores filled the room, announcing a customer's arrival. He cleared his throat loudly and sipped on his soda.
Damn, Koshino cursed his hypocritical self inwardly. Ass.
"Koshino!" Sendoh exclaimed, walking toward them, dragging the fox-eyed Shohoku player through his school jacket. "I didn't know you were here."
"Hanamichi," Rukawa quietly said, blue eyes boring into the redhead's chocolate brown ones. The redhead's hands instinctively gripped the glass of Coke he had and for a split second Rukawa allowed himself a small smile.
"I didn't know you guys were going out," Sendoh said, looking at Koshino closely. "We haven't been seeing much of each other lately. Is this the reason why?" He gave his friend a devilish grin.
Koshino groaned inwardly. "No," he snapped. "We haven't been seeing each other lately because you've been too busy yourself. Sakuragi and I are merely eating a snack in the company of each other. It's not a date, like yours." He took a big bite of his burger, which up until then was slowly growing mold from being ignored too long.
Rukawa grinned evilly. "Which reminds me," he said, glancing at his schoolmate for a second or two. "We'll have to be going then. We'll see you around." Sendoh allowed Rukawa to pull him to another booth far from the one the two were occupying.
Hanamichi scowled at the two, whose backs were turned against them. "Doesn't he know he's all wrong for him?" Then realizing what he said, he cleared his throat. "I mean, doesn't Sendoh realize that the kitsune's all wrong for him?"
Koshino stared at his friend opposite him and emptied his glass in one gulp. "We ought to start a club, Hanamichi. The Baka Club. Main requirement: be incredibly stupid."
~*~*~*~
"No fireworks?"
Koshino looked up from the wooden countertop he had been decorating for the past hour and a half. He ignored the teasing wink from the Devil Incarnate and focused on the job at hand. The sound of the staple gun filled the otherwise quiet room.
Reiko peered from behind him, expertly sidestepping the "accidental" elbow jabs from the younger man. Her eyes softened and she smiled tenderly. Sure, he was massacring her workshop again with his handy staple gun but he was trying to be productive this time.
"You know, I can always have a countertop done especially for you. That way, you won't have to butcher mine all the time," she said, plopping on the chair and leaning back. She watched as her bother continued to adorn the wooden counter with pictures. She knew he had an artistic streak hidden underneath the brash and temperamental boy that he was. And his innate talent often made itself known through inspirations of his loved ones.
Currently, family portraits decorated the tabletop. After the portraits, individual pictures of each member followed suit. It was only half way done but it was already looking pretty. Reiko squinted and frowned. "My eyes may need checking, but you missed a spot."
Hiroaki paused and looked at the "spot" she was referring to. There was a small space between his sticker photo and Sayaka's. Oh, that. "Maybe I'll fix it later," he deadpanned as he stapled a Gundam Wing key chain, his favorite, to the side. There. That's called personalization.
He stepped back and surveyed his semi-finished product. He deliberately left the other half empty so Reiko could work on it herself. He was sure she'd put cauldrons in place of his GW key chains. Pulling another chair to him, he sat down and immediately heaved his thick Geometry book out of one of the drawers.
His sister watched him with interest. After some time, when it became apparent he was not going to tell her anything voluntarily, she sighed. "No b-ball practice this afternoon?"
"Prolly none. You know how Sendoh is. He probably rushed to Shohoku so he could sweep floors with Rukawa that he cancelled practice" was the blasé response.
"Isn't that what vice-captains are for?"
"You know, now that I think about it, I wasn't exactly the vice-captain. People just assumed I am since I take charge all the time. I think Toaka-sensei simply accepted the fact that even without his formal consent or anything, I was second in command. But I never did get introduced to the team as the vice-captain like Sendoh was."
Reiko looked away. This is not good.
"Need help with your Bio?"
"This is Geom. And I still haven't paid you for the last time. When's the dance again?"
The older Koshino winced. If there was something worse than Temperamental Hiroaki, it was Morose Hiroaki. Even she was no match against him. She shrugged. "In two weeks or so." She grabbed the notepad on the table and scribbled a hasty note. Then she stood up and stretched. "I need to check with our contact in France for the exhibit." She threw the notepad on the table and walked away.
The youngest paused from his hasty scribbling and glanced at the note she left him. If it's bothering you so much, just tell him. Or tell me. I'm here to listen. He sighed and leaned back on the chair. He knew his sister meant well but he didn't want to talk about it. He didn't even want to think about it. But the latter was inevitable, as he could nothing else but think about it.
Sendoh with Rukawa. Ugh.
~*~*~*~
Reiko watched her brother at the corner of her eyes. They were lounging by the pool after she convinced him he shouldn't waste the gorgeous Saturday wasting away in his room in the company of his books and assignment. She thought it would cheer him up.
She thought that Hiroaki swimming laps would get his mind off whatever silent war with Sendoh he was having. Her plan backfired. Her brother was trying to drown the Smiley Plushy Couple the spiky-haired boy had given him as a joke when he first found out about the stuffed toys in his room.
"Plushies have right too," she called out to him but he ignored her. She spied one stripped cotton slipper floating in the water and sighed. Oh, well. At least he was letting whatever he was feeling out. "Reina invited me to go fishing with her tomorrow. Wanna tag along?"
A bright yellow ball sailed across the pool and crashed back into the water with a loud splash. She cringed. Mr. Smiley was going to be one lonely man now that Ms. Smiley was decapitated.
Her brother emerged after a few more minutes and Reiko could see the floating yellow and red mess behind him. He plopped down on the lounge chair and closed his eyes. It seemed like her plan wasn't so bad after all. It was hazardous to plushies everywhere, but it was helpful for him. He seemed a lot calmer. Good. She could talk to him now. "There are hundreds of children all over the world who thirsts for Mr. and Ms. Smiley's warmth."
"Not if they have the one I had," he replied without opening his eyes.
She rolled her eyes. "God, Hi-chan, if his company means so much to you, just tell him and maybe you'll come up with some sort of agreement. You get him on Mondays through Wednesdays then he gets him from Fridays to Saturdays. Thursday's reserved for him since we have seven days in a week and it's only right that he has his rest day too."
"What do you take that idiot for? A toy to be shared?" he asked, sitting up and looking at her in the eye. "He isn't."
"Don't you think I know?" she rolled her eyes. "I was just kidding, Hiroaki. Don't get all crabby on me." An impregnable pause. "You've been spoiled too much. It's time you learn how to share or tell him and have him all for yourself. It's your choice. But you have to be true to yourself sometimes." She stood up and dove in.
He glared at his sister's figure, gliding effortless in the water. He knew she was right but he couldn't bring himself to do the right thing since he had no idea what the right thing was. He wasn't willing to go through hell like with his first time but he didn't want to lose his best friend either. To him, either of the choice was the wrong one.
His eyes fell on the floating head of Mr. Smiley sans his right arm and left leg. He looked away and sighed. I guess it wouldn't kill me to help him with Rukawa. I am his best friend after all.
~*~*~*~
"What's this?" Sendoh asked, holding up the pair of concert tickets Koshino had shoved in his face the moment he sat down during lunchtime on Monday.
"Tickets for a concert, isn't it obvious?" Koshino replied, glancing up his ice cream irritably. He scowled at Sendoh's puzzled expression. "Is it too complicated for your simple mind to comprehend? Reiko gave me those tickets. I figured you'd make better use of it than me since you are kinda courting someone and you do happen to have a life whereas I don't."
"You do have a life," Sendoh argued, smiling stupidly as he pocketed the surprise gift from his friend. "And if I didn't know better I'd think you and Hanamichi have something going on. You seemed especially close the past few days."
That's because we were both tending our broken hearts, but not one of us wanted to admit it, he replied mentally. He made a face. "Please. There's nothing between that redhead and me. We're just friends, like you and I." Was something in the ice cream? Suddenly there was this sharp pain in the general vicinity of his chest.
The second year pushed his ice cream away and leaned back on his chair. He looked at Sendoh and gave a small, shy smile. "Have fun."
"How much do I owe you again?" When Koshino gave him a blank stare he added, "For the tickets?"
"They're free," he answered, running a hand through his short black hair. "Free of charge, for my best friend." He smiled for the briefest seconds then looked away. "For my best friend."
Tbc
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NOTES: I know it took me practically forever to update but like I said before, I lost inspiration for the fic. I have tons of ideas but my problem is how to relate them without rushing too much that its effect would be lost. So...patience? ::smiles hopefully:: And besides, I'm in the process of reviving old fics, so updates would take a little longer. Sorry. But I'm writing this for fun. I don't need pressure (God knows I have enough of that already). But to those who're reading my fic and liking it, I love you all. ::grin::
