Hallo! I've updated my other fics, so here's the next chapter of this story. Hope you like, read and review please!
Auction!
Chapter Two!
"Okay," said Ayako the next day, stepping sideways to give herself some breathing room from Miyagi, "I have an idea."
Akagi and the rest of the team were listening to her closely. Beside her was Haruko, Akagi's little sister, who didn't seem to be listening but looking at Rukawa instead, who in turned looked sleepy.
"Let's hear it then," said Akagi.
"Well, actually," and here Ayako smiled at Haruko. "Haruko here came up with the idea."
Haruko blushed, but didn't say anything.
"Well of course Haruko-chan came up with the idea!" cried Sakuragi Hanamichi cheerfully. It is a well known fact to anyone, except Haruko herself, that he was sporting an immensely unquenchable crush for the captain's sister. "She's so smart and talented, how can she not have come up with the idea!"
Haruko blushed even more, and gave Sakuragi a smile, who in turn grinned back. He didn't notice that Haruko's eyes had already diverted back to Rukawa Kaede, who's head was starting to bob up and down.
"What's the idea then?" asked Mitsui, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"Well," began Ayako, "we were thinking that we could have an … auction."
Silence for ten seconds.
"What's an auction?"
Everyone, save for the speaker, Sakuragi, fell onto the hardwood floor.
Kogure was the first one to recover. "An auction is when you sell things to the highest bidder," he said, "you can sell anything, and the bidder will offer you a price. The person who offers you the highest price buys the item you're selling for the price of the money that he bidded."
Sakuragi nodded slowly. "So basically, we sell things to the person with the best offer."
Kogure nodded enthusiastically, and hid his amazement that Sakuragi was able to cotton on so quickly. "Right," he said.
Rukawa, however, didn't mask out amazement at all. "For a monkey, you sure caught on quick."
"BAKA KITSUNE!"
And once again, Kogure was holding back Sakuragi. Mitsui didn't bother. He was still a little stung from the gay comment that Rukawa told him yesterday.
"Hold it," said Akagi, looking at Ayako and Haruko directly. "We can't auction our stuff, we need money, and lots of it. We can't just go and sell balls and equipment to the highest bidder."
"Yeah, that'll cost us more money," added Miyagi, "not that it's not a good idea Ayako-chan." He added quickly.
Ayako and Haruko then looked at each other. Ayako looked like he was questioning something and Haruko was nodding encouragingly. The boys just looked from one to the other, and some, like Kogure, wondered whether girls have invented a secret language spoken only through the eyes.
"Well," said Ayako, "we weren't actually thinking of auctioning any of the basketball equipment."
Akagi narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "What were you planning to sell then?"
"Erm," said Haruko this time, "what we were thinking of is that we can um, sell, you guys."
Another ten second silence.
"NANI!"
"Selling might be the wrong word," thought Ayako out loud. Both girls have backed away from the team, as they chorused aloud their vehement exclamation.
"We're not freaking toys you know!" cried one.
"You can't do that to us!" cried another.
"This country has laws about things like this you know!" cried yet another.
"We didn't mean sell!" screamed Ayako back, trying to get a hold of the situation.
But some of the teams were still shouting their exclamation. Strangely enough, the first five and Kogure didn't seem to voice out any of their opinions. Perhaps, like Kogure, and Akagi, they were still too stunned to speak. Sakuragi's mouth was wide open, and Miyagi's was opening and closing like a fish. Rukawa's eyes were wider now than ever, and his sleepiness seemed to have been knocked off him.
"Shut up!" roared their captain.
They all shut up.
"Good," he nodded, and then turned to Ayako, and for some reason, she thought that he looked extremely menacing. "Now, explain."
"Er, ha-hai!" said Ayako, trying to deep breathly to maintain her calm. "Er, we didn't mean that we're gonna sell you guys, of course not. For one thing, it's illegal."
"Then what did you mean?" asked Kogure. The team seem to be recovering their voices fast.
"Um," continued Haruko, "what we meant that we're gonna auction you guys off. Not sell, no one will exactly be sold, I think that's illegal."
"So what do you mean?" asked Mitsui impatiently.
"Well," she continued slowly, "we were thinking that we can auction you guys off...for dates."
Silence for another ten seconds.
"Oh for heaven's sake!" cried Ayako, "say something!"
Some of the boys looked at each other. Kogure looked at Akagi. Sakuragi turned to Miyagi and Miyagi turned to Mitsui and Mitsui turned back to Sakuragi (circle of life). Rukawa just looked sleepy.
"You know," said Sakuragi, after a few more seconds. "That may be a good idea..."
Haruko's eyes lit up. "You think so, Hanamichi?"
Sakuragi turned red and rubbed the back of his head. "Of course, Haruko-chan! It's a brilliant idea! Sign me up!" Secretly, he was thinking that maybe Haruko could buy him as a date.
Ayako turned to Akagi. "It'll raise a lot of money, captain," she reasoned, "coz we'd be getting the best price for these dates. The basketball team is really popular, just look at the many girls that flock here every practice! Rukawa alone can give us a hundred thousand yen at least -"
"Excuse me?"
Ayako, Akagi, Kogure and practically the rest of the team turned to Rukawa, who was surprisingly not asleep, but looking, no, glaring at Ayako in the most murderous way.
"Are you talking about me?" he asked.
Ayako didn't answer.
"Cause if you think you're selling me then you people have got to be out of your freaking minds."
"But, Rukawa-kun," began Ayako -
"There are no ifs, and or buts to it," he answered back calmly. After all, this is a girl we're talking about. Much as he hated the idea of being sold to one of those screaming hysterical fangirls, girls should still be respected. Especially, older girls with hard paper fans.
"But it's a good idea, Rukawa," protested Kogure, who was for some reason, red.
"Yeah!" agreed Sakuragi, "Just think for once in your miserable life, we can get the money for the team, and have dates at the same time! Nyahahahaha!"
Rukawa glared at Sakuragi. "You just like the idea because it gets you a date for once." he muttered.
"Nani?"
Then, in another unprecedented move, Rukawa smirked. "If someone bothers to buy you that is."
"BAKA KITSUNE!"
Then the great tussle of the two would be best players in the Kanagawa region, Fight 67, Round 477, commenced.
Everyone else just sweatdropped.
Finally, Akagi and Mitsui both had the good sense to separate the two from each other. The two were still glaring daggers at each other, but that's okay, cause looks can't kill.
"Come on, Rukawa," heaved Mitsui, pulling him up. "It's a good idea, plus it's our only idea. And think about it, it'll be nice to go out on dates." He looked up at the ceiling. "I can already think of the many girls that would just be lining up to go out with me, all I have to do is choose." He smiled. "Maybe I don't have to choose. I can date them one by one."
"That makes you a male prostitute," pointed out Rukawa calmly.
"Teme Kitsune!"
And the match between Rukawa and Mitsui, fight 34, round 657, commenced.
"ENOUGH!" roared the captain.
Rukawa and Mitsui froze. Rukawa had his fist a centimeter away from Mitsui's nose, and Mitsui had his fist a centimeter away from Rukawa's teeth, so we can call this match even.
"This is the only idea we have, and frankly, it'll do us a great good to use it. It'll get us a lot of money. The only sacrifice that it's asking is a few minutes of our time."
"Why, gori," asked Sakuragi slyly, "you're joining? Wanna go on a date with some girl?"
Akagi landed another phenomenal lump in Sakuragi's head. However, he lost all his menacing look when he blushed.
"I'm not joining." said Rukawa bluntly, standing up and glaring at the rest of the team.
"Oh yes you are," said Ayako, waving the paper fan at him.
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are," boomed Akagi, "and if you don't, you're suspended from our first match."
Rukawa crossed his arms, cursed, and stalked off to the locker rooms.
Akagi smiled smugly at Rukawa's back. It was good to be captain.
Okay, there are a few things I need to explain. Now, I'm auctioning the boys off, and thoughI have the power to do that in this story, I am in no way entitles to any of them, in other words, ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. There, now the legal part's done. Next, I need your help.I need bidders, people willing to buy them. Write a Japanese name that you like and what you bid, on any of the Shohoku Characters. I'm still thinking if I should include Sendoh and the others, and if I do, how I can manage to put them in without the story being ridiculous.
So now you're obligated to review. Hehe, write a name you like, any name really, but it would be nice if it's Japanese, and I'll put you in it. Okay? Thannks.