Author's Notes: It has been a long time since I wrote for Slam Dunk. I hope I'm still ok. Anyway, this a spur of the moment fic that I wrote while watching the Shoyo arc. Hope you like it!

Dedication: To Reeza.

Disclaimers: This belongs to the one and only Inoue-sensei. Only the story is mine.

Smile for Me

It was rare to see a smile on that face. It was rare to see him shining like a sun, warm like its rays. It was rare for him to hear that voice so jovial.

And yet now, everything that was rare was happening.

He was smiling. He was shining and warm. His voice was not angry, it was the most jovial he had ever heard.

He had always wanted to be the recipient of that version of his friend. He had always done everything to bring out that side but no matter what he did, he had always failed. One time he had even thought that there was no other side to his friend; that his friend would remain grumpy and pouty for all time.

However, here he was now - gazing at the smiling and laughing profile of his best friend. Smiling and laughing not because of him or for him. Rather, for somebody else.

He wished he wasn't there when it happened so that he could say that it never did. He wished they never stayed behind to wait for their coach. He wished they never heard someone call his best friend by his first name, the way he had never done before.

But the reality was, he was there. They stayed behind to wait for Taoka-sensei. They heard someone call his best friend.

And now...

And now...

He started to walk away. He couldn't stand it anymore.

He never knew he exactly why he tried banging himself against a wall, knowing all the time that it might never break. He always thought it was only because he was his best friend. But now, he knew.

"Oi, matte! I need to introduce you to someone!" shouted his best friend.

He had no choice but to turn around. He had to do so or else his best friend would suspect that something was amiss.

He put on his best smile. He just hoped that he would never see through it.

"Kenji, this is Sendoh Akira, my best friend. Sendoh, this is Fujima Kenji," he paused and smiled brightly. "My boyfriend."

Sendoh bit back the tears that was supposed to fall any second. He won't cry, he thought.

"Nice to finally meet you personally, Sendoh," said Fujima, extending his hand.

The Ryonan ace gazed at his best friend then at Fujima's hand. He could not bare to let down the smile on his best friend's face. He clasped the hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Fujima-san." His smile faltered a bit when he saw the way Fujima's other hand was clasped his boyfriend's other hand. He turned to his best friend. "I need to run. Kaasan needs me to run a few errands."

Brown eyes blinked, unsure if he had heard right. "Uh, sure. See 'yah tomorrow."

"Aa. Tomorrow."

"C'mon, Kosh! Smile for me! Just one small smile!"

"Urusei, baka!"

"Kosh!"

"I told you not to call me that, remember?"

"Smile for me, Koshy..."

"SENDOH NO BAKA!"

Cerulean eyes closed shut, tears that were kept at bay finally flowed. The truth had come to him at the inappropriate timing as possible. The truth that his best friend wasn't only a best friend or a brother. The truth, he was more than that.

The truth was, he loved Koshino.

And he had realized it all too late.

-Owari-

::07:24p:: ::17Now2k4::

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