Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk, it's Takehiko-sensei's.

Room #8: Full House

Kaede and Kiyota were having their breakfast though it was only last night rice and some not so decent scrambled-egg. That day both of them woke up a little late again.

"Where's Kogure?" Kiyota asked.

"He said he's not feeling well today, so he won't go to school," Kaede replied munching his egg.

"Well tell him to get well soon," Kiyota stood up from his chair and took his plate to the kitchen.

Kaede glanced at him. "Okay, I'm going now," Kiyota picked up his sport bag and left without looking at Kaede.

"Kiyota?" "What?" Kiyota slightly turned.

"Are you sure you wanna go back to your home after school?"

Kiyota didn't reply. He stared down at the floor. Then he lifted his face and smiled cheerfully, "Yeah, I've promised to my aniki."

Kaede still glanced at him with no expression.

Kiyota went to the door, "Ittekimasu!"

Kaede heard the sound of the door opened and then closed. He sighed and then stood up to put his plate at the kitchen.

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At morning practice that day, Mitsui seemed a little confused because he didn't see Kogure around.

"I wonder why Kogure-senpai didn't show up," Hikoichi said while he was doing some stretching. "Do you have any idea, Kaede?"

"Umm... no..." Actually Kaede still thinking should or shouldn't he tell Mitsui about Kogure.

Mitsui is Kogure's bestfriend. Maybe he knows what might be Kogure's problem and maybe Kogure would wanna talk if Mitsui was the one who asked him.

"Gather up, men!" Mitsui clapped his hands. Everyone quickly lined up in front of him.

"There's something coach Anzai needs to tell us," he said. Then coach Anzai who was standing beside him stepped forward and coughed a bit.

"I want to inform to all of you that I've set a friendship match between us and Ryonan basketball team..."

Suddenly there was some whispering here and there among the seniors.

"...You must've all known that Ryonan is one of the best team in Kanagawa. We could use this chance to measure our own strength before we prepare ourselves for the National Championship. The match will be held on Sunday."

"That means three days ahead," Hikoichi mumbled.

"I want all of you to prepare yourselves and then do your best for the game, ho-ho-ho..."

'Does he really have to end it with that laugh?' Kaede felt annoyed.

"Okay, guys," Mitsui spoke, "You heard what coach said. We'll do our best, alright!?"

"YEES!!"

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During the practice, Kaede still felt hesitant to ask Mitsui about Kogure'sproblem. Kogure seemed not wanting anyone to mind his business right now. Kaede thought he would make a mistake if he talks about Kogure to someone else.

"What is it MVP?"

"Huh?" Kaede startled. Mitsui was standing beside him, grinning.

"Is there something you wanna talk to me about?" Mitsui asked.

Kaede stared at Mitsui. Is he already known about Kogure staying in his dormitory?

"You think I didn't notice it, huh?" Mitsui grinned again. "Since the practice started, you look like wanting to ask me something."

"What are you, some kind of psychic?" Kaede mumbled a bit embarrassed.

"Heh-heh, I happen to be a very sensitive person, not mentioning talented."

'Narcissist...' "Well, actually there IS something I wanna ask you, but... I have to be sure you can keep this a secret."

"Hey, you can count on Mitsui Hisashi. What is your problem? Women? Failing exams? Realizing you're not so skillful at basketball? Just spill them out."

'Damn scar-faced...' Kaede felt like whacking Mitsui's head, but he has to forget about his temper for a while.

"It's about Kogure..."

Mitsui said nothing. "Huh?" he said then.

"Kogure didn't come to school today because he has a problem. I don't know what it is, but it seemed that he's very depressed. I think you should come to my house and talk to him."

"...Huh?"

"What is it Mr. Sensitive!? Didn't I make myself clear enough!?" Kaede got impatience.

"You mean... he's at your house?"

"Yeah."

Mitsui silenced himself again. He was doing some thinking. "Okay, I'll come to your house to meet Kogure after school," Mitsui's face looked very serious.

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Kiyota walked slowly to the station. His feet felt so heavy.

Actually he doesn't want to come home to his own residence. But he can't break his own promise to his aniki. Kiyota pays respect to his big brother. Even though Sakuragi is a bit rough on the edges, but he loves his brother, and so does Sakuragi.

Since Sakuragi move out from their house two years ago and changed his family name, Kiyota missed the figure of a big brother and he paid more respect to Sakuragi more than anyone, even more than to their father. So, it's just hard for him to disobey his big brother.

Inside the train, there were only few people because it was already hit night. Kiyota took the seat near the door.

At a station, the train stopped and someone stepped in. He sat his butt beside Kiyota.

"Hey!" the person said spontaneously as he saw Kiyota.

"Ah? Sendoh Akira?" Kiyota was rather surprised too.

"So, we meet again," Sendoh smiled. "Coming home from afternoon practice?" he asked.

"Yeah, " Kiyota replied with his usual grin.

"Me too. Anyway, today's afternoon practice was such a mess," Sendoh sighed without thinking maybe Kiyota doesn't wanna hear his story. "Coach Taoka-- my coach, accidentally tripped over a ball and fell on his butt. My teammate, Fuku, spontaneously laughed at him and made some of my teammates also laughed. He got mad and told us to run circle the court a hundred times."

Kiyota chuckled to hear that.

"It became such a waste of time," Sendoh leaned his head backward, "...because on Sunday Ryonan will face Shohoku on a friendship match."

"Really?" Suddenly Kiyota's mind landed on Kaede.

"Yeah. I heard Rukawa Kaede is in the team. I wonder if he's as good as they said."

Kiyota didn't reply. After staying for some days with Kaede, he never thought of measuring his rival's skill. Basketball is so out of sight when he was with Kaede. It was always about annoying and mocking each other.

"I think I have to clean my shoes for the game," Sendoh said again. "Our team manager said we'll wear new jerseys for the game, so I have to make sure my shoes match the suit," Sendoh grinned.

"Hmm..." Kiyota nodded for no reason. "Wait!!" he suddenly stood up, his face was a bit pale.

"Huh?" Sendoh stared at him confused.

"I left my Kainan jersey at the dormitory!!"

Fortunately, after Kiyota said that, the train stopped at the station leads to Rukawa Dormitory. Kiyota quickly grabbed the sport bag on the top rack above his head and exited the train and ran with all his might. He thought he has to be hurry, because he also has to go home to his own house as he promised to his aniki.

'Damned! Why am I such a forgetful person!?' Kiyota scolded himself. Meanwhile, without Kiyota's knowledge--because he was too blind and too deaf that time to see and hear anything, Sendoh was chasing Kiyota behind him also with all his might.

"Wait!! You took the wrong bag!! That's mine!!"

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"Why are you coming with us?" Mitsui asked Hikoichi who was walking along between him and Kaede.

"Kaede, my dad taught me a bit about fixing a sink yesterday, maybe I could help you fix the toilet near the stairs. You said it's broken."

"Uh, I still got four toilet functioning, you don't have to bother," Kaede replied and thinking what's a sink got to do with toilets.

"You must be very happy to have such a nice house-elf, Rukawa." Mitsui grinned harshly to Kaede. Maybe he felt a bit pissed off because Hikoichi ignored his question as usual.

"Aw, captain, it's nothing," Hikoichi replied waving his hand without noticing that Mitsui was being cynical.

Kaede and Mitsui sweatdropped.

"Well, here we are," Kaede opened the front door of his dormitory.

"Hmm, this place is not bad," Mitsui took a look around as they got inside. "This place is kinda ancient," he observed the interior of the dormitory.

"Kogure's room is upstairs. You guys stay here. I'll tell him that Mitsui came here because he needs to talk about the friendship match with Kogure privately," then Kaede went upstairs.

"I hope Kogure-senpai is fine," Hikoichi said sincerely.

"Hn..." Mitsui sat on the couch. He has known Kogure for a very long time since junior high. He would never think that Kogure would leave his home when he has a problem. Kogure is the kind of person who won't be that easy to talk about his problem to someone else, he always gives up to his problem and tries to make peace with it even though it would only make him suffers.

But now, Kogure left his home to Kaede's residence. That fact made Mitsui a bit jealous because Kogure's is his bestfriend and if he needs a place to run to he should've gone to Mitsui's house. But instead, he went here.

Mitsui crossed his arms and thought about what might be the reason Kogure decided to stay here.

Suddenly, someone opened the door harshly and dashed inside.

"Rukawaa!! Where's my jersey!!?" Kiyota ran in to where Mitsui and Hikoichi sat.

Without realizing there were two unfamiliar faces to him, Kiyota went upstairs and screaming something about jersey, his captain, get scolded, has to go home and other bla-bla things.

"Who the hell is he?" Mitsui stood in confusion staring to the direction where Kiyota went.

"Oh, he must be the guy Kaede told me about. He stays in this dormitory, but Kaede won't tell me his name." Hikoichi replied.

"Waiit!!" Suddenly another guy broke in to the room. "Where's that boy?" Sendoh Akira asked Mitsui and Hikoichi. He was sweating and panting.

"You..." Mitsui surprised to see the guy in front of him.

"Huh? Aren't you Mitsui Hisashi?" Sendoh got to his conscious. "What are you doing here? Anyway, where's the boy with the sport bag?"

"The boy? You mean the one who was running like hell and babbling something about jersey?" Hikoichi asked.

"Yes! That boy! I've been chasing him from the station. We were in the same train, but suddenly he got off and took the wrong bag. It was my bag that he took."

"WHAT JERSEY!!?" A furious voice startled Mitsui, Hikoichi, and Sendoh.

Kaede descended the stairs along with Kiyota and Kogure. His face looked mad. "Suddenly you appeared from nowhere and look for your jersey. Didn't you pack it in your bag last night!? You're really acting like a little kid!"

"Hey, if I did pack it, it would be in my bag, but look..." Kiyota opened the bag in his hand.

"Hey!" Sendoh approached him.

"See? It's not in here!" Kiyota opened wide the bag in front of Kaede's nose.

"What's a beauty lotion doing in your bag?" Kaede stared at the small bottle inside the bag.

"Huh? What beauty lotion?" Kiyota took a peek in to the bag he was holding.

"Hey, I didn't know that Kiyota Nobunaga of Kainan is such a girlie person," Mitsui grinned. Apparently he already noticed who Kiyota is.

"Kiyota Nobunaga of Kainan?" Hikoichi and Kogure spoke at the same time.

"For your information, a beauty lotion keeps your skin moisture and this bag happens to be mine!" Sendoh grabbed the bag in Kiyota's hand. "And this one is yours," He passed Kiyota's bag he's been holding before.

"Oops..." Mitsui grinned wider.

Kiyota checked his bag. He smiled shyly as he found his jersey stuck at the bottom of his bag.

"Okay, okay... enough with this insanity," Kaede spoke, "Kogure, Mitsui is here to see you. Hikoichi, you can start to fix the toilet. Kiyota, take your bag and go home. And you, whoever you are, you got your bag back, so you can leave this place. I'm going to take a bath, I need some peace and quiet here." Kaede turned and left those people.

"Humph! Cold-hearted!!" Kiyota stuck his tongue out to Kaede. "You are a lousy social being, Rukawa Kaede!"

"Rukawa Kaede?" Sendoh raised his eyebrows.

"Excuse me, Kiyota... Do you mind if I interview you for a while?" Hikoichi came up to Kiyota with his notebook in his hand.

"Huh? Oh! I'd love to, but right now I'm in a hurry. Maybe you can interview that walking ice-block over there or this smiley person over here," Kiyota pointed both Kaede and Sendoh.

"Is this smiley person famous?" Hikoichi stared at Sendoh from head to toe.

"Hikoichi..." Mitsui sighed, "He's Sendoh Akira, the ace player of Ryonan. We'll be playing against him on Sunday!"

"Sendoh Akira?" Kaede stopped and turned to view the guy.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm meeting the Shohoku players and Kainan player at the same time," Sendoh smiled.

"Excuse me..." Everyone shifted their attention to the voice suddenly heard. Sakuragi Hanamichi was standing not too far behind them.

"The door was open," he said.

"Sakuragi? Hi..." Sendoh greeted Sakuragi who was also a bit surprised to see Sendoh.

"Hi," he greeted back, and then he turned to Kiyota, "Kiyota, you said you'll come home right? Why are you still here?"

"I'm sorry. I forgot something, so I went here to get it. Okay, I'll go with you now," Kiyota walked approaching Sakuragi. When he passed Kaede, Kiyota glanced at him for a while.

"Bye," Kiyota said softly to Kaede before he turned and went outside with Sakuragi.

"Bye," Kaede replied after Kiyota was out of sight.

"Okay, I guess I'd better be gone too, sorry for the noise," Sendoh smiled to Kaede and went outside.

"Wait! Can I interview you?" Hikoichi chased him.

"You can do that on Sunday, see you!" he smiled again in a friendly way and waved to Hikoichi before he left.

"Umm... Okay, Kogure... so... I need to talk to you..." Mitsui spoke carefully and sat on the couch followed by Kogure. Hikoichi went to the toilet near the stairs.

Meanwhile, Kaede left for his room and sat there blankly couldn't remember what he was planning to do before.

tbc