A Little Push
Chapter One
By koshi
Koshino sat on the little couch by the small living room of their house, scowling, as he strained his ears for a certain ringing of the doorbell, signifying that a certain *late* spike head has arrived. He and Sendoh was supposed to be on their way to Ryonan High's Sports Gymnasium thirty minutes ago, but as he had promised the yet-to-arrive ace that they would go there *together*, he was stuck waiting for an annoyingly irritating slowpoke, out of courtesy and... well, he waited that long to make sure he gives the Ryonan ace a piece of his mind, for being so late!
As he sat there, waiting, he gave out a colorful string of choice curses towards no one in particular, as he grumbled under his breath about a certain hentai who'd be dead at a young age of seventeen, as soon as he arrives. Koshino was never known for his temper, and the way Sendoh's being carefree enough to forget their 'appointment' for that day, Koshino's temper was way past consumed to a point of being ballistic, given the proper time, proper place and proper person to murder.
"K'so!" Abruptly, he stood up, feeling the need to calm down a bit. He was way past impatient. Normally, he would have just read a magazine, book, etc to ease away some of his tension- only for it to flare back at full force upon sight of the object of his annoyance- but, that was besides the point, seeing as a 'suspicious' looking thing was 'crumpled-to-a-point-of-it-being-hard-to-make-out', between his tightly clenched fist. It could have been anything... but, it's of no use trying to identify it now, is it? I mean, it's good-as-bloody-disfigured. The significant thing about *that* crumpled piece of unfortunate object though, is that it represents what will happen to a certain 'smiley-guy', with the way Koshino's limits was pushed thin... Now, if only he'd arrive sooner, so the bloody murder could commence ASAP...
"-er... Hiro-?"
"WHAT??!!"
*piku*
*piku*
It was only then that Koshino remembered the young man sitting on the long sofa across the window- where his tense feet had brought him staring angrily at the busy street outside, looking for a familiar weird style of hairdo... somewhat calming, albeit forgetting about his classmate/team mate for a while, he regarded the other guy in a somewhat-surprised expression... "Soi-"
"Daijobou ka, cuz?" There was a hint of concern in the young man's face. Koshino silently chastised himself for showing a lot of reactions that could force the man to think of *anything*...
-not that Soichiro Jin was much of a narrow-minded person to think of *anything* without much prior reasons--- Jin's way too smart than what he's given credit for, which in itself is the problem... He can't have Jin reading him like an open book--- again!
"Uh... yah." Koshino forced himself to relax, and retain his usual 'I'm cool' scowl, willing the other man to ignore him, and return to whatever he was doing before--- which was practically looking at his obvious fidgeting, and studying him closely... well, on second thought then, Koshino hoped Jin wouldn't start being the Sherlock Holmes-reincarnation that he was, and let sleeping dogs lie...
But, obviously, Jin doesn't seem to get the message... either that, or Jin had ignored every sign he showed that he fervently *hoped* Jin won't pry into anything... Between the two, Koshino would have to pick the latter--- he had known Jin for a long time... and, both Jin and the other annoying-brat-which-is-thankfully-not-around had made it a point of making his life hell--- or at least, make fun of him...
"Right..." By the tone on the older guy's voice, Koshino at once knew Jin was hell bent on prying. Scowling, he made a face at the other man, who just retained his usual 'I'm nice and cool' look. "Okay, what the hell is the matter?"
"Nothing~" His scowl deepened considerably.
"Oh, come on! You've been restless for half an hour, looking like you could kill anyone anytime, and you're telling me it's nothing?" An annoying smirk graced the angelic face... "Oh come on..."
No reaction. Koshino was aware that he had a right to remain silent coz whatever he says may be charged against him, and he was determined to make use of that right.
At this, Jin smiled that all-too-familiar 'okay-since-you-won't-tell-me, I'll- find-it-out-myself' smile. Inwardly, he groaned. Damn! How he hated that smile...
"let me see..." Jin began, rubbing his chin in an act of thinking intently... "I guess, with the way you kept cursing Sendoh's name a while ago, it's all about him, isn't it?"
Silence. Koshino decided to keep himself neutral. at the long run, hopefully, Jin would leave him and whatever it was he was thinking about, alone.
"--- You kept glancing at your watch, the clock by the wall, and outside the window... I guess, it's either you're impatient to go; you're tired of waiting; or you're extremely late..." as a second thought, "or all of the above..."
*piku* *stare* *frown*
Thinking again, "I see you're wearing your jersey 06 from second year... You're also bringing your duffel bag, wearing your tennis shoes, and... why, lookie... a ball..." At this, he proceeded to scoop a red basketball lying on the floor by the said duffel bag- where not a little while ago, it was flying towards the wall, and bouncing back with a sickening thud right back towards Koshino, hitting him straight in the face, before said pissed boy placed it safely by the bag to prevent any more accidents from happening.- "...You look like you're going to practice, or something..."
Man, he had to admit--- Jin's good!
"Well, I guess that's all I need to know... Lemme see if I get this right... You and Sendoh are supposed to be practicing and you are pissed because it's either Sendoh's late and kept you waiting, or because... uhm, what other reasons are there still, anyway?"
'---I am pissed because Sendoh is deliberately late, I am waiting for him--- and I so hate to wait for anything or anyone--- Why do I have to wait for him, any way? Also am pissed because it's either Sendoh is late because that's just the way he is, or he's found it an annoyingly funny way to irritate me--- That, or he's made up his mind on not attending basketball summer practice that day, and he's decided to stand me up...-'
As an afterthought,
-I bet he doesn't do this and turn up late when he's on a date! I mean, I bet he's the one waiting--- not that he's gonna be waiting long, since girls kill just to go on a date with him... Which reminds me... He better not be late because he's been flirting around with a girl and had conveniently forgotten about me and practice or else...'
The last thought had considerably ignited his anger, and deepen his frown.
But Instead, he just answered, "-nothing..."
Jin was as convinced as he was the most patient guy in the world... The sudden ring of the doorbell interrupted what Jin was about to retort, and caused for him to lugged towards the door--- his temper back at full flare...
Upon opening...
"You, baka, Akira!!!" was the first thing he said to the surprised person outside the door, as he suddenly grabbed a fistful of the newcomer's shirt, hell bent on pounding someone, or doing something as painful to said someone... " Why are you so late??? !!! I've waited for you for about---" Suddenly, he froze...
"er... Hiro-kun?" that was managed as a stuttered whisper...
"---an hour..." *sweat drop* Koshino could do nothing but only blink at his visitor, surprise visible in his face...
"What are you doing?" said visitor asked, once he'd managed to overcome his shock from the unexpected welcome...
"...Ken-"
"er... Can I have my shirt back?" That was when Koshino remembered his strong hold on the other's shirt. Sheepishly, he let go, blushing profusely...
"er...sorry, Ken... I thought you were someone else-" That earned him a sudden raise of an eyebrow...
"Like hell! You could have killed me~" That was not accusing, but more on a joke the latter seemed to find amusing. It made Koshino suddenly frown.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" He crossed his arms in front of him, and shot the smirking guy before him a glare-
"Aren't you gonna let him in first, Hiro?" Jin called out from inside, finding the need to interfere. Koshino was having second thoughts on the matter, but complied in the end, as he stepped back a little to let the new comer in. The latter entered, without much objections, and seated himself comfortably beside Jin, regarding the other guy a *mysterious* smile... That was not what caught Koshino's attention, though... He suddenly was more interested with the large brown suitcase the brunette seemed to have brought with him...
"What the hell is *that*?" He asked, looking incredulously at the *innocently-smiling* guy, pointing to the object of his fixation...
"Oh. Did I forget to tell you?" The "innocent smile" widen considerably. It freaked the hell out off Koshino, since he more or less knew what it is about--- "I am going to stay with you throughout the whole summer vacation!!!"
He groaned... "NANI?!!! First Jin decided to live with me, then you bloody want to defile my house, too???" He gave this look that more or less say, "Are you nuts?!!"
"Isn't this fun? Just think--- we can do stuffs together again, like we used to-"
That did nothing to appease Koshino, whose eyes had turned to slit, suspiciously... "-You two always conspire against me! What are you up to again?"
"Oh come, on, Hiro! Give Kenji and I a break!" Jin suddenly said, sharing the smile the guy beside him was flashing... that was what he meant by the two always *conspiring* "Aren't you glad that after years of being separated, us three cousins have the chance to be together again, even for only a short time???"
"Short time? two months is *not* a short time, what with the two of you, ruining it for me!" Koshino retorted, temper seeming to have multiplied tenfold. "What are you doing here, anyway, Ken? Don't tell me you're *also* having your apartment fixed, and needs somewhere to stay for a while?"
"Nah." Fujima seemed unheeding of his tone or simply ignoring it. Normally, at Koshino's temper, people would start to worry for their lives, but Fujima was as cool as he ever was. "I just decided to live with you, little cuz... I'll be off for college next year, so I thought we'd spend a little quality time together---"
"Quality Time???? This is not what I prefer to call quality time!!! If ever, this is pure nuisance, and-"
"Oh come on! You don't mean that, do you?" A pout, and a flash of the thing Koshino hated the most in the world--- sad-puppy-dog-eyes that rival even Sendoh's...
"Oh, stop giving me that look!" The good thing with having to deal with people like Sendoh who gives him those look almost every other day, is that one tends to get use to it--- and, the thing is, he is already immune to all of Sendoh's charms... well, *almost* already immune... There was this one thing that had kept bothering him, but that is another story.... But the bottom line is, Sendoh is practically the most 'convincing' person he knew, and being able to not fall for his charms makes you resistant to everyone else's. "I am not stupid enough to fall for that... And, NO! I will not have the two of you under *my* house for the whole summer vacation, or at least while the two of you are together! One pain-in-the-butt-cousin is already too much, and two is simply unthinkable, especially if said two has almost the same mind, and thinks up of the most mischievous things while together, NO!" He was almost panting when done, and his throat had hurt from shouting. man, another thing to add up to his 'this-is-not-my-day' list of misfortunes... And, boy, does his palm itch for someone to vent his frustrations on... It almost makes him wish Sendoh to arrive already--- he needs someone to pound, and fast!!!
"Oh hell, Kosh--- you are so stressed up!" The irritating thing about his cousins- they are so used to his moods, and gets barely nerved by his outrage... He scowled, and didn't relax one bit. If ever, he tensed the more...
"We can't have that happen to our dear little favorite cousin, can we, Soi?" There was this strange mischievous glimmer on Fujima's eyes, and a matching one in Jin's that instantly, Koshino had an idea what they were on, about- After all, they had been cousins for years, and he had more or less experience to know when he should panic, or not... That time, is one of those *occasions*...
"W-what the hell are you thinking?!!"
The two ignored him, and kept talking as though he wasn't there... "-Do you know what he needs, Ken?"
"Of course... He needs a little stress therapy..." A smirk, before they regarded him, impishly... Uh-oh... He knew that look! That look more or less suggest that they were going to---
"H-hey!" Koshino started to back away, but before he had a chance to, he was tackled to the ground by the two guys, and.... tickled???... in places, where experience had proven to be sensitive for him... "H-hey, s-stop it!!!" A low moan escaped from his mouth, before he clamped it shut, not wanting to give his two assaulters satisfaction...
*** Kosh: (*smirk*) CUT it!!! I know what you're thinking!!! It's not that, Baka, so...
YAMERO!!! ***
But unable to stop himself, and purely acting on impulse, it wasn't long before he finally gave in to the feeling of those *ahem* expert hands, and....
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... laughed his heart out!
***Kosh: Told you it wasn't what you were thinking--- ***
A sudden cough in the background apparently stopped the trio's bickering... They froze, and almost at the same time, looked at the owner of the sound, still in their *awkward* position- lying in the floor, in a tangle of hands and limbs...
That someone, apparently was Sendoh, and he was looking at them, as though they've each grown another head--- especially Koshino. It so happened, that he'd never seen his best friend so... out of control... It was weird. And cute. and unexpected. Did he mention it was cute?
"Er... I'm sorry for disturbing---" There was this *out-of-place* small blush that had crept up the spike head's face, and Koshino had vaguely any idea what the hell it was for. The blush simply wasn't like Sendoh, and he had to admit, it was... weird. and cute. And YES, unexpected...
Er... Did he mention it was cute??? (*snicker* Just a little musing I've decided to add, coz the next scenes are gonna be so... wrong!)
"Aki-Sendoh!" Koshino stuttered, before he practically kicked his two cousins off him... Scrambling to get up, he spent a lot of time to straighten his... slightly?... Nah, extremely ruffled jersey... Figuring out that there isn't much he can salvage, he decided to leave it be, and fix his ruffled hair instead.
While he was at it, Fujima had managed to gracefully help himself up, and regarded Sendoh cheerfully... "Hey, man! Nice to see you~"
"er... Right..." Sendoh replied, the blush recurring slightly. "did I... Did I disturb something here?"
"Hell, no! but, you were just in time!" Fujima grinned amiably, and wriggled his eyebrows towards Koshino's direction, looking smug. "He was about to kill you, a while ago. We had to...calm him down a bit." Fujima's words were... harmless enough as it is, but the way it reached Sendoh's ears was different. Sendoh's blush grew considerably...
"Gee... thanks..." But, there was this... bitterness in his tone, which apparently didn't pass unnoticed to Fujima's perceptive ears... The latter raised a slender eyebrow, and grinned waywardly, as though suddenly having a wonderful idea [...].
"Well, I guess, you two should be going now..." Jin, who was content just watching the two at a distance, suddenly declared, managing to catch the other three's attention... That must have been the cue everyone was waiting for, because the next thing you know, Koshino was back to his 'bossy' attitude, and was regarding Sendoh with the 'speech' he had practiced a while ago for being so late and dragging him along with him, before pulling the spike head urgently out of the door...
But what greeted him outside, managed to halt him in his steps... That was when he seemed to remember Fujima's 'unexpected' lodging in his abode, and he turned back all at once to confront the boy...
"Baka, Ken! What the hell are *those*" He demanded, pointing at the... many more suitcases outside...
"Ugh, I feel a deja vu coming on..." Jin muttered, which was ignored by a practically fuming Koshino...
"Don't be silly... Those are my luggage... You don't expect me to live with you without bringing my *own* things, do you?" Fujima stated matter-of-factly, seeming oblivious to what Koshino was fuming about.
"-BUT do you have to bring your WHOLE HOUSE with you?!!!" Sure enough, practically everything inside Fujima's apartment was brought with him, except the bed and heavy appliances...
"No, of course not! I didn't bring my bed, for one, coz I knew you already have one here, somewhere... Though frankly, I was a bit tempted... I didn't bring along those heavy stuffs there, too..."
A vein twitched in Koshino's head... "You know what I mean, baka!"
"Okay! Okay!" Fujima frowned. "So, I'm a pack rat! Come on! I'm a visitor... You *were* supposed to be hospitable to guests..."
"-You were *unwanted*!"
"Oh come on!" Fujima wasn't at all affected. He remained as stubborn as he was... "We are back to this conversation again... Can't you give me a break?"
"Yeah, well---"
"Hiro-kun, I think you better go now..." Jin found it wise to mediate between the two at once. "I mean, you have a practice to attend. Let's talk about this later, when both of you had calmed down..."
"Ch." Koshino wanted to retort something. But, as usual, Jin's logic was... impregnable... "Fine. But, don't *touch* my room!~ It's OFF LIMITS!!!" Scowling, he dragged a surprised -and wincing- Sendoh with him, out and away from sight...
When the two were finally gone, Jin had to sigh... Turning towards Fujima, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously...
"Okay, what are you planning?"
Fujima, who was then, hauling his other things inside, looked at Jin innocently... "Nothing~"
"Oh, come on... I saw you grinning that *grin* a while ago, and I instantly knew you're up to something..." Jim looked at Fujima defiantly, scowling that the other won't let him in the plan. If there is one thing, he wouldn't let pass a good... tease...
Fujima sighed exaggeratedly... "I can't fool you, now, can I?"
"I know you full well..." Jin smirked... "I happen to be just like you--- in a less cruel way. So Spill!"
There was this moment of contemplation on Fujima's side, before he turned his attention to all his luggage... "Sure... But help me on this one first, will yah?"
Jin rolled his eyes faintly, but complied... For one thing, he was way too curious as to what was inside Fujima's head, to care about what it takes to find out about it...
~~~
Kosh: As for you, kind readers, since you found time to read this fic for me, this is what Fujima's plan is more or less about...
Somewhere in Kanagawa, in the city of Ryonan, two guys who are more or less late for practice, was walking... no, make that strolling towards their school, coz they figured they were already late, so hurrying towards practice wouldn't change anything, but take more effort than just walking and being late, as per expected... They were talking enthusiastically, along the way... Well, at least one was doing the talking for the both of them, coz, the other was just pissed as hell...
"Do you really think I'm *that* stupid to believe that you were late and was making me wait for half an hour, because it took you *that* long a time just to fix your hair???" Koshino regarded the guy beside him incredulously, and straining to watch his temper.
Sendoh gave him a look that mirrored his own... "Of course! Don't be silly... I mean, how do you expect my hair to stand this high, anyway?" He made it a show of pointing to said gravity-defying hair.
'Well, that made a point...' "Well, why can't you just wear your hair down like every-other-normal people around???"
"Are you kidding? I'd look stupid!"
"You won't" ~Actually, you look kind'a cute with your hair down and everything... *pause* did I just think of that???~ Koshino blushed.
"Besides, I'd look weird... I mean, I doubt you've seen me with my hair down before..."
"I have, baka!"
~After practice, in the showers... When, you'd take a bath, and the water just topples down your hair...~
Sendoh raised an eyebrow at that... It made him aware of what he had just did...
~Did I just say that last thought out loud????~ His blush deepened a lot...
"Right..." Sendoh drawled...
Nothing more was said, afterwards... Sendoh was busy thinking, and Koshino, *who* was the one supposed to be doing the talking, with Sendoh answering him out of courtesy, went dead silent, in fear of saying anything embarrassing again...
"Ne, Hiro-kun..." Sendoh suddenly called out...
Koshino blinked, and reacted... "Don't call me that!"... as per expectance. Usually, Sendoh would just ignore him whenever he'd demand not to be called by *that* nickname, and call him anyway, but this time, Sendoh went dead silent, and did the unthinkable... He frowned. "Er... daijobou ka, Sendoh?"
"What the hell are Jin and Fujima doing in your house, anyway???" Sendoh pouted childishly, regarding him with a hurt look in the eyes...
"Well, Soi--- I mean, Jin was having his new apartment repainted and redecorated, so I kindly let him stay over for a while. Ken, on the other hand, just barged in, and decided he'd live in with me for the whole summer..." Koshino shrugged, obviously not noticing the soft shade of green that fleeted across Sendoh's eyes.
"Why are *they* living in your house, anyway? Why can't *they* go somewhere else?" Sendoh was persistent. He has some issues he wanted answered.
"Don't be silly..." Koshino had to laugh... This made Sendoh the more... curious. "Of course they'd live with me. They're my cousins, after all..."
That seem to come out as a shock! "-Cousins?" a nod. "How come I never knew of this until now?"
"Well, er..." The scene not more than two years ago, on Ryonan's first match with Shoyo, suddenly crossed Koshino's mind, and he had to gulp, adjusting his suddenly tight collar... "Hehe... Must have slipped my mind..." Actually, the moment Sendoh had seen Fujima, the spike head had commented on how 'hot' the other looked. Suddenly pissed off, Koshino had found it out-of-the-question, to inform Sendoh of his relationship with the sophomore, thinking that Sendoh would more or less ask for his help to court the Shoyo ace. Duh...
"Then... you mean, the scene in your living room a while ago...???" There was this excited bubble that was threatening to burst, as Sendoh waited for him to confirm his suspicion...
"What? What about it???" Koshino was obviously... oblivious to the way Sendoh's mind was working... "Ken and Soi found it amusing to tickle me, and calls it as 'stress therapy...', as well as 'motivation-to-share-my-candy', 'lend-me-money' and 'do-me-a-favor'..." Koshino had to cringe at the thought of their younger years when his said cousins use that *trick* on him to make him do something... It was just the same as 'the-puppy-dog-look', but unlike the look, he was not quite immune to its effects yet... And, his cousins takes advantage of that fact to make him do something... Of course, the 'tickle' only works when the two are ganging up on him--- that was why he was so persistent not to have the two together in the house... It'd be hell!!
"---tickle???" There was this *weird* look of mixed relief and mirth in Sendoh's face, and it did not escape Koshino's sight. Curious, the latter had just to pry...
"Oi! What's up?"
"Betsuni... I was just thinking..." ~Man, and I thought they were actually doing... *ahem* back there... me and my perverted mind!~ Sendoh's mood had lightened considerably. This caused for Koshino to regard him suspiciously.
"Hey, what the hell are you thinking? What's with that stupid grin?"
"What? Can't a guy be happy?"
"You are too suspicious..."
"Whatever... Come on. I feel like eating!"
"How about practice?"
a look. "Like hell! We are way past late... Uozumi may not be the captain no more, but I'm sure he's there supervising, and he is sure to have our hides... that is, after coach gets through with us... Besides, I'm getting hungry!~ My treat..."
"What the hell is the matter with you? A while back there, I've thought an alien has abducted my best friend and replaced him with another... And now, I see you're back! What gives?"
"Nothing... I just feel great! Come on..."
Koshino had to blink. Curious as he was as to what was going on, he was more than glad to have his happy-go-lucky best friend back. The all-too-seriously-frowning one was kinda scaring him.
As for Sendoh, he was having a great day, what with the burden lifted off his back; his suspicions cleared, and his best friend with him... Right... Everything's going his way...
~~~
That is, of course, since they hadn't an idea of the 'plot' ahead of them...
*evil cackle* BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHA!
*OWARI chap One*
~~~
Author's Notes: I'm sorry for the ending. I rushed it for it to be reviewed... I made it a bit 'mushy' though... *pout*
First part's up! One of the stupidest story I've written!!! I'm loosing my touch! (Not that I had any, in the first place...)
Please review! Thanks!
Domo Arigatou...
Chapter One
By koshi
Koshino sat on the little couch by the small living room of their house, scowling, as he strained his ears for a certain ringing of the doorbell, signifying that a certain *late* spike head has arrived. He and Sendoh was supposed to be on their way to Ryonan High's Sports Gymnasium thirty minutes ago, but as he had promised the yet-to-arrive ace that they would go there *together*, he was stuck waiting for an annoyingly irritating slowpoke, out of courtesy and... well, he waited that long to make sure he gives the Ryonan ace a piece of his mind, for being so late!
As he sat there, waiting, he gave out a colorful string of choice curses towards no one in particular, as he grumbled under his breath about a certain hentai who'd be dead at a young age of seventeen, as soon as he arrives. Koshino was never known for his temper, and the way Sendoh's being carefree enough to forget their 'appointment' for that day, Koshino's temper was way past consumed to a point of being ballistic, given the proper time, proper place and proper person to murder.
"K'so!" Abruptly, he stood up, feeling the need to calm down a bit. He was way past impatient. Normally, he would have just read a magazine, book, etc to ease away some of his tension- only for it to flare back at full force upon sight of the object of his annoyance- but, that was besides the point, seeing as a 'suspicious' looking thing was 'crumpled-to-a-point-of-it-being-hard-to-make-out', between his tightly clenched fist. It could have been anything... but, it's of no use trying to identify it now, is it? I mean, it's good-as-bloody-disfigured. The significant thing about *that* crumpled piece of unfortunate object though, is that it represents what will happen to a certain 'smiley-guy', with the way Koshino's limits was pushed thin... Now, if only he'd arrive sooner, so the bloody murder could commence ASAP...
"-er... Hiro-?"
"WHAT??!!"
*piku*
*piku*
It was only then that Koshino remembered the young man sitting on the long sofa across the window- where his tense feet had brought him staring angrily at the busy street outside, looking for a familiar weird style of hairdo... somewhat calming, albeit forgetting about his classmate/team mate for a while, he regarded the other guy in a somewhat-surprised expression... "Soi-"
"Daijobou ka, cuz?" There was a hint of concern in the young man's face. Koshino silently chastised himself for showing a lot of reactions that could force the man to think of *anything*...
-not that Soichiro Jin was much of a narrow-minded person to think of *anything* without much prior reasons--- Jin's way too smart than what he's given credit for, which in itself is the problem... He can't have Jin reading him like an open book--- again!
"Uh... yah." Koshino forced himself to relax, and retain his usual 'I'm cool' scowl, willing the other man to ignore him, and return to whatever he was doing before--- which was practically looking at his obvious fidgeting, and studying him closely... well, on second thought then, Koshino hoped Jin wouldn't start being the Sherlock Holmes-reincarnation that he was, and let sleeping dogs lie...
But, obviously, Jin doesn't seem to get the message... either that, or Jin had ignored every sign he showed that he fervently *hoped* Jin won't pry into anything... Between the two, Koshino would have to pick the latter--- he had known Jin for a long time... and, both Jin and the other annoying-brat-which-is-thankfully-not-around had made it a point of making his life hell--- or at least, make fun of him...
"Right..." By the tone on the older guy's voice, Koshino at once knew Jin was hell bent on prying. Scowling, he made a face at the other man, who just retained his usual 'I'm nice and cool' look. "Okay, what the hell is the matter?"
"Nothing~" His scowl deepened considerably.
"Oh, come on! You've been restless for half an hour, looking like you could kill anyone anytime, and you're telling me it's nothing?" An annoying smirk graced the angelic face... "Oh come on..."
No reaction. Koshino was aware that he had a right to remain silent coz whatever he says may be charged against him, and he was determined to make use of that right.
At this, Jin smiled that all-too-familiar 'okay-since-you-won't-tell-me, I'll- find-it-out-myself' smile. Inwardly, he groaned. Damn! How he hated that smile...
"let me see..." Jin began, rubbing his chin in an act of thinking intently... "I guess, with the way you kept cursing Sendoh's name a while ago, it's all about him, isn't it?"
Silence. Koshino decided to keep himself neutral. at the long run, hopefully, Jin would leave him and whatever it was he was thinking about, alone.
"--- You kept glancing at your watch, the clock by the wall, and outside the window... I guess, it's either you're impatient to go; you're tired of waiting; or you're extremely late..." as a second thought, "or all of the above..."
*piku* *stare* *frown*
Thinking again, "I see you're wearing your jersey 06 from second year... You're also bringing your duffel bag, wearing your tennis shoes, and... why, lookie... a ball..." At this, he proceeded to scoop a red basketball lying on the floor by the said duffel bag- where not a little while ago, it was flying towards the wall, and bouncing back with a sickening thud right back towards Koshino, hitting him straight in the face, before said pissed boy placed it safely by the bag to prevent any more accidents from happening.- "...You look like you're going to practice, or something..."
Man, he had to admit--- Jin's good!
"Well, I guess that's all I need to know... Lemme see if I get this right... You and Sendoh are supposed to be practicing and you are pissed because it's either Sendoh's late and kept you waiting, or because... uhm, what other reasons are there still, anyway?"
'---I am pissed because Sendoh is deliberately late, I am waiting for him--- and I so hate to wait for anything or anyone--- Why do I have to wait for him, any way? Also am pissed because it's either Sendoh is late because that's just the way he is, or he's found it an annoyingly funny way to irritate me--- That, or he's made up his mind on not attending basketball summer practice that day, and he's decided to stand me up...-'
As an afterthought,
-I bet he doesn't do this and turn up late when he's on a date! I mean, I bet he's the one waiting--- not that he's gonna be waiting long, since girls kill just to go on a date with him... Which reminds me... He better not be late because he's been flirting around with a girl and had conveniently forgotten about me and practice or else...'
The last thought had considerably ignited his anger, and deepen his frown.
But Instead, he just answered, "-nothing..."
Jin was as convinced as he was the most patient guy in the world... The sudden ring of the doorbell interrupted what Jin was about to retort, and caused for him to lugged towards the door--- his temper back at full flare...
Upon opening...
"You, baka, Akira!!!" was the first thing he said to the surprised person outside the door, as he suddenly grabbed a fistful of the newcomer's shirt, hell bent on pounding someone, or doing something as painful to said someone... " Why are you so late??? !!! I've waited for you for about---" Suddenly, he froze...
"er... Hiro-kun?" that was managed as a stuttered whisper...
"---an hour..." *sweat drop* Koshino could do nothing but only blink at his visitor, surprise visible in his face...
"What are you doing?" said visitor asked, once he'd managed to overcome his shock from the unexpected welcome...
"...Ken-"
"er... Can I have my shirt back?" That was when Koshino remembered his strong hold on the other's shirt. Sheepishly, he let go, blushing profusely...
"er...sorry, Ken... I thought you were someone else-" That earned him a sudden raise of an eyebrow...
"Like hell! You could have killed me~" That was not accusing, but more on a joke the latter seemed to find amusing. It made Koshino suddenly frown.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" He crossed his arms in front of him, and shot the smirking guy before him a glare-
"Aren't you gonna let him in first, Hiro?" Jin called out from inside, finding the need to interfere. Koshino was having second thoughts on the matter, but complied in the end, as he stepped back a little to let the new comer in. The latter entered, without much objections, and seated himself comfortably beside Jin, regarding the other guy a *mysterious* smile... That was not what caught Koshino's attention, though... He suddenly was more interested with the large brown suitcase the brunette seemed to have brought with him...
"What the hell is *that*?" He asked, looking incredulously at the *innocently-smiling* guy, pointing to the object of his fixation...
"Oh. Did I forget to tell you?" The "innocent smile" widen considerably. It freaked the hell out off Koshino, since he more or less knew what it is about--- "I am going to stay with you throughout the whole summer vacation!!!"
He groaned... "NANI?!!! First Jin decided to live with me, then you bloody want to defile my house, too???" He gave this look that more or less say, "Are you nuts?!!"
"Isn't this fun? Just think--- we can do stuffs together again, like we used to-"
That did nothing to appease Koshino, whose eyes had turned to slit, suspiciously... "-You two always conspire against me! What are you up to again?"
"Oh come, on, Hiro! Give Kenji and I a break!" Jin suddenly said, sharing the smile the guy beside him was flashing... that was what he meant by the two always *conspiring* "Aren't you glad that after years of being separated, us three cousins have the chance to be together again, even for only a short time???"
"Short time? two months is *not* a short time, what with the two of you, ruining it for me!" Koshino retorted, temper seeming to have multiplied tenfold. "What are you doing here, anyway, Ken? Don't tell me you're *also* having your apartment fixed, and needs somewhere to stay for a while?"
"Nah." Fujima seemed unheeding of his tone or simply ignoring it. Normally, at Koshino's temper, people would start to worry for their lives, but Fujima was as cool as he ever was. "I just decided to live with you, little cuz... I'll be off for college next year, so I thought we'd spend a little quality time together---"
"Quality Time???? This is not what I prefer to call quality time!!! If ever, this is pure nuisance, and-"
"Oh come on! You don't mean that, do you?" A pout, and a flash of the thing Koshino hated the most in the world--- sad-puppy-dog-eyes that rival even Sendoh's...
"Oh, stop giving me that look!" The good thing with having to deal with people like Sendoh who gives him those look almost every other day, is that one tends to get use to it--- and, the thing is, he is already immune to all of Sendoh's charms... well, *almost* already immune... There was this one thing that had kept bothering him, but that is another story.... But the bottom line is, Sendoh is practically the most 'convincing' person he knew, and being able to not fall for his charms makes you resistant to everyone else's. "I am not stupid enough to fall for that... And, NO! I will not have the two of you under *my* house for the whole summer vacation, or at least while the two of you are together! One pain-in-the-butt-cousin is already too much, and two is simply unthinkable, especially if said two has almost the same mind, and thinks up of the most mischievous things while together, NO!" He was almost panting when done, and his throat had hurt from shouting. man, another thing to add up to his 'this-is-not-my-day' list of misfortunes... And, boy, does his palm itch for someone to vent his frustrations on... It almost makes him wish Sendoh to arrive already--- he needs someone to pound, and fast!!!
"Oh hell, Kosh--- you are so stressed up!" The irritating thing about his cousins- they are so used to his moods, and gets barely nerved by his outrage... He scowled, and didn't relax one bit. If ever, he tensed the more...
"We can't have that happen to our dear little favorite cousin, can we, Soi?" There was this strange mischievous glimmer on Fujima's eyes, and a matching one in Jin's that instantly, Koshino had an idea what they were on, about- After all, they had been cousins for years, and he had more or less experience to know when he should panic, or not... That time, is one of those *occasions*...
"W-what the hell are you thinking?!!"
The two ignored him, and kept talking as though he wasn't there... "-Do you know what he needs, Ken?"
"Of course... He needs a little stress therapy..." A smirk, before they regarded him, impishly... Uh-oh... He knew that look! That look more or less suggest that they were going to---
"H-hey!" Koshino started to back away, but before he had a chance to, he was tackled to the ground by the two guys, and.... tickled???... in places, where experience had proven to be sensitive for him... "H-hey, s-stop it!!!" A low moan escaped from his mouth, before he clamped it shut, not wanting to give his two assaulters satisfaction...
*** Kosh: (*smirk*) CUT it!!! I know what you're thinking!!! It's not that, Baka, so...
YAMERO!!! ***
But unable to stop himself, and purely acting on impulse, it wasn't long before he finally gave in to the feeling of those *ahem* expert hands, and....
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... laughed his heart out!
***Kosh: Told you it wasn't what you were thinking--- ***
A sudden cough in the background apparently stopped the trio's bickering... They froze, and almost at the same time, looked at the owner of the sound, still in their *awkward* position- lying in the floor, in a tangle of hands and limbs...
That someone, apparently was Sendoh, and he was looking at them, as though they've each grown another head--- especially Koshino. It so happened, that he'd never seen his best friend so... out of control... It was weird. And cute. and unexpected. Did he mention it was cute?
"Er... I'm sorry for disturbing---" There was this *out-of-place* small blush that had crept up the spike head's face, and Koshino had vaguely any idea what the hell it was for. The blush simply wasn't like Sendoh, and he had to admit, it was... weird. and cute. And YES, unexpected...
Er... Did he mention it was cute??? (*snicker* Just a little musing I've decided to add, coz the next scenes are gonna be so... wrong!)
"Aki-Sendoh!" Koshino stuttered, before he practically kicked his two cousins off him... Scrambling to get up, he spent a lot of time to straighten his... slightly?... Nah, extremely ruffled jersey... Figuring out that there isn't much he can salvage, he decided to leave it be, and fix his ruffled hair instead.
While he was at it, Fujima had managed to gracefully help himself up, and regarded Sendoh cheerfully... "Hey, man! Nice to see you~"
"er... Right..." Sendoh replied, the blush recurring slightly. "did I... Did I disturb something here?"
"Hell, no! but, you were just in time!" Fujima grinned amiably, and wriggled his eyebrows towards Koshino's direction, looking smug. "He was about to kill you, a while ago. We had to...calm him down a bit." Fujima's words were... harmless enough as it is, but the way it reached Sendoh's ears was different. Sendoh's blush grew considerably...
"Gee... thanks..." But, there was this... bitterness in his tone, which apparently didn't pass unnoticed to Fujima's perceptive ears... The latter raised a slender eyebrow, and grinned waywardly, as though suddenly having a wonderful idea [...].
"Well, I guess, you two should be going now..." Jin, who was content just watching the two at a distance, suddenly declared, managing to catch the other three's attention... That must have been the cue everyone was waiting for, because the next thing you know, Koshino was back to his 'bossy' attitude, and was regarding Sendoh with the 'speech' he had practiced a while ago for being so late and dragging him along with him, before pulling the spike head urgently out of the door...
But what greeted him outside, managed to halt him in his steps... That was when he seemed to remember Fujima's 'unexpected' lodging in his abode, and he turned back all at once to confront the boy...
"Baka, Ken! What the hell are *those*" He demanded, pointing at the... many more suitcases outside...
"Ugh, I feel a deja vu coming on..." Jin muttered, which was ignored by a practically fuming Koshino...
"Don't be silly... Those are my luggage... You don't expect me to live with you without bringing my *own* things, do you?" Fujima stated matter-of-factly, seeming oblivious to what Koshino was fuming about.
"-BUT do you have to bring your WHOLE HOUSE with you?!!!" Sure enough, practically everything inside Fujima's apartment was brought with him, except the bed and heavy appliances...
"No, of course not! I didn't bring my bed, for one, coz I knew you already have one here, somewhere... Though frankly, I was a bit tempted... I didn't bring along those heavy stuffs there, too..."
A vein twitched in Koshino's head... "You know what I mean, baka!"
"Okay! Okay!" Fujima frowned. "So, I'm a pack rat! Come on! I'm a visitor... You *were* supposed to be hospitable to guests..."
"-You were *unwanted*!"
"Oh come on!" Fujima wasn't at all affected. He remained as stubborn as he was... "We are back to this conversation again... Can't you give me a break?"
"Yeah, well---"
"Hiro-kun, I think you better go now..." Jin found it wise to mediate between the two at once. "I mean, you have a practice to attend. Let's talk about this later, when both of you had calmed down..."
"Ch." Koshino wanted to retort something. But, as usual, Jin's logic was... impregnable... "Fine. But, don't *touch* my room!~ It's OFF LIMITS!!!" Scowling, he dragged a surprised -and wincing- Sendoh with him, out and away from sight...
When the two were finally gone, Jin had to sigh... Turning towards Fujima, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously...
"Okay, what are you planning?"
Fujima, who was then, hauling his other things inside, looked at Jin innocently... "Nothing~"
"Oh, come on... I saw you grinning that *grin* a while ago, and I instantly knew you're up to something..." Jim looked at Fujima defiantly, scowling that the other won't let him in the plan. If there is one thing, he wouldn't let pass a good... tease...
Fujima sighed exaggeratedly... "I can't fool you, now, can I?"
"I know you full well..." Jin smirked... "I happen to be just like you--- in a less cruel way. So Spill!"
There was this moment of contemplation on Fujima's side, before he turned his attention to all his luggage... "Sure... But help me on this one first, will yah?"
Jin rolled his eyes faintly, but complied... For one thing, he was way too curious as to what was inside Fujima's head, to care about what it takes to find out about it...
~~~
Kosh: As for you, kind readers, since you found time to read this fic for me, this is what Fujima's plan is more or less about...
Somewhere in Kanagawa, in the city of Ryonan, two guys who are more or less late for practice, was walking... no, make that strolling towards their school, coz they figured they were already late, so hurrying towards practice wouldn't change anything, but take more effort than just walking and being late, as per expected... They were talking enthusiastically, along the way... Well, at least one was doing the talking for the both of them, coz, the other was just pissed as hell...
"Do you really think I'm *that* stupid to believe that you were late and was making me wait for half an hour, because it took you *that* long a time just to fix your hair???" Koshino regarded the guy beside him incredulously, and straining to watch his temper.
Sendoh gave him a look that mirrored his own... "Of course! Don't be silly... I mean, how do you expect my hair to stand this high, anyway?" He made it a show of pointing to said gravity-defying hair.
'Well, that made a point...' "Well, why can't you just wear your hair down like every-other-normal people around???"
"Are you kidding? I'd look stupid!"
"You won't" ~Actually, you look kind'a cute with your hair down and everything... *pause* did I just think of that???~ Koshino blushed.
"Besides, I'd look weird... I mean, I doubt you've seen me with my hair down before..."
"I have, baka!"
~After practice, in the showers... When, you'd take a bath, and the water just topples down your hair...~
Sendoh raised an eyebrow at that... It made him aware of what he had just did...
~Did I just say that last thought out loud????~ His blush deepened a lot...
"Right..." Sendoh drawled...
Nothing more was said, afterwards... Sendoh was busy thinking, and Koshino, *who* was the one supposed to be doing the talking, with Sendoh answering him out of courtesy, went dead silent, in fear of saying anything embarrassing again...
"Ne, Hiro-kun..." Sendoh suddenly called out...
Koshino blinked, and reacted... "Don't call me that!"... as per expectance. Usually, Sendoh would just ignore him whenever he'd demand not to be called by *that* nickname, and call him anyway, but this time, Sendoh went dead silent, and did the unthinkable... He frowned. "Er... daijobou ka, Sendoh?"
"What the hell are Jin and Fujima doing in your house, anyway???" Sendoh pouted childishly, regarding him with a hurt look in the eyes...
"Well, Soi--- I mean, Jin was having his new apartment repainted and redecorated, so I kindly let him stay over for a while. Ken, on the other hand, just barged in, and decided he'd live in with me for the whole summer..." Koshino shrugged, obviously not noticing the soft shade of green that fleeted across Sendoh's eyes.
"Why are *they* living in your house, anyway? Why can't *they* go somewhere else?" Sendoh was persistent. He has some issues he wanted answered.
"Don't be silly..." Koshino had to laugh... This made Sendoh the more... curious. "Of course they'd live with me. They're my cousins, after all..."
That seem to come out as a shock! "-Cousins?" a nod. "How come I never knew of this until now?"
"Well, er..." The scene not more than two years ago, on Ryonan's first match with Shoyo, suddenly crossed Koshino's mind, and he had to gulp, adjusting his suddenly tight collar... "Hehe... Must have slipped my mind..." Actually, the moment Sendoh had seen Fujima, the spike head had commented on how 'hot' the other looked. Suddenly pissed off, Koshino had found it out-of-the-question, to inform Sendoh of his relationship with the sophomore, thinking that Sendoh would more or less ask for his help to court the Shoyo ace. Duh...
"Then... you mean, the scene in your living room a while ago...???" There was this excited bubble that was threatening to burst, as Sendoh waited for him to confirm his suspicion...
"What? What about it???" Koshino was obviously... oblivious to the way Sendoh's mind was working... "Ken and Soi found it amusing to tickle me, and calls it as 'stress therapy...', as well as 'motivation-to-share-my-candy', 'lend-me-money' and 'do-me-a-favor'..." Koshino had to cringe at the thought of their younger years when his said cousins use that *trick* on him to make him do something... It was just the same as 'the-puppy-dog-look', but unlike the look, he was not quite immune to its effects yet... And, his cousins takes advantage of that fact to make him do something... Of course, the 'tickle' only works when the two are ganging up on him--- that was why he was so persistent not to have the two together in the house... It'd be hell!!
"---tickle???" There was this *weird* look of mixed relief and mirth in Sendoh's face, and it did not escape Koshino's sight. Curious, the latter had just to pry...
"Oi! What's up?"
"Betsuni... I was just thinking..." ~Man, and I thought they were actually doing... *ahem* back there... me and my perverted mind!~ Sendoh's mood had lightened considerably. This caused for Koshino to regard him suspiciously.
"Hey, what the hell are you thinking? What's with that stupid grin?"
"What? Can't a guy be happy?"
"You are too suspicious..."
"Whatever... Come on. I feel like eating!"
"How about practice?"
a look. "Like hell! We are way past late... Uozumi may not be the captain no more, but I'm sure he's there supervising, and he is sure to have our hides... that is, after coach gets through with us... Besides, I'm getting hungry!~ My treat..."
"What the hell is the matter with you? A while back there, I've thought an alien has abducted my best friend and replaced him with another... And now, I see you're back! What gives?"
"Nothing... I just feel great! Come on..."
Koshino had to blink. Curious as he was as to what was going on, he was more than glad to have his happy-go-lucky best friend back. The all-too-seriously-frowning one was kinda scaring him.
As for Sendoh, he was having a great day, what with the burden lifted off his back; his suspicions cleared, and his best friend with him... Right... Everything's going his way...
~~~
That is, of course, since they hadn't an idea of the 'plot' ahead of them...
*evil cackle* BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHA!
*OWARI chap One*
~~~
Author's Notes: I'm sorry for the ending. I rushed it for it to be reviewed... I made it a bit 'mushy' though... *pout*
First part's up! One of the stupidest story I've written!!! I'm loosing my touch! (Not that I had any, in the first place...)
Please review! Thanks!
Domo Arigatou...