Disclaimer: I don't own SD boys, Inoue does. The events that follow are not included in the original plot, but enjoy anyway.
The sub captain of Shohoku High Basketball Team was a simple man; he was neither too talented nor too good looking for a senior high basketball player. However, he was perfect for everything that he was; responsible, hardworking, gentle, prudent, etc. which made him a suitable partner for a harsh and unruly teenager like Mitsui Hisashi.
For Kogure Kiminobu, his lover needed every inch of moral support to uplift his spirits so the guilt of his past would be forgotten and his sins forgiven. He did this to repay Mitsui's unshaken love that had remained unadulterated even when the latter chose to waste away with some unworthy company 2 years ago. Kindness and pity betrayed Kogure's feelings for this beautiful junior high MVP; all his love for him had disappeared amid space like a smoke puff from a cigarette that has breathed its last. 'None now could light it again,' Kogure told himself.
For Mitsui, nothing was impossible; a love that has fallen to oblivion can still be reawaken through repentance and hard work.
For Rukawa, it was all absurd and senseless. A one sided love affair is nothing but a torturous slow death that will drive anyone insane. He was so much grieved to endure even the idea of an I-love-you-never-mind-if-you-don't-love-me kind of relationship so he made up his mind to make himself heard to his beloved Mitsui for if he didn't, their madness would kill them both.
The practice ended at 6:30 in the afternoon. Everybody had packed his bag and left when Rukawa turned to Mitsui who was too exhausted to hurry and leave with their team mates. Rukawa, too, hadn't prepared his things; he wasn't at the point of going home at all.
The lights inside the stadium were already out except for the one in the locker room. Only the almost inaudible flaps of fire moths' wings could be heard within the vicinity. The night outside was fairly young and the sky was cloudless and lit with two thousand giant balls of burning gases surrounding the milky circle of the moon. The pleasing atmosphere was suggestive of a blissful romance between two passionate lovers but neither Rukawa nor Mitsui had such sentiment; they were sheltered by the high roofs of Shohoku High's basketball court to observe the beauty of the afternoon.
Rukawa watched the other who sat languidly on Mr. Anzai's chair. He moved to his direction and before he could stop himself,
'Sempai,' he blurted out.
Mitsui stared for a moment seeming lost in dreams. A portion of his face was covered by the shadow that blocked the light from the locker room. Not knowing what to say to Rukawa, he just nodded as if to mean 'go on'.
Rukawa stood silent. In fact, he hadn't yet readied himself to profess his 'true' love for the boy in front of him and at this point, he regretted taking notice of him. I should've left with the others a while ago. I'm gonna be in deep shit after this. He told himself realizing that a confession to Mitsui could result in painful rejection. That would be more than his sensitive heart could bear.
Rukawa wasn't the only one who was beside himself; Mitsui, too, was looking intently at him without meaningful expression. In truth, all thoughts about Kaede Rukawa filled his head; the star's killer eyes, his fair skin, his dark hair, his oh so stern beauty.each physical quality seemed to belong to a different being out of the corporeal world. It was such a fascinating sight that Mitsui forgot that the entity before him was breathing and watching.
'Sempai,' Rukawa repeated.
'Y-yes?' Mitsui tried to regain his composure before his imaginations got the better of him.
TBC