Title: A Dirty Basketball

Disclaimer: If if owned SD, I'd be filthy rich right now and I'd not have to go through fanfics if I wanted to realize this story, y'know.

Pairings: Umm, at the moment, uncertain. But this is not yaoi!

Time Setting: After Shohoku lost to Aiwa. Oh, wait! After the Interhigh was concluded. Yup, the champs are here. Of course, they're my creation. And here, the teams are still complete.

Fictional/New Character: A whole team, actually… Okay, a whole school. This includes the particular person I created, Aki Sendoh, Akira Sendoh's, umm… cousin… hehehe!

POV's: many, maybe most of my lead characters will have their own share

Summary: Jonan has this tradition of resuming classes for one week during summer. So, classes resume and two of Aki's girl classmates conspire to take her down and in the process, get Rukawa and Sendoh.

Chapter 6: Hell High Resumes

NoRMaL PoV:

"Hey, all of you are early today," Aono, the Jonan basketball team captain, greeted in his usual Akagi-like manner.

"Uh, yeah," Aki smiled momentarily. She, Sendoh, Rukawa, and Mitsui just stepped in the court, actually early for training. The three boys busied themselves rummaging through their stuff, bags on the bench. Aki sat beside the bags, and this made Sendoh turn to her.

"Why're you here anyway?"

"What?"

"What're you doing here?"

"Here we go again –"

"No, not the rights stuff. It's just that you don't really hang around watching the team practice, do you?"

"Well, no. But don't you want me here?"

"What?" Sendoh's heartbeat raised. Was Aki trying ot tease him about what he said the night before? Did Aki, who was supposed to be asleep, actually hear his secret confession?

"Don't you want me here?" Aki repeated, a little louder this time. This made Rukawa's and Mitsui's heads turn her way.

"Want – me? – you? What?" Sendoh stuttered. Aki laughed lightheartedly.

"Just joking," Aki said, when she had recovered from the laugh.

"Players, assemble!" Aono yelled all of a sudden.

"Ganbatte, Akira!" Aki said to her cousin. She noticed Rukawa and Mitsui looking at her. "You, too!" She said to the both of them. Rukawa blushed and Mitsui laughed his head off again.

"Uh, Sendoh-san," A head peered between the doors at the side of the gym. Otome Karu, the Sports Committee chairman, was looking at Aki.

"Otome-san, nan desu ka?"

"Can we talk outside?" Otome widened the gap between the doors and gestured Aki to pass. Aki walked to him and they went ouside.

"What work do I have today?" Aki said with a polite smile, actually trying to to make it obvious that she was getting tired. Otome always says on committee meetings that Aki is his favorite staff worker, but he shows his favoritism by giving the girl a load more of work than necessary. When people ask why, he says that he gives Aki more work because he trusts her. True? We'll all find out.

"Well, how's it going with that stalker spreading rumors about Kanagawa players?"

"Oh, that? I haven't heard from him since first day of training. Why?"

"Nothing. Are you okay with it?"

"Okay with what?"

"Aren't you affected or anything? I mean, your cousin's included, ne?"

"Uhmm – " Before Aki could answer, Mitsui appeared.

"Aki, I think you need to see this," Mitsui said, a grim smile across his face, pointing a glance at the inside of the gym. Aki, almost automatically, walked and left Otome. What she saw was actually a spectacular sight. Two tall men, standing at the court center, ball in the hand of one guy. Both of them were staring fixed at each other, glaring.

"Just because of that, you think you're got it all?" the raven-haired guy murmurred, but everyone understood what he said by reading it off his lips.

"Just admit that you're jealous," the other guy, the one whose hair was spikes, spoke audibly, smiling nastily at the raven-haired guy. (You get who they are, right?)

"Wha – What's happening? What are they up to?" Aki blinked, looking at the two, puzzled. Mitsui was standing in front of her.

"Mitsui, leave the lady out of this," the spiky-haired guy said. Mitsui smiled grimly at Aki again.

"What are you two up to, really now? Akira! Rukawa-kun!" Rukawa blushed. Sendoh smiled wider, all the while grimmer. Aki realized what she just said, calling on Rukawa, and so she blsuhed, too.

"Now, why are you going red?" Sendoh mockingly said to Rukawa. Rukawa doesn't answer, and isntead dribbles the ball. He passes through Sendoh, but Sendoh was quick, too, and catches up just in time to block an almost perfect lay-up.

"Wanna know why they're fighting?" Mitsui smiled, smiling at Aki.

"Wh – Why?" Aki said, rooted to the spot.

"Really now, it's practice time. We're serious," Fujima appeared beside Aki. "Sendoh-san, I'm sorry about this," Fujima side-glanced. Rukawa and Sendoh abandoned their bout and went back to the bench. Aki approached the bench, however, picked up her bag, and turned to Sendoh and Rukawa.

"I'm off," she said shortly. Rukawa was holding a towel, and looked at Aki.

"Why?"

"Oh? Did I hear a lonely 'Why?' there?" Sendoh said to the wall.

"Do ahou,"

"Really?"

'I'm going," Aki said again, turning around and starting to walk.

"Wait!" Sendoh gave in, too, and held Aki's arm.

"Now, that was a lonely 'Wait,'"

"Kitsune,"

"Sendoh," Aono said to Aki suddenly. "Join us later,"

"?"

"Oh, yeah. The dinner,"

'What dinner?"

"We're gonna have dinner tonight. All five teams. And the committee, if you're gonna come," Rukawa said. Aki stared at him again, surprised once mor eto hear Rukawa speak a long sentence.

"Okay, I'll come,"

"Really?" Sendoh said gleefully, eyes twinkling. Aki waved a hand and walked away. Later when evening came, they went to a restaurant…

"Sendoh, I have a favot to ask of you," Aono said across the table. Aki and her cousin were sitting beside each other, while Rukawa sat on the other side of Sendoh.

"Who?" the cousins said in unison.

"Oh, I meant Aki Sendoh," Aono said.

"What about?"

"As you guys know, tomorrow is the start of the one week mid-summer classes in Jonan," At this, talk broke across the table.

"Mid-summer classes?" Sendoh turned to his cousin. Rukawa leaned in to hear Aki's explanation better. Aki, in turn, looked at both of them and explained.

"It's like, a tradition, or a practice in Jonan. Teachers excuse it as a way for students to not let what they learnt leak out of their brains during the summer. But really, it's just an extra day for teachers to get to tell students off," Aki said.

"What do you do during the classes?" Rukawa asked.

"Regualr classes as the previous year,"

"Oh," Sendoh commented, signaling that he'd understood.

"Oh, yeah. Next year, I'm gonna be a sophomore, ne?"

"Yeah, along with Kitsune," Sendoh said, smiling and pointing at the silent Rukawa. Rukawa just stared, but Aki made the backfire at Sendoh.

"Yeah, and you're gonna be a senior! Ha ha ha!" Aki said, pointing to Senodh, too.

"Yeah, she's right," Rukawa said quietly, but he made sure that Sendoh heard it. When Sendoh turned to him, he grinned at his plate.

"Anyways, back to the topic. This mid-summer class week, Jonan is going to have a practice sports exercise with Tomoeda High," Aono continued. (Tomoeda sound familiar, ne? He he he…)

"Tomoeda?" Sendoh turned to his cousin again.

"They're from this district as well. Second best in Japan last year, both men's and women's division,"

"I was going to ask if you can play on the women's team, even just for the exercise this week," (NOTE: Aono is the captain of Jonan men's basketball team and coach of women's basketball team. )

"Me?"

"Yes,"

"A – Well –"

"Aww, c'mon. Don't tell me you don't wanna play," Sendoh said aloud to his cousin. The other players all leaned at the table, waiting for Aki's answer. Aki, pressured, was forced to say yes.

"Well, okay… But, just for the exercise, okay?"

"Yeah!" the Jonan players cheered. The next day…

aKi'S PoV:

Why did I say yes again? Oh, yeah. They were all staring at me. How the hell was I supposed to turn it down? Let's see. How can I avoid it? Get injured? Right. Oh, no. If I get injured, I'll still have to step in the court. I sould get injured earlier. Umm… I should get injured right now… Run over by a car? Could be… Why not? Aaaaaa!

NoRMaL PoV:

Aki was indeed nearly run over by a car. She was once again preoccupied, drowned in her thoughts, forgetting where she was going. Today, since there are classes, she was naturally wearing her school uniform, which was, well, seductive? Anyways, the design is quite common, but living with three guys makes it all different. The uniform consisted of a short white skirt, white sleeveless polo, a black collar ribbon, and a black blazer. Innocent? Mitsui drools over it. She reached Jonan just in time. When she entered the classroom, she found Rukawa and Sendoh seated at the back.

"Sit in," Aki told herself. Later, she noticed that two of her classmates were approaching them. Soon, they engaged in aconversation. What it was about, Aki couldn't care less. But later still, Aki saw them actually trying to hold hands with the two guys. Though reluctant, the players did. "Flirt," she said to herself once more. "The hell do I care," Aki settled on a desk beside the window and stare out of it. Sendoh finally noticed her and got up from his chair. One of the girls tried to stop him from getting up but he insisted.

"Hey,"

"Hey,"

"What're their names?"

"What?"

"Them," Sendoh said, referring to the two girls. The two were watching them, actually, and Rukawa was glaring at Sendoh once more.

"You actually chatted all morning with them and you still don't know their names?" Aki said, startled. Before Sendoh could answer, a respectable teacher entered the room and told them to settle down already. During discussion…

"What do you get when you add three square root of three and negative nine square root of three? Come on you, this is so elementary," Several hands shot into the air, including Aki's and the two girls'. "Sendoh, what is the answer?" Aki got up.

"Negative six square root of three," Aki said. The two girls glared at her. On the next questions the teacehr asked, the two girls always answered, preventing Aki from answering again. After classes…

"Sendoh, why don't you introduce us to your cousin and your, uhm, friend?" one of them said as Aki was about to go out of the classroom. Aki stopped and turned to them.

"This is Sendoh Akira and this is Rukawa Kaede. This is Karen Wayne and this is Ariane Ashton. There," Aki turned to walk away but Sendoh stopped her.

'Hey, wait up,"

"I gotta go, committee meeting," Aki said. After Aki's meeting, she went straight home and did not find his cousin nor Rukawa in the house. Only Mitsui was there.

"Hey, where're the two?"

"I thought they'd be here,"

"Didn't you go home with them?"

"Didn't you?"

"Nope," Mitsui said. He was lying on the long couch, watching TV. He turned the TV off and sat up so that Aki could sit, too. Aki didn't.

'What's your problem now?"

"Come on,"

"Oh, I see. You're scared, ne?"

"Who shouldn't be? You're a pervert who can't control yourself. Am I not supposed to worry?"

"Ha ha ha! That's funny!" Mitsui laughed.

"What?"

"So you do know how to get scared!"

"So what?"

"You get scared of men! Now, I thought you were a punk girl?" Mitsui said as he got up from the couch and approached Aki. Aki knew better now. She took a few careful steps backwards. "See? You're scared!" Mitsui siad as he lunged forward and held Aki's shoulders and kissed her neck.

"Get off!" Aki pushed him. Mitsui got off and laughed his head off. Aki stumped her way up the stairs, glaring at the guy before she disappeared into her room.

MiTSui'S PoV:

Ha ha ha! Aki… Tch. Yeah, she's cute when she gets scared. Wonder where those two are, anyway. Leaving "the apple of their eyes" alone? Hardly daring to believe it. Why do I care? If they go out often, Aki and I will be left alone often, too!

End of Chapter 6: Hell High Resumes