Wahahaha! Completed a chapter. What a breakthrough. ^_^
RPG Hui: Kiyota? Think? 0o0 Ha ha ha! Enjoy this chap!
Tiran: Nah, that Hell just froze over thing isn't original (he he). Update quicker? Uh *dun dun dun* Ha ha! I'll try my best, but it doesn't seem possible in the near future. Maybe in May, when the holidays (God bless them) visit?
Chibiangel: Wahaha! Of course I can cut it there! There's nothing you can do to stoooop me! Wahahahaha! *ehem* Updated! Have a look and see if you like it still. ^_^
Maemi: There's something in the way you review that makes me know it's you before I even check out the reviewer's name. ha ha! It's probably the one of a kind structure. ^_^
Patty g: I'm still breathing, so don't start preparing for a funeral procession yet. ^_^ All this 'hell' and 'doom' talk reminds me of this Choral Speaking solo my class has, which goes: "Are we DOOMED? To BURN? In HELL? Noooooo!" done by my multi-talented classmate! Ha ha! My answer? YES! Muahahahaha!
Crazy4u: hell just froze over is a sweet quote? *checks crazy4u for brain damage* Do what ur imagination says, girl! Write a fic! And then dedicate it to me. ^_^ He he! Oi, I know you not gay, so dun have to reaffirm your ke-wanitaan. :P Which one of my fic you haven't read yet? Meow? Huh? uhHuhI dunno!
Chidero: Wahahahaha! Kiyota – main kayu tiga! ^_^
Teh tarik: Next chappie up! Shouri and Kiyota are crazy? As in crazy-in-a-monkey-ish-sort-of-way or as in crazy-in-a-Tanjung-Rambutan-kind-of-a-way? Ha ha! Enjoy this chap!
Fiery-Ice: You went to the CIRCUS? Waaa… me as big as a cow but still fascinated with elephants on balls. ^_^ How was it? Hope you enjoyed it! *runs off to find newspapers – which she practically never reads – to see if a circus is coming to town*
Unchained: Arigato! (though I still don't get how Hell freezing over is sweet) (haha!)
Libra_gal: Thank you! ^_^ Keep on reading! (and do warn me when the story starts to get uninteresting so I can quickly repair it!) (:P)
Tensaispira: Cannot lar… I practically failed my way through Art classes, and you want me to draw Kiyota in a thong? God knows what it'll end up looking like. ^_^ Good luck in ur exams! (oi! What are you doing surfing the net and reading fanfictions on an exam night???)
Alexia: I LOVE jet-skiing (though now I'm going for mountain climbing and suicidal acts) (wahahaha!). Don't you like jet-skiing? What's not to like? My cousins never want to ride with me because if they do, they are guaranteed to be tossed into the sea because of they way I drive. ^_^ Imagine when I get myself a driving license. Ha ha! *sniffs the air* You sure you took a proper shower?
Lilin: yeah! I did! Waargh! Caught red-handed! He he… But that's the only book I have by Julie Garwood. I mostly go for Nora Roberts. She's good too!
Madiha: Woi! Belajar lar! Tak nak ambik SPM ke? ^_^ I got lots of descriptions? I do? (and my English teacher was telling me I write way too much dialogue for essays) (heh heh!) I don't read non-yaoi fics either, actually, but I can bring myself to write yaoi stuff, so… what's an innocent girl like me supposed to do??
Akane: Kawaii? Who? The story or me? ^_^ hahahaha!
Fer-chan: HEY!!!! I missed you! Where did you disappear off to? Quite a number of reviews behind me? *looks behind her* Nah. All I see is a miserable pillow. ^_^ Am super-glad you're back! *hugs fer-chan back until she turns purple*
Profundus: Hey, what does your name mean? ^_^ Am continuing! Please wait! Calm down! Thank you for reviewing!
"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS," Jura screeched, oblivious to the stares she was getting from the occupants of their neighbouring McDonald booths. Her mouth placed directly in Shouri's ears, she started again. "YOU KISSED HIM?? IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY?? YOU??"
Shouri flipped the page of the book she was reading.
"HOW COULD YOU?? Oh God, do you know what it FELT LIKE to find out from a RELIABLE source, UNLIKE YOU, that my OWN COUSIN stole the guy of my dreams from RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE? How could you BETRAY me?? You said you DIDN'T LIKE HIM! You said he was a JERK!"
Shouri flipped again to the next page.
"Why couldn't you just TELL me? How could you let my heart BREAK like this?" Jura dabbed her wet eyes. "What sort of a MONSTER are you? Stealing other people's HAPPINESS like it's so cheap! You took away ALL – oh."
Shouri looked up and grunted. Kenji Fujima had arrived, dressed casually but looking surprisingly more attractive than the snot-covered image she'd conjured. Shouri's eyes widened slightly at the subtly mesmerizing smile he gave them and then laughed silently at herself. Apparently, he'd grown very, very well.
Fujima's mouth moved.
Shouri blinked when no sound reached her eardrums. Then, remembering, she took out the cotton balls she had stuffed in her ears while Jura had ranted away (she was well prepared, see). "Hey."
Jura was busy dabbing at her eyes and cleaning out her ruined mascara.
"Did you get anything?" Fujima asked excitedly, going straight to the business. He plopped down on the seat in front of them. "Anything useful? Anything wonderful?"
"I'm fine. Grades not too bad, social life not too sad. Thanks for asking."
He rolled his eyes, laughing. "Sorry. How are you? How's your mom and dad?"
"Alive. I'm so flattered that you care." Smirking, she reached into her backpack and took out her trusty notebook. "Here. That's all I've got so far."
Fujima enthusiastically snatched it from her hands, holding it like it was sacred gold. "This is…" the word 'great' stayed stuck in his throat. "…messy." He held the notebook up for view. "Is this supposed to be a sketch of a human body standing?"
"Yes, Michelangelo. You don't have anything nice to say, then you shut up."
"Hi, I'm Jura."
Fujima looked up briefly, with only the slightest of glances. "Hmm? Hi." He read intently. "Aah, that's a new one… a rather minimum number of offence… that's quite a lot of points for a practice game… hmm, the same duo strategy again…"
Shouri slurped her shake while Jura looked into her little purse for a compact mirror.
"Not bad," he commented at last. "But still not enough."
"You're welcome."
"All right, sorry. Thank you very much."
"Again, you're welcome," Shouri placed her shake on the table and gestured. "I'll get more," she promised. "I've gotten the hang of the game by now, so I can probably give you coherent and articulate facts – with the help of one of the members."
"Hmm? Does he know what you're up to?"
"Hi, I'm Jura."
Fujima offered a small smile and turned back to Shouri.
"Nah," Shouri assured. "He'll be too busy showing off to care."
"Another junior brat," Fujima nodded understandingly. "We've got some in the Shoyo team as well. Made me stick to the Year Three players for sanity. What's his name?"
"Kiyota. Nobunaga Kiyota." Shouri pondered on it for a moment, and then regretfully said, "But he's awfully good. Natural flair for basketball. Ask Jura. She can give you a whole essay about him. Tell him about Kiyota, Jura."
Jura was staring at Fujima. "Tell him about who?"
Shouri lifted an eyebrow and then shook her head. "Never mind." She winked at Fujima. "You've got another fan here, snot-boy."
Fujima looked up at Jura, smiled absently and then looked back at Shouri's notebook. "Nobunaga Kiyota…" he muttered curiously, flipping the pages of the notebook. Then he stopped. "You mean, this Kiyota?"
Shouri looked at the 'I LOVE NOBUNAGA KIYOTA' in capital and bold letters across her notebook and sighed. How on earth did she miss tearing that out? "This is nothing. It's Jura's handwriting."
"You're blushing."
"Of course I'm not. It's just the light from the 'D' word in 'McDonalds."
"You're red in the face."
"Were you expecting it to turn green?"
Fujima smirked knowingly, then his eyes narrowed slightly. "Kiyota," he murmured quietly, making Shouri lean forward to hear him. "He doesn't happen to be wild-haired with piercing cobalt eyes and a cheeky snarl on his face, does he?"
Shouri blinked. "Wow, that's pretty accurate. He is, yes."
"Well," Fujima shrugged then. "He's five metres behind you."
Five metres? Behind me? ME?
Shouri would've turned to confirm it if Kiyota's crazy laughter ringing through the glass doors from where he stood outside surrounded by a couple of his friends hadn't already done the job. "Shit. Fujima! DUCK!"
Fujima blinked, clueless. "Uh, quack?"
Shouri hissed, already pulling the hood over her head. "No! DUCK! BEND DOWN! STUFF YOURSELF UNDER THE TABLE!!"
Ruthlessly, she pushed Fujima's head down herself and stuffed him well out of sight just as the glass doors jingled and Kiyota stepped in, still laughing. Their eyes met over the heads of the other consumers, locked. His brimmed with amusement at her pose, all stretched out over the table with her hands holding something opposite her under. She gave him a weak uh-nothing's-going-on smile, hissed when that only enlightened him to come over.
"Stay there," she muttered to the suffering Fujima. "Don't you DARE move or do anything." She leaned back on her seat, self-consciously smoothing and ruffled parts of her hair and clothing. "Hey. Fancy seeing you here."
"I'm a regular," Kiyota said airily, stopping at the edge of the table and resting both elbows on it. "I don't see you around here. New hang-out spot for you?"
"Um, yeah. New hang-out spot."
He shrugged. "You might want to think about asking me along next time," that was said with a raised eyebrow that for some obscure reason made Shouri blush. "I know all about this place. A to Z." Then, in that annoying way of his, he totally switched his attention somewhere else. "Hey… Jura." Jura's mouth had turned sulky. "How are you?"
"Fine." She replied jauntily. "But not as fine as Shouri to you, I'm sure."
"Since when was Shouri fine to me?"
Shouri gritted her teeth and bit viciously at her straw. She felt Fujima stir uneasily against her legs under the table. She kicked him. A soft groan sounded, but escaped Kiyota's ears.
"You're hooking up with her," Jura was accusing Kiyota. "Just admit it."
"Actually," he replied innocently, "she's the one hooking up with me. What's a guy to do when stalked by a girl?" He chuckled at the dangerous glare Shouri gave him. "Look at the way she gazes at me. It's just over-flowing with love."
Shouri's hothead heated up. Idiot! I'll get you for that! I'll get you for THAT! Who said he liked me first? Who kissed me first? Ooooh, he's going to PAY.
"Yeah, well," Jura muttered, sighing, "I just want you to know I really don't care anymore. You're cute, but there are cuter guys." She glanced below the table with a smile, a sign so obvious Shouri felt like whipping her head with a traditional belt.
However, Kiyota was too busy being insulted to notice. "Cuter guys? Cuter than me? Is that actually possible?"
Shouri stared at Jura, wondering if she was going to blurt it out, as senseless as she was. Surprisingly, Jura simply snorted with the air of one injured but not willing to admit it. "Yes. I am no longer interested in you."
Kiyota shrugged. "Your loss, darling."
"You can go out with Shouri for all that I care."
At that, he burst laughing. "Hey, Shouri," he said out loud, much to her mortification. "We've got your cousin's permission and blessing. Let's elope!" Half the people milling around the eatery glanced curiously at them.
Why you scoundrel, goat of a boy! You useless piece of chicken poo! You – She smiled tightly, baring her gritted teeth. "I'm going to come over and watch your practice tomorrow. Care to help me out with the strategies so I know what on earth you're doing?" I'll squeeze every, single piece of secrets and information out of you and give it to Fujima and make sure you lose the tournament. Hah!
He seemed immensely delighted at the chance of showing off his prowess. "You've come to the right person," he claimed. "I'll make you the best pro in Kainan basketball – after me, of course."
She squashed down the sudden flight of guilt. He seemed so … gullible. Not my fault that he's so simple-minded. Stupid is as stupid is. I'm going to make him PAY! That loud-mouth! That arrogant, son of a - "Of course. I'd like to know EVERYTHING."
He winked. "Everything," he promised gallantly. "And a little bit more." With a cheeky grin, he skipped off, shouting and order for an extra large cheeseburger.
"And a little bit more," Shouri muttered. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Under the table, Fujima whimpered. "Can I come out now? My entire body's aching."
"No, not yet. You'll have to wait until his loony highness and his bodyguards leave."
"How long will that be?"
Shouri slurped her milkshake. "At the moment, they're lining up to order their food. And it's not take-away."
"WHAT?"
"It's all right," she grinned sweetly at him, squashed between her legs and the table stand. "Jura will join you down there."
Ntd: Me too, fujima!