Hagane: Hello everyone! After a seemingly never-ending hiatus, I have returned! MWAHAAHAHHA!!!!!
Mit: This calls for a celebration.
Sen: Surely it does Hisashi-kun!
Mit: Yay. Let the champagne flow. Woohoo. I'm ecstatic.
Hagane: Heyyyyyy!!!!!! I resent that! What's with the lack of enthusiasm Hisashi-kun? Haven't I done enough for you?
Mit: As a matter of fact, no, you haven't.
Hagane: Ohhhh...so that's what this is about. Your lack of cough action.
Mit: You said it! I haven't gone without any for......blushes crimson
Sen: cough cough
Hagane: eyebrows raised I see......and you obviously want me to do something about it?
Mit: Damn right!
Sen: Yeah!
Hagane: Not a problem. Give me an hour.
Mit: AN HOUR?!!! Does it take so long? Hagane: What? You want immediate action? It's quality and substance you're getting sweetheart. SUBSTANCE.
Mit: has the grace to blush
Hagane: Good. Now that I've gotten my point across...
Sen: smiles happily
--
There it was. The epitome of grace, beauty and perfection. The flawless skin, the long legs, that sexy grin......"Sendoh Akira! Get your hentai ass out of bed now!" yelled a none-too- pleased Koshino Hiroaki, best friend of said victim.
"Another 5 minutes..." he groaned, stubbornly refusing to let that wonderful dream slip by.
"No! That's what you said 10 minutes ago! I'm not letting you sleep in another minute!" He grabbed the other's shoulders and shook him roughly. "Get up you oaf!"
"Hiro-kun just a while more..." Sendoh snuggled back under the covers, that happy smile still plastered on his face.
"No!"
"A while......more..." and the boy was already drifting off again. Disgusted, Koshino threw a pillow at his friend's face and stomped off to the kitchen that joined both their rooms.
"Stupid hentai and his wet dreams. I'd better call Fujima-san to tell him we'll be late. Again."
--
"AGAIN?!!" Koshino cringed as the normally calm voice rose an octave higher. Or two.
"I tried waking him up but the idiot just wouldn't listen!" he sounded pathetic and whiny even to his own ears.
"Okay, fine." Breathe in, breathe out. "But try to make it before 11 all right? There's someone I want you to meet."
"I'll go get him now. See you later." Koshino hung up before Fujima could say anything more. As usual, his heart was still left pounding after talking to his senior, but as usual, Koshino Hiroaki ignored it. Nothing he couldn't do without anyway. Frowning, he turned his attention to the room across the hall.
"Now to get that idiot out of bed." He swore under his breath, determined this time to get the other awake, and successfully this time.
--
"Uhhhhhhhh......" Sendoh grinned into his pillow, still lost in his dreams.
Koshino threw him a dirty look before hauling his dirty laundry across the room and dumping it unceremoniously over the unconscious form on the bed.
Sendoh was up in an instant. "Whaaaa?" he glared at the mess atop him. "Hiro-kun! That's my dirty laundry! You know, DIRTY?!!"
His friend shrugged nonchalantly. "So? It got you up didn't it?"
"Dirty? You're so missing the point here?" he gesticulated frantically to the messy, and stinking pile. "I SLEEP on this bed Hiro-kun! If you mess it up where am I going to sleep?"
Koshino rolled his eyes and turned towards the door. "A little less sleep wouldn't kill you, you know. Besides," he added hastily, seeing the killer look in Sendoh's eyes, "Fujima wants us there by 11. Says he's got someone he wants us to meet."
--
"Did Kenji really say that or is that your excuse to see him before practice?" Sendoh asked slyly, as they made their way to the gym.
"What? Of course he said that! What makes you think--" Koshino snapped angrily, his face turning a guilty shade of red, before he realised that Sendoh was only teasing him.
"Hehe. No need to get so defensive Hiro-kun. I won't tell anyone about your secret longing for Kenji, even if it conflicts with my best interests for you."
"What secret longing? Are you retarded?! I do not long for him!" Very aware that Sendoh was only baiting him, he fell into the trap anyway.
"What about those times you've been moaning his name aloud at night?"
"Whattttt??!!!!"
Sendoh ducked and ran ahead to get away from the killer clutches of his diabolical best friend. "No use denying the truth Hiro-kun! I'm your best friend- you can't hide anything from meeeee!!!!!"
"Oh you so have a death wish don't you?" threatened Koshino as he picked up his pace and sprinted after the other boy.
--
"Late. As usual." Fujima frowned as he looked at the two, well one apologetic face before him. And one very sheepish one.
"Sorry Kenji, I sort of overslept." Offered Sendoh, an almost embarrassed smile on his face.
"Sort of? You overslept. Admit it." Grumbled Koshino from beside him, earning himself a hard jab in the ribs.
"Oh well. I expected this anyway." Fujima shook his head, trying to fight down an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "There's someone I want you to meet, only......"
"He's wandered off somewhere," finished Kogure, coming up from behind them. "Really, that boy. It's the third time this hour!"
Fujima sighed.
"Someone who'll be joining the team?" Koshino asked.
"Someone who was SCOUTED to join the team, actually," Kogure pointed out politely.
"Whoa. Sounds like someone I want to meet," Sendoh said, impressed.
"You always want to meet someone," pointed out Koshino quite blatantly.
"Well, yeah."
"Idiot."
Their aimless bantering was interrupted by the appearance of a short, tanned boy, who was panting as he jogged up to them.
"I...pant pant...looked...pant pant ... everywhere for him..." he stopped to breathe in deeply, "can't find him. Probably got lost."
"What?" Fujima looked at him incredulously. "He can't be lost! Did you look for him everywhere?"
Ryota Miyagi nodded vigorously. "Everywhere, Fujima-san. I even had Rukawa look in the library and Hanamichi in the stadium. Though I highly doubt he'd be in any of those places," he added as an afterthought.
Sendoh raised an eyebrow. "Do I know this person? I get the feeling I do."
"Yeah, you probably do," Fujima grinned, catching Kogure's eye.
"Humour me. Who?" Sendoh leaned forward eagerly.
"Oi! Megane-kun, I've found him!" Sakuragi's booming voice reverberated throughout the silent gym.
Sendoh and Koshino looked up simultaneously to see the redhead dragging a very irate Mitsui Hisashi by the scruff of his neck.
"Let me go you stupid idiot!" he was struggling wildly against Sakuragi's iron grip.
"Mitsui-san?" Sendoh gaped. Koshino turned to Kenji.
"Is this your idea of a joke, Fujima-san?" he asked, obviously not too amused.
"Hardly. We've been trying to get him to accept the scholarship for the longest time," Fujima explained.
"He's not too keen on studying," Kogure chipped in. "Maa, Mitsui-kun, Sakuragi was only trying to be helpful."
"What? By grabbing me by the neck and dragging me all the way across campus?" snorted the boy.
"Weeeellll. You were being difficult," Kogure smiled, a very strained smile.
"I was NOT being difficult!"
"STOP STRUGGLING!!!" roared Sakuragi, "YOU WANT ME TO DROP YOU ON YOUR FACE IS THAT IT?!!!"
Incredibly, Mitsui froze.
"Good boy. Now if you'd shut up as well," Sakuragi grumped as he strode across the gym with Mitsui in tow. "You're lucky I found you, and not the stupid kitsune."
"Oh I'm rejoicing," he muttered darkly.
Sakuragi smacked him hard across the back of his head.
"OWW!"
"I told you to shut up." He scolded.
"WELL YOU WERE TALKING TO ME!!!!!" he yelled.
"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO REPLY!!!!" the redhead yelled back, in spite of the fact that they were barely inches apart.
"WHO THE HELL SHUTS UP WHEN SOMEONE'S TALKING TO THEM?!!!"
"D'aho."
Sendoh face-faulted. Talk about perfect timing.
"SHUT UP STUPID KITSUNE!"
"QUIT YELLING IN MY EAR WILL YOU?!!!!"
"WILL YOU PLEASE STOP YELLING?" Miyagi joined in.
"WHY? SO YOU CAN?" Mitsui made a face. "MAKE ME."
"MITCHY DO YOU WANT TO DIE SO MUCH?!!!" Sakuragi threatened, a dangerous glint in his eye.
"D'aho." Rukawa intervened, stepping into the gym.
"SHUT UP KITSUNE!"
"YOU'RE MAKING ME GO DEAF ALL OF YOU!!!!" Miyagi yelled in frustration.
"LALALLALLALALLALAA!!!!!!!" sang Mitsui loudly, much to Sendoh's amusement.
"Okay guys, break it up," Kogure tried to step in.
"Are they normally so, um, lively?" asked Sendoh.
"Yes," Kogure cringed.
"I'm supposed to take charge of this?" Fujima asked, doubt seeping into his normally confident tone.
"I'm afraid so, Fujima-san," Kogure smiled apologetically.
The former Shoyo captain sighed, before turning to his team. "All right. Sakuragi, let Mitsui down. Miyagi, stop yelling. Rukawa, stop provoking Sakuragi. And Mitsui," here he paused to look him right in the eye, "stop with the disappearing act."
Said boy glowered at him as Sakuragi let him go.
"Wow," commented Kogure, more than a little impressed at the display of control.
"Wow is correct, Kogure-san," Sendoh agreed.
"I'm dead," Koshino grumbled, slapping his forehead in resignation.
--
Mitsui glared and made a show of stomping all the way after Sakuragi, much to the amusement of the others.
"Is he always like that?" Fujima inquired.
"Unfortunately yes, if you were hoping for more..." Miyagi shook his head, in mock disappointment.
"Bit of a surprise if you ask me..." Sendoh chuckled.
"I wonder what Maki's going to make of this," Fujima grinned cheekily.
Knowing looks were exchanged all around the table as they thought of their captain's reaction when he'd finally come back from that leadership camp he'd had to attend.
"I'm going to miss playing his part," pouted Fujima.
"Yeah right Fujima-san." Miyagi rolled his eyes.
"Poor Maki-san," Koshino said suddenly. Everyone started. Then slowly, there were sympathetic nods all around.
"Poor Maki-san."