Celibacy
by Aki Midori
No blahs today... I blah'ed enough in Kono Do'aho...
But I want to thank everyone for reviewing this fic!
Warnings: This fic should only be read by mature people. Everyone else agrees. So don't go complaining to me that I've corrupted your innocence, okay? PG-13, minna!
diScLAimerS: Slam Dunk and its characters are all property of Inoue Takehiko-sama. The plot is mine. The madness is mine. *tensai cackle*
Warning: I'm pretty much bummed right now... so once again, I have to remind you of the humor in this chapter. Plus, I have to focus on the pairings this time. ^_^ Oh... long chapter, too.
Enjoy, minna!
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Celibacy
Chapter Six: Eden
The place was perfect.
It was scorching hot. The sand was white, glittering under the rays of the bright sun. The sea was blue... calm... cool... refreshing.
It was quiet.
Until eleven men and five women arrived.
Chaos started... and ensued...
"This is perfect!" Sakuragi exclaimed as he inhaled the fresh morning air. "Great idea, Soi-kun!"
Sendoh couldn't agree with Sakuragi more. Yes... this would be the place. He'd spend the entire weekend with Rukawa. They'd walk down the beach, and they'd talk all day long, and they'd play beach volleyball with their friends, and they'd swim and they'd have loads of fun!
Uh... well... There were a few problems earlier this morning, when they have to stop over at a convinient store to buy a few necessary items. Men and women flocked over their group.
Or flocked over to *him*, specifically.
He couldn't blame them. He tried so hard to look his damn best just so he could impress Rukawa. He was clad in simple clothes, really. Just a plain sleeveless shirt (which showed off his oh-so-muscled arm), and shorts. He took time in choosing his accessories, though. He wore a black choker with a silver cross pendant, a matching black tied-up bracelet, and cool black sunglasses.
And he wore the perfect smile, too.
Sendoh smiled and sighed. 'Funny how I could look so damn gorgeous in simple clothes,' he thought. Oh well... his ego sure is inflating again. But looking back, that 'convenience store' portion of the morning wasn't really good. What the hell are those women doing in a convenience store so early in the morning? And to top it all, one of them actually flaunted herself over Sendoh.
'Celibacy,' he reminded himself, and instinctively shoved the woman away. Good thing Kogure was standing nearby. He caught the woman before any further damage might be done. Kiyota and Sakuragi's booming voices brought enough 'damage' already (to everyone's sleepy ears), as well as Koshino, who, as always, was loudly complaining about something Mitsui did.
Oh well... it wasn't as if he *wanted* the women, anyway. He has changed. There was only one thing- person, actually- he wanted in the world...
... and that person is conviniently drooling at the farthest corner at the store... asleep.
And *that* person didn't even say anything about Sendoh's cool get-up. He was too busy lamenting his lost sleep.
Dammit.
'Oh well,' Sendoh thought. 'Past is past. What's done is done. All I have to do is to enjoy this perfect weekend with Rukawa-kun!'
Rukawa, on the other hand, honestly thought that this was a bad idea. He looked down at his periwinkle hawaiian shirt (complete with tall coconuts trees and smiling suns and blooming pink and yellow flowers) that his sisters bullied him into wearing and sighed. His shorts with smileys printed all over it wasn't helping, either. No, this isn't perfect. This is hell.
Nothing could be worse than spending an entire weekend with noisy, nosy, and overly-active people. And his sisters are here, too.
Does heaven hate him, or what?
"Okay, everyone," Maki started, while pointing to a fairly huge two-storey house. "That will be they place where we'll be staying in for the weekend. Now, would everyone please choose their respective rooms and settle down before we meet again at this same spot to plan the day's activities?"
"Geez, Shin," Kiyota snickered, "you sounded as if you're directing another board meeting bullshit. We're here to enjoy the weekend, and we're not supposed to 'plan the day's activities'! What shall we do, then? Brainstorm?" He crossed his eyes and mimicked a little pupil while raising his hand. "I know, teacher! First, we should put on sunblock! Then, we should run towards the beach! Then, we should get wet! Then, we should splash the waves! Then, we laugh! Then-"
"Fine, I get the picture," Maki snapped. Fujima smiled and walked over to Maki.
"Hey... relax, would you? Have fun," Fujima said. "And stop thinking."
Maki... for reasons best left unsaid, blushed.
"Shin blushed! Shin blushed!" Mitsui teased. "Shin likes Fujima!"
And Maki... the ever *sensible* guy of the group, ran over to Mitsui and strangled him.
Koshino laughed. "Good for him," he said. "Go get him for me, Shin!"
Jin glanced over to Koshino and smiled. "You look good when you're smiling," he said. "You should smile more often."
And Koshino... the perpetually *frowning* man, blushed.
"Hiro blushed! Hiro blushed!" Mitsui teased, who just recovered from Maki's death grip. "Hiro likes Jin!"
Koshino, of course, lunged for Mitsui, but the latter was able to dodge him. "Twit!" Mitsui teased and ran away.
"Goddamn you, come back here!" Koshino growled as he ran after Mitsui, who was currently hiding behind Kogure. The others cheered.
Rukawa sighed. "Kids, all of them," he muttered. He picked up his bag and started to walk towards the house. Sendoh noticed and went after him.
"Where are you going?" Sendoh asked.
'Uncle Jimmy's mango farm, duh,' Rukawa wanted to say, but thought the better of it. "Where does it look like I'm going?"
"Anou... the house?"
'Hooray for Sendoh! Gifted child!,' Rukawa thought sarcastically. He suddenly wanted to hit himself for being so damn sarcastic. Why is it that he couldn't just let go of his twisted sarcasm for just one day? Wasn't it that he was already comfortable around this foolish-looking man? He sighed and vowed to keep his sarcasm under control.
He's going to have fun this weekend.
For once... he'd let himself open up to the world. To Sendoh.
For once... he'd let himself be happy.
That is... if this stupid smiling fool would behave.
"The place is perfect, right?" Sendoh asked, which made Rukawa realize that the former hasn't left his company yet. They entered the huge house and headed straight towards the stairs.
"Yeah," Rukawa replied.
"Why are you in a bad mood?"
"I hate waking up early."
"I see."
"And I hate this stupid shirt. And I hate this stupid shorts."
"It's cute! ^_^"
"Shut up."
No words were exchanged as they scanned the rooms... and found out that there are only eight rooms. Each room was large and luxuriously equipped with two beds, a tv, plush pillows, comfy chairs and a bathroom.
The perfect rooms for honeymooners.
The perfect rooms for wild, passionate sex.
Sendoh's nightmare.
"Wow... this is a great place!" Sendoh said as he walked behind Rukawa. Good thing Rukawa couldn't see his discomfort. "There are only eight rooms, though. That means we should share the same room with someone!" He blinked looked at Rukawa with a super sweet smile and said, "Nee, Rukawa-kun-"
"And have you jumping on me in the middle of the night?" Rukawa interruped. "You wish."
"I wouldn't do such a thing," Sendoh said with such reverence. Inside, he was praying for divine intervention.
"That coming from an acclaimed pervert such as yourself?" Rukawa scoffed.
"Aaaw, come on! You might be beautiful and gorgeous and handsome, and I think I'm beginning to like you, but I'm not what you think I am anymore. I've changed! I promise!"
Rukawa stiffened at Sendoh's words.
Beautiful...
Gorgeous...
Handsome...
Beginning to like you...
What the hell...
Sendoh's eyes widened and suddenly, he wanted to slap himself for his stupidity. Who knows if Rukawa was ready for this kind of relationship? Just as Rukawa was starting to open up to him, he just have to slip.
'Moron,' he reprimanded himself. 'Idiotic moron. Moron of morons. Idiot of all idiots. Moron of all idiots. Idiot of all morons. Nitwit. Birdbrain. Fool. Do'aho.' He walked over towards Rukawa and gently laid his hand on the latter's stiff shoulder.
Rukawa stiffened even more. Needless to say, he now resembles an electric post. Put in a few wires, and it should do the trick.
'The touch of a hand,' Rukawa thought while his heartbeat increased its tempo. 'No one has ever touched me before, save for my sisters and friends. His hand is warm. Is this... how... human contact... feels like?'
And then his 'Super Barriers Around the Heart' system raged to life. He could actually hear the stainless steels rising around his heart and brain, while stainless tubes furiously pumped 'cold blood' in his veins and supplied his vocabulary with spiky words. His eyes turned cold as he flinched away from Sendoh's touch.
"Anou... Rukawa-kun. Gomen," Sendoh said softly.
And then the 'Super Barriers Around the Heart' system calmed down a little. But they're still activated, though.
"I promise I'd behave," Sendoh said. "And besides, who'd you share a room with? Sakuragi-kun and Nobu looks as if they wouldn't want to be apart tonight. Shin and Fujima are getting a tad too comfortable with each other. Heaven knows Hiro needed Jin by his side to calm his ever-raging temper. And Hisashi and Kogure are already going out. Ayako-san would be with Miyagi-san, and your sisters would be pairing up, too." Sendoh smiled. "Would you rather I share a room with one of your sis-"
"Fine," Rukawa snapped. "We'll get that room with the balcony. Stay away from my sisters." He started to go to that room but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing the ever-following, ever-smiling Sendoh to crash onto him.
And Rukawa's arse is so damn... plush.
'Down, boy,' Sendoh reminded his... *tool*, for lack of a more discreet word. 'I promised him that we'd behave. And we're practicing celibacy, darn it!'
He looked at Rukawa was currently looking as if he just received a shocking news. "What happened, Rukawa-kun?" he asked.
"Are... you sure about... our friends?" Rukawa asked. "How did that happen? I know about Hana and Kiyota. It's inevitable. But I never... noticed the others. I'm that dense, am I not? I'm too cold. I don't care much for everyone, do I?"
Sendoh frowned. "That's not true. You care for everyone. It's just that sometimes, you get wrapped up in your own world. You always wanted to be alone. People can't blame you if you're like that. They like you that way."
'Heaven knows I like you that way,' he wanted to add.
Rukawa just gave him a strange look and walked away.
"Nothing's really going on with the others," Sendoh supplied, trying to cheer Rukawa up. "It's just that they're really starting to get comfy with each other, that's all. Hisashi and Kogure-san just got together recently. I myself was rather surprised."
"I see."
"Yeah..."
And so... awkward silence continued to reign amongst these two men whilst they opened the door to their room. They were just standing there. Looking at the room. At the beds. At the things. At everything except each other. Yep... there was awkward silence...
Boring scene, actually.
Until the celibate hentai couldn't take it anymore. He had to do something!
And then a brilliant plan popped from his brilliant mind.
"Rukawa-kun!" he exclaimed just as Rukawa was setting down his duffel bag on his chosen bed.
"..."
"I'm gonna make you happy this weekend! I'm going to make you smile, laugh and I'm gonna make you... uh... happy!" Sendoh said with a huge smile.
Rukawa merely 'hn'ed. "You're hungry, aren't you? Empty stomach means empty brain."
Sendoh actually prevented himself from sweatdropping. "I'm serious, Rukawa-kun. I'm going to make you happy!"
"If your plan includes wild trysts in the bed, I'd pass," Rukawa stated, dead-pan as ever.
"Come on! I'm not a pervert, Rukawa-kun-"
'Like duh.'
"-Just trust me, okay? Would you let me make you happy? Would you trust me?" Sendoh asked while crossing his fingers.
Rukawa studied Sendoh. The latter said that he wanted to make him happy. He said he's *going* to make him happy. All he gotta do is to trust the man...
It wouldn't hurt him, right?
"You can start making me happy by allowing me to get out of this goddamn shirt."
Sendoh smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."
But the gleam in Sendoh's eyes made Rukawa think twice about his decision.
'Could I take back what I said?' he asked as Sendoh beamed even brighter.
"Oh, and Rukawa-kun?"
"What now?"
"Periwinkle's good on you."
"Fuck off."
---------------------
Yes... it certainly was the perfect place.
Such a beautiful place.
Such a quiet place...
Until nine men and five women decided to hang out at the beach.
"Goddamn you Mitsui Hisashi! Come back here, you scar-faced wimp!" Koshino shouted as he ran after a laughing Mitsui. Pretty soon, both disappeared in the peaceful horizon.
"What did Hisashi do now?" Maki asked.
"Threw a live crab at Koshino," Fujima supplied. Maki choked on his soda.
"A live- what?!"
"A live crab, Shin," Kiyota said. "You know... one of those crawly ten-legged shellfish? Those-"
"I know what a crab is, Nobu. Thanks very much."
Kiyota laughed. "Kidding, Shin! But you should see Hiro's face. He was red all over! Bwahahaha! The crab wouldn't let go of him no matter how hard he pulled!"
And an image of a reddened Koshino trying to pull a stubborn crab off him while delivering all sorts of curses and foul words was so silly to Maki that he started to snicker.
"Why does Hisashi-kun likes to torture Koshino-kun so much?" Kogure asked.
"Your boyfriend is demented, that's why," Maki joked.
Kiyota widened his eyes in fake surprise. "Oh. My. God. Everyone! Hear ye, hear ye! Maki Shinichi cracked a joke! A lame joke, but still a joke! There must be something wrong." Kiyota stopped and looked at a smiling Fujima. "Ah hell! I know why Shin is in a good mood lately! He's with Fujima-san! Bwahahaha- aaaaack!"
Maki gripped Kiyota's neck so tightly, the latter's face turned blue. When he was satisfied with Kiyota's already-purple face, he threw the guy towards Sakuragi (who was busy splashing around with Shinri and Miku) and turned to Kogure with a sweet smile.
"But seriously," he started, "Hisashi and Hiro's history go way far back when we were kids. Hiro was a crybaby, and Hisashi always liked to bully people... especially crybabies like Hiro. Now, though Hiroaki isn't a crybaby anymore, he's still ill-tempered. Hisashi couldn't help but provoke him. I think it's the purpose of his existence."
"Ah, I see," Kogure said with a smile. "But Koshino-kun seemed pretty okay whenever he's with Soi. Ne, Soi-chan?"
Jin, the ever-sweet, doe-eyed man simply smiled. "I like him."
"Always the straigtforward one, ne, Soi?" Fujima teased. Jin simply laughed.
Kirei sighed dramatically. "You guys are having all the fun," she complained. "Why is it that all gorgeous men are already taken? Where are the *other* guys? And where is Kaede-love?"
Megumi snorted. "Probably fooling around in some broom closet with Sendoh."
"Why fool around in some broom closet when there's a bed? Oh, Megumi-dear, you are so unromantic," Kirei said with an elegant wrinkle of her oh-so-dainty nose. "I want Kaede here. I miss my baby brother."
"Your 'baby' brother?" Maki asked.
"Oh, don't ask," Ayako said while putting sunblock on Miyagi's back. "Kirei-neechan treats us all as if we're two-year-old kiddies. But her favorite is Kaede. She couldn't live without him. And yes, neechan, this is a private beach. The guys rented the whole place for us to use. There's *weren't* supposed to be *other* guys here."
Miyagi just nodded in agreement. He couldn't say much, actually. He was spending precious moments in cloud nine. His eyes were popped into hearts and he was drooling.
"Heh," Megumi snorted. "You should see Kirei-neechan when she's mad, though. Like that time when we couldn't convince Kaede to get the groceries for us. That sultry seductress will morph into a raging Medusa. She's good with lectures, too."
"Oh, come on, Megumi-chan," Kirei gushed. "Don't you go revealing my secrets to these fine men."
And so... it was the perfect, boring, lazy conversation for the perfect place.
Until...
"H-HEEEEEEEEELP!" Sakuragi suddenly screamed at the top of his strong and healthy and loud lungs as he ran towards the shore. He seemed to be holding something in his hands.
"Miyagi-saaaaaaaan! Heeeeeeelp!" Kiyota quipped, running after Sakuragi.
"Ryota-niichaaaaaan! Help us! Help us puh-leeaaaaase!" Shinri cried while she ran towards the shore as well. Miyagi and others ran towards the commotion.
Three people who were so used to hassling their vocal chords were running all over the place. It was quite a sight to behold.
"What? What is it?" Miyagi asked.
"Oniichan!" Shinri cried... "It's... it's dying! Hurry! Save it!"
"What?"
"It was fine a while ago," Sakuragi sniffled.
"I think it drowned," Kiyota added.
"But we don't see anything," Kogure pointed out.
"What is it, Shinri? Why are you crying anyway?" Megumi asked.
"It's the-" Shinri hiccuped.
"What the hell is it?" Miyagi asked.
"Oh, Ryochin, it's the SQUID!" Sakuragi exclaimed oh-so-tearfully. "Save it!"
And showed Miyagi a small squid.
A grilled squid.
It was their lunch.
Miyagi blinked.
Sakuragi, Kiyota and Shinri started laughing their heads off.
"Baka yarou!" he growled as he kicked the two men towards the water.
Shinri was safe under Megumi's protection. She was still laughing her head off.
Grilled squids, anyone?
--------------------------
"There you are, Kaede, my sweety little honey-bunch! What took the two of you so long? Kirei-neechan missed you ever sooo much!" Kirei said as she gave her overly-embarrassed brother a huge huggle. Every person in the group snickered.
'Somebody, kill me,' Kaede begged. 'Better yet, somebody kill her. I still have my dreams to live, thanks very much.'
"Gomen," Sendoh said while rubbing the of his head. "It was my fault. I insisted on buying him lunch. We took a walk around the place, too."
"Oh, it's alright," Kirei sighed out. "It's just that I'm really not used to having Kaede date anyone. He's always been my baby."
'Always been my baby,' Kaede mimicked silently. 'Oh, puh-lease.'
"Come now, Kaede. Be a good boy and put some sunblock on oneechan's back," Kirei said as she dragged Rukawa towards her beach towel and gave him the bottle of sunblock.
"Ask someone else to do it," Kaede said.
"I don't want to."
"I don't want to, either."
"Kaede..."
"Fine," Rukawa snapped and started applying sunblock on Kirei's back. "There. All done. Now leave me alone. I want to sleep."
"Na-ah-ah! It's Sendoh-san's turn," Kirei said. She pulled Sendoh down and presented his back to Rukawa. "You wouldn't want your friend to damage his perfect skin, ne?"
"Who the hell would care about his perfect skin?" Rukawa snapped.
"Be a pal and just do it!" Kirei said.
Uh-oh...
Medusa mode...
Rukawa grumbled as he applied lotion all over Sendoh's back. Poor Sendoh was all stiff. He was trying to control his *tool*. Up, down, Rukawa's hand stroked. Left, right. More lotion. Up, down.
Sendoh was on the verge of hyperventilating.
And Rukawa noticed it... and smiled to himself. 'Enjoying it, aren't you, you baka hentai? Let's see what you'll say to this.'
He squeezed more lotion on his hands and worked all the way up from Sendoh's spine. And his hands snaked towards Sendoh's neck... and his upper chest... then back at his shoulders... then down his arms... back up to the lean shoulders... down his chest... lower...
...lower...
...onto his stomach...
...lo-wer... [1]
Sendoh squeaked, jumped up, and ran towards the beach, shouting, "Thewater'ssocoolwhydon'twealljumpiiiiiiiii~iiin!"
Everyone, who was holding their breaths throughout Rukawa's perfomance, started to laugh.
"Looks like Rukawa's gonna get laid, after all!" Kiyota remarked.
More laughter.
Rukawa, for the umpteenth time that day, merely 'hn'ed.
But whaddaya know... he's happy.
----------------------
"How's your bruise?" Jin asked a still-grumbling Koshino.
"Someday soon, I swear I'm going to kill Mitsui Hisashi and hang his pathetic head at the park for everyone to see," Koshino seethed. "Then I'm going to butcher his body, pull out his esophagus and feed it to the cows."
"Now, now. That's sure pretty harsh of you. I'm certain that he didn't mean to hit your face on purpose," Jin consoled as he rubbed the ice bag on Koshino's damaged cheek. "I witnessed the whole thing. He was running away from you, then he stopped, then he swung around, and you got hit by the back of his hand. You were inconveniently so close to him. He wouldn't hurt you on purpose now, would he?"
Koshino was getting the idea that Jin was treating him like a sulking kindergarten pupil who just lost his cherry tootsie pop to a bully.
But it was okay. He never had anyone to treat him like that. He liked Jin Soichiro. Here was one man who could actually make him smile, no matter how shitty things are for him.
"You and Mitsui-san are always fighting over insignificant things," Jin pointed out. "Maki-san said that you've been like that ever since you were aqcuainted with each other."
"Yeah well, that's true," Koshino said. "No one could irritate me as much as he could. His one goal in life is to harass me in every possible way. My mood could easily blacken at the sight of his stupid face. He's reckless, and he's impulsive, and he's careless about every damned thing, and he's a bully, a punk, blah, blah, blah. Plus he's stupid."
"But he's your best friend, anyway," Jin said with a smile.
Koshino opened his mouth to protest. Then closed it again. Then opened it again. Then closed it again. And sighed.
"Yes, I suppose he is," Koshino said. "He's the only one who can hang out with me that much. I mean, Shin's always busy, and he's too serious for his own good. Nobu's always away, and if ever he's with us, he's always too busy pestering Shin. Akira, on the other hand, is always too busy with his women. We hang out a lot, too, but I'd rather not hear his sexual trysts. So... I guess that's why I'm always stuck with Hisashi."
"I think that's very special," Jin commented. "You two are just like those cousins, Kaede and Hanamichi. So different in many ways, yet always together, through thick and thin. You must feel very lucky to have Mitsui-san as your friend."
Koshino thought otherwise. But he smiled, anyway, since Jin was so darned cute for his own good. Heck, even Jin's formal way of talking topped with a smile was cute, too.
"Anou... Jin-san?"
"Nani?" Jin asked as he advanced towards Koshino...
... who started to feel very awkward under Jin's somewhat different, yet, sweet stare. "Jin-san?"
"Hai?" He was getting closer...
"Anou..." Koshino's breath was getting too ragged.
"Yes, Koshino-kun?"
... and closer...
"You... make me happy." Why is it that he was having difficulty in breathing?
"That's *good*."
... and closer...
"Jin-san?" Damn pair of lungs. Couldn't be of any use in emergency situations such as this one.
"Hai?"
... and closer...
"What... are you doing?" Koshino's breath stopped altogether. And did he just *squeak*?
"Just stay put, Koshino-kun."
... and closer... until...
"Wow! I never knew you had a very tiny mole on the side of your forehead! It's very interesting!" Jin exclaimed.
Koshino doubled over.
"Koshino-kun? Are you feeling fine? Does your bruise hurt?" Jin asked in concern.
Cute, yeah. Formal, yeah. But downright innocent, too.
"For a moment there, I thought you were going to kiss me," Koshino said. Why was he feeling grumpy all of a sudden?
Jin gave him a sweet smile.
"Oh, that was coming, too," he said...
... and pulled Koshino in for a deep kiss.
... Until Kirei pounded on their door.
"Soi-love! Koshino-honey! Dinner!"
----------------------------
*Kiyota and Sakuragi's bedroom*
"Quit poking, Nobu! Just do it!"
"I can't! I'm still sore from before!"
"I gotta have my turn, too, you know!" *pout* *pout*
"But it still hurts! You did it too hard!"
"But you want it hard, ne, Nobu?"
"Oooh, yeah, I want it hard... but not *that* hard! We almost destroyed the-"
*crash!*
"Nobu, you're rocking the bed too hard! Now, we have to pay for that lamp. You didn't have to rock the bed, yarou!"
"Quit complaining! I'm trying my best!"
"Why don't you quit poking and just clean it anyway?"
"Hell, koi, my bruises still hurt! How can clean yours?"
"But you didn't have to poke them! They're already sore as it is!"
"I thought you were a tensai? Why don't you just self-regenerate or something like that?"
Sakuragi gave him a light punch. Kiyota smiled at him as they reached for each other at the same time and kissed.
"We're pretty full of mischief today, aren't we?" Kiyota said as they lied down on the bed.
"Hell, yeah. And my body hurts too."
"Mine, too, you know," Kiyota said. "Shin strangled me so many times today, I lost count. Plus, there was Miyagi's flying kick. I didn't know he could kick that hard. My whole body hurts more than yours."
"Here... lemme make you feel better," Sakuragi said as crawled atop Kiyota and gave his lover a devouring kiss. Kiyota moaned under Sakuragi. It was a good thing they can swing both ways as seme and uke.
Fair play, isn't it?
Right.
Until Kiyota pulled away.
"What?" Sakuragi asked.
"Is this the way we're always gonna be, Hana?" Kiyota asked. Sakuragi frowned and crawled off him.
"Nobu, what the hell's going on?" Sakuragi demanded.
"What the hell are we, anyway?" Kiyota shot back?
"What do you mean?"
"Are we just fuck-fuck-fuck lovers? Or are we something more? It may not look it, Hana... but I want to know. What are we?" Kiyota asked.
Sakuragi smiled. "That coming from Sendoh Akira's protégé? No strings attached, remember? You were the one who told me that. You said you have a reputation to protect, when all along it was *me* who was always in front of cameras."
"Hell, Hanamichi! Don't make this too hard for me!" Kiyota said.
"Don't make what too hard for you?" Sakuragi said.
"I'm trying to tell you something here!" Kiyota exclaimed. "I'm... not.. used to these- these... stuff."
"What stuff?" Sakuragi was enjoying this now.
"Hana... when I said 'No strings attached', I thought... it was both for you and... I," Kiyota stammered. "Well... you're a supermodel. People-... look up to you. And I-... I... I'm pretty well-known as a playboy, too, like Akira."
"And?"
"And now... well, I got the chance to spend time with you... Do stuff with you. Play tricks on others with you... And I-"
"You what, Nobu?" Sakuragi was smirking now.
"I... You see... Anou, Hana..."
"Just say it and be done with it," Sakuragi adviced.
"I've fallen in love with you," Kiyota blurted out. Sakuragi smiled.
"There," he said as he crawled on top of Kiyota once again. "It wasn't that hard, ne?" And he dove in for a deep kiss... before Kiyota flipped them both over.
"Hey... you want to have your turn on the bottom, remember?" Kiyota asked with a smirk.
They were about to kiss each other again with someone knocked on the door.
"Hana-chan? Kiyota-kun? It's me, your Miku-neechan. It's dinnertime already!"
----------------------
"It's a fine day, isn't it, Sashi-kun?"
"Hai." *sigh*
"The place is good. You and your friends did a good job on looking for the perfect place."
"Hai." *sigh*
"Having this kind of porch on a house is good, ne? And it overlooks the calm sea, too. A perfect place to watch the sunset."
"Hai!" *sigh*
"Is the sandwich okay? Soi and I prepared those this morning, but Hana ate almost all of it. I'm glad I saved some for you."
"Hai!" *sigh*
"Is there something on my face, Sashi-kun? You've been staring at me the whole time," Kogure said politely.
Mitsui slapped himself. The love of his life is right in front him, and he acted like a twit! Good heavens, what a dweeb. He looked at Kogure's perfect profile and once again sighed. He couldn't believe his luck.
He must have done something right to please Kami-sama. Kogure was his reward.
Smart, kind, gentle, funny, caring, loving.
The perfect partner for the imperfect person that he is. He frowned.
"Min-kun?" Mitsui softly called out.
"Won't you regret this?"
"What?"
"We've only known each other for a short time, yet, you agreed to have a relationship with me," Mitsui pointed out while trying to avoid Kogure's warm gaze. "I was kinda wondering why... and I was wondering if you'd regret it in the future. You barely know me. I'm hard to put up with. I could be downright stupid at times. I'm very impulsive, and I might do something to hurt you in the future."
Kogure smiled. "Why did you ask me out back then, anyway?"
"I like you."
"But you didn't know me, right?"
"It was love at first sight."
"Same here."
Mitsui's head snapped to Kogure's direction and smiled. "Have you noticed that what we did was very, very irrational?" he asked. "Maki almost choked on his tea when I told them about us."
"My friends were surprised, too," Kogure said. "But then again... you really can't tell your heart what to do, ne? Stop worrying, Sashi-kun. I won't regret anything."
Whaddaya know... a mushy conversationg from the mushiest couple at the beach.
Kogure stood up and leaned on the railing of the porch.
"The sunset's beautiful," he whispered. Mitsui smiled and hugged Kogure from behind.
"Yes, it is," Mitsui whispered back while he nuzzled his face on Kogure's neck. Kogure looked down at Mitsui's strong arms and frowned when he saw bite marks.
"Hisashi-kun, what are those?" he asked as he examined them closer.
"Hiro bit me earlier when we were wrestling in the sand," Mitsui said sheepishly. "That one has a sharp tongue... and sharp teeth, too."
"What did you do?"
"The crab, remember?"
Kogure chuckled. "Oh... yeah..."
"Never mind that darn bite mark," Mitsui said impatiently. "Now, where were we?" he asked as he tightened his arms around Kogure, who turned around and wrapped his arms around the scar-faced man's neck.
"Right here," Kogure said and kissed Mitsui full on the lips.
Mitsui's right hand grabbed the back of Kogure's head as he practically devoured the soft-spoken man, while his other hand snaked under Kogure's shirt. The latter could only moan under his ministrations.
Then the screen door opened with a loud bang.
Figures. It was Megumi.
"Oi. If the two of you are done eating each other, you can start eating the food at the dining room. Dinner's ready."
--------------------------
Back on the beach, two *sensible* people were yet again having a *sensible* conversation.
Or not.
"Ne, Kenji-san, what do you think would happen if you swallowed a bubblegum?" Maki asked as he patted more sand on his lopsided sandcastle.
"I don't know. Maybe it would be stuck on your esophagus forever," Fujima answered and snuck a look at Maki's... er... sand blop. "What's that you're building?"
"A sand castle," Maki said proudly.
"Oh... I thought you were designing Kiyota-kun's tombstone."
Maki sweatdropped. "Geez, it's that bad?"
Fujima smiled. "Worse."
"Well, I'm better with paperworks," Maki said defensively. "Ah! I have a problem for you. Solve this one."
"I'm a basketball player, Shin-kun. Not Einstein," Fujima stated.
"You wouldn't even need an IQ of five for this one," Maki said with a smile. "Okay. Suppose that I wanted to buy this shirt which costs 99 dollars-"
"What kind of shirt is that?" Fujima interrupted.
"Just a plain white shirt," Maki replied. "Now... I don't-"
"How come a plain white shirt would cost that much?" Fujima asked again. A vein popped on Maki's forehead.
"Would you rather discuss the shirt, or should I continue with the problem?" Maki asked.
Fujima blinked then laugh. He really couldn't understand why he liked this overly-serious man. Oh well... he's friends with Sakuragi Hanamichi. The solid proof that he owned a few loose screws. "Relax, Shin-kun! I was only kidding! Go on with the problem."
Maki blinked and blushed. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Anyway... suppose I wanted to buy this shirt which costs-"
"Is that supposed to be a joke, or is that a serious math problem?"
More veins. "A math joke. Now, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me continue, Kenji."
Fujima gave him a silly grin and made a zipping gesture with his mouth. Maki nodded in satisfaction. "Now," he continued "... this shirt costs ninety-nine dollars, but I don't have any money-"
"But what will you do, then?"
"Kenji..."
"Shutting up."
"And here I thought that you were so sensible," Maki sighed out. Fujima, the ever sensible man of his own group, once again laughed.
"Yeah, I'm sensible," he said, "but I just can't help but tease you. You're so serious, I can't even tell if you're telling a joke or not. I wouldn't even know if you delivered the punch line already, because your face is so straight!"
"Kiyota was saying the same thing," Maki said softly. "Am I really that much of a tightass, Kenji?"
'Like duh,' Fujima wanted to tease him but refrained himself from doing so. "Honestly, yes. But you're improving, though. I've only known you for a short time, but you were different from when I've first met you."
"Like... how different?"
Fujima furrowed his face in concentration. "Well, for one thing, you do silly things now. Like strangling Kiyota-kun and throwing him towards the sea. A few days- weeks ago, you would have just sighed and you would tell yourself that you're a patient man and you would tolerate his madness. You know... you should just let yourself go. Let go of all your inhibitions. If you'd continue to be like that, you'd end up like Kaede."
Maki frowned. "Rukawa? What's with him?"
Fujima stopped smiling and just fiddled with the sand. "We've been friends since we were all kids. I'm two years older than Kaede, and I've watched him grow up. Ever since we were small, Kaede has this habit of restraining himself. He's too... withrawn, for lack of a better word. He's cold... always trapped in his own world. He wouldn't allow himself to have fun. His only passion is basketball, nothing else. He never really had more friends other than the four of us."
"He's worse than I am," Maki pointed out.
"Yeah, you're right," Fujima said with a sigh. "Hana couldn't take it anymore, you see, and that was why he dared Kaede to seduce Sendoh."
"But getting laid is not the answer to his problems, Kenji."
"Just as celibacy isn't the answer to Sendoh's problems," Fujima retorted. "It's not really about getting laid, Shin. You should give Hana more credit. He never told us what his real plan is, but we know him. His plan is to push Kaede towards someone. Maybe if Kaede spends more time with someone other than us, he'd be able to find something that we failed to give him. And it was just as fortunate that Sendoh was looking for something more meaningful than the life he used to have. Maybe they could reach out to each other... and finally, my friend could be happy."
"Kenji... I don't know what to say," Maki said softly. Fujima smiled and threw a handful of sand towards Maki.
"No need to be all serious now, Shin," he said. "We're here to have fun. And besides, I think Kaede's happy with Sendoh. He's... changed. Somewhat."
Maki couldn't seem to take his eyes off Fujima. Doesn't the latter know that the reason why he could finally relax is because of him? Fujima is not like any other person he knew. The captain of the national team could be childish, yet sensible. He could be playful, yet serious. He looks as if he's the authoritarian of their group, but he could be really silly.
He changed Maki's world.
And suddenly... Maki wanted to continue his stupid math joke.
"Still want to hear that math joke?" he asked. Fujima smiled and nodded.
"So long as I wouldn't need any calculators for that one."
"No way," Maki said. "Okay... I have this shirt-"
"Which costs ninety-nine dollars, though I don't know what the hell that shirt is... and yeah, you don't have any money, too, right?" Fujima supplied.
Maki grinned. "Yeah... I don't have any money. So what I did was to borrow fifty dollars from my mom-"
"Why not borrow the whole 99 dollars from your mom? Was she poor, or something?"
"Kenji... won't you shut up?"
"Okay. Shutting up. No more popping veins, please."
"Fine..." Maki sighed. "Okay... so I borrowed fifty dollars from my mom, and I borrowed fifty dollars from my dad. So now-"
"What I don't get, Shin, is this. Why do you have to *borrow* from your parents? You are their child. It is the parents' obligation to fulfill the needs of their chil-"
Kenji couldn't continue his tirade.
Why?
Because Maki had enough of it. He couldn't continue his lame joke, so what did he do?
He kissed the annoying Fujima full on the lips.
And of course, the latter didn't interrupt this one.
*This* was waaay better than a stupid math joke which Fujima didn't really give a damn about.
But someone *did* interrupt them...
... and it was the future 'Mrs. Squid'.
"Oh. You're here. I was looking all over for you. It's dinnertime already. Come on in."
And that was the end of their *sensible* conversation.
------------------------------
'Now where the hell is that hentai 'ahou?' Rukawa thought. He and Sendoh were just taking a scroll down the beach while the sun was setting, but when he looked at his side once again, the latter was nowhere to be found.
Figures.
Sendoh Akira... one of the youngest executives of the leading advertising company, the suave, cool, and sophisticated womanizer, the former sex god... fell flat on his face as he tripped on a suspicious-looking crab.
Probably the same crab which tortured Koshino earlier.
"Do'aho," Rukawa muttered as he pulled Sendoh back up.
Sendoh gave him a sweet, sandy smile. "Thank you!"
"Your face is full of sand, ahou," Rukawa said. Without realizing it, he reached up and wiped the sand off Sendoh's face and *ehm* bare chest.
Sendoh, needless to say, was so touched by the endearing gesture, he couldn't speak. He could only mumble a small 'thank you' as Rukawa dusted the last bit of sand off him.
Truly, it was an amazing day for the both of them. They were able to sneak some time away from all the madness of their friends. Together, they built sand castles, they walked around the whole paradise, they talked, they ate, they rode boats, they swam, played chess... practically spent the entire day together.
And now... what could be the best way to end the perfect day other than to walk down the beach while revelling in the glory of the setting sun?
"I had a fun day," Rukawa said in the lowest of tones.
"What was that again?" Sendoh asked.
"I said, I had a fun day," Rukawa said in a louder voice. Sendoh smiled.
"Did I make you happy?" he asked.
"Yes, you did," Rukawa said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Sendoh said and walked astride Rukawa. "The sunset's beautiful, ne?"
Rukawa looked at the horizon. It would have made a glorious painting. Far beyond the vast sea, lied a chain of lush, green mountains, and starting to hide behind it was the setting sun. The sky held a mixture of the colors red, orange and pink, casting a soft glow on the peaceful surroundings. Rukawa never felt such peace before.
This place is such a paradise.
Quite frankly, it was scaring him.
He was happy, yes, but for how long will this last? He was starting to have these strange feelings already, and it was robbing him of his precious sleep. Ever since that nitwit Sendoh Akira came into his life, everything changed.
Suddenly, all he could ever think of was the man.
His stupid smiles, his lame, but funny jokes, his foolish actions, his warm gestures... everything.
What was those feelings, anyway? Rukawa doesn't want to know. It was scaring him. Why did Sendoh has to enter his life, anyway? He was having a fine life... with his friends and- heaven help him- his sisters. Sure, his life was a bit empty, but he's okay with it. He doesn't need anything more, right?
He looked at Sendoh, who, for the second time that day, tripped on his own feet.
Certainly Rukawa doesn't need an idiot like this one, right?
"I'm not pulling you up again, you ahou," Rukawa said. Sendoh jumped up furiously.
"It's because of this damned shell!" Sendoh said as he practically tried to *kill* the poor little shell. But he stopped when he saw how beautiful it is. He placed it in his ear and happily said, "Hey, Rukawa-kun, I can hear the sea!"
"Do'aho, you're beside the sea," Rukawa pointed out.
Sendoh chuckled and handed Rukawa the beautiful shell. It was perfectly rounded, with smooth curves and changing colors. Light pink, and orange, and white, and a little dash of blue.
"What's that?" Rukawa asked, deadpan.
"It's a shell!" ^__^
'Like duh.' Rukawa rolled his eyes. "What's that for?"
"For you!" ^__^
"What would I do with that?"
"It's pretty, ne, Rukawa-kun?" Sendoh said with a warm smile. "Little things could make you happy, you know. Go on... take this pretty little shell. From me to you! So that when you've had another shitty day at the team or when you've had another shitty day at home, just look at this simple but pretty shell, and you'd be happy. And you could also make this as a remembrance... so you would never forget this happy day."
Little things... could make you happy...
From me to you...
So when you've had another shitty day...
you'd be happy...
A remembrance...
of this happy day...
Rukawa found himself reaching for the shell. It fit perfectly in his hand, like it existed only to be held by him. He looked at Sendoh with a strange, but grateful stare.
... and found himself wanting to smile.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"I like you," Sendoh blurted out at the same time.
Oh, and the 'Super Barriers Around the Heart' system raged to life again. Rukawa closed his fist around the shell and shoved it in his pocket.
Awkward silence followed...
... until Shinri came hopping towards them and flaunted herself on Rukawa's back.
"Dinnertime!"
---------------------------
"Wheeeeeeeeen your happy and you know it clap your haaaaaands!" everyone except Rukawa and Sendoh sang.
Needless to say, this group of eleven men and five women were once again destroying the serenity of the said place. So far, the songs 'Mary Had A Little Lamb', 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,' and most of the nursery rhymes and kiddie songs ever composed by man have been sung.
"A bonfire at the beach under the stars of the night!" Kiyota said as he passed an arm around Sakuragi.
"Good thing I brought my guitar!" Mitsui said as he sat down beside Kogure and gave the latter a quick kiss. "Let's stop singing as a group. Who's going to sing solo?"
"I could sing," Kirei volunteered.
"Yeah, and cause a hard on for all these men with your oh-so-seductive voice?" Megumi asked sarcastically. "Never mind, neechan."
"Look at everyone, Aya-chan," Miyagi joked. "It seems as if love is in the air."
Everyone except Sendoh and Rukawa looked at everyone else and exchanged happy and contented looks. No one noticed the silence between the two uncomfortable men.
"No fair... what about us girls?" Kirei pouted. "C'mere, Kaede-love, and accompany your lonely sister."
Rukawa, to everyone's surprise, stood up, left Sendoh's side and walked over to his elder sister, who squealed in delight. "You wouldn't mind, ne, Sendoh-kun?" Kirei asked. Sendoh shook his head and gave Kirei a lame smile.
"Hey, don't ignore this guitar! Who's going to sing?" Mitsui asked once again.
"Why don't you sing, Akira? You have a nice voice," Maki suggested as he ran his hand up and down Fujima's arm.
Sendoh shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm not in the mood."
"Aaaaaaw, come on!" Sakuragi urged. "Don't be such a spoilsport! Why don't you woo our little Kaede and sing a song for him?"
Everyone cheered in agreement, much to Rukawa and Sendoh's discomfort. Finally, though, the poor celibate man has to heed everyone's request. He walked over to Mitsui, whispered something and whispered something in the latters ears.
Mitsui's eyes widened in curiosity. He was just about to ask Sendoh why he chose the particular song, but Sendoh shut him up with a firm look. He shrugged and started to pluck the first few chords anyway.
And everyone fell quiet.
All eyes were on Sendoh. But Sendoh's eyes fell to Rukawa's icy glare. Sendoh ignored the cold stare and poured out his heart onto the song.
~I know I stand in line until
you think you have the time
to spend an evening with me...
And if we go some place to dance
I know that there's a chance
you won't be leaving with me~
"Damn but his voice is sooo good!" Megumi whispered.
"Sssh! You're breaking the moment!" Kirei scolded just as softly.
Rukawa's heart started to pound.
~And afterwards we drop into
a quiet little place
and have a drink or two
and then I'll go and spoil it all
by saying something stupid
like I love you~
Strange looks were thrown towards Rukawa but he ignored them all. The 'Super Barriers Around the Heart' system functioned more furious than ever.
~I can see it in your eyes
you still despise the same old lines
you heard the night before
And though it's just a line to you
for me it's true &
never seemed so right before~
Sendoh could only cast an apologetic look towards Rukawa.
~I practice everyday
to find some clever lines to say
to make the meaning come true
But then I think I'll wait
until the evening gets late
and I'm alone with you~
Everyone was holding their breaths too much, they all look as if they're all going to suffocate. It was a funny sight, actually. Everyone seemed so hooked on Sendoh's every line.
~The time is right
your perfume fills my head
the stars get red
and oh, the night's so blue
but then I'll go and spoil it all
by saying something stupid like I love you~
Stupid group, actually. It was only during that time when Sendoh sang the 'something stupid' line for the second time that they finally understood what was going on. They all released their breaths at the same time and turned to Rukawa...
...whose 'Super Barriers Around the Heart System' was on the verge of blowing up.
~The time is right
your perfume fills my head
the stars get red
and oh, the night's so blue...
But then I'll go and spoil it all
by saying something stupid like I love you
I love you...
I love you...
I love you...~
And as Mitsui stroke the final chords, everyone was hooting and giving Sendoh and Rukawa a few catcalls.
But then everything just *had* to end up in chaos, ne?
Because a crab crawled towards the guitarist and pinched his ass, which caused his to jump up... and accidentally hit the person beside him with the guitar...
... who was, of all people, Koshino Hiroaki.
And so it was the perfect place.
It was cool. The sand was white, glittering under the rays of the glowing moon. The sea was blue... calm... cool... refreshing.
It wasn't quiet, though.
Because eleven men and five women were there.
Chaos started... and ensued...
And lasted throughout the entire day.
**********
tzu.zu.ku
**********
[1] This scene's for you, Diggler! Hwehehehehe...
Aki: *bowing over and over again* Gomen, gomen, gomeeeeeeen for writing such a looong chapter. I really couldn't chop it to bits, though, what with me establishing the whole Eden thing. This would be the longest chapter this fic will ever have. I think the following one's needn't be as long...
Before I forget, that song was 'Something Stupid' sung by Nicole Kidman and Robbie Williams. But I think it was just a revive, right?
Okidokie.. that's it, then! Say something about this chapter, okay?
Aki
by Aki Midori
No blahs today... I blah'ed enough in Kono Do'aho...
But I want to thank everyone for reviewing this fic!
Warnings: This fic should only be read by mature people. Everyone else agrees. So don't go complaining to me that I've corrupted your innocence, okay? PG-13, minna!
diScLAimerS: Slam Dunk and its characters are all property of Inoue Takehiko-sama. The plot is mine. The madness is mine. *tensai cackle*
Warning: I'm pretty much bummed right now... so once again, I have to remind you of the humor in this chapter. Plus, I have to focus on the pairings this time. ^_^ Oh... long chapter, too.
Enjoy, minna!
-------------------------
Celibacy
Chapter Six: Eden
The place was perfect.
It was scorching hot. The sand was white, glittering under the rays of the bright sun. The sea was blue... calm... cool... refreshing.
It was quiet.
Until eleven men and five women arrived.
Chaos started... and ensued...
"This is perfect!" Sakuragi exclaimed as he inhaled the fresh morning air. "Great idea, Soi-kun!"
Sendoh couldn't agree with Sakuragi more. Yes... this would be the place. He'd spend the entire weekend with Rukawa. They'd walk down the beach, and they'd talk all day long, and they'd play beach volleyball with their friends, and they'd swim and they'd have loads of fun!
Uh... well... There were a few problems earlier this morning, when they have to stop over at a convinient store to buy a few necessary items. Men and women flocked over their group.
Or flocked over to *him*, specifically.
He couldn't blame them. He tried so hard to look his damn best just so he could impress Rukawa. He was clad in simple clothes, really. Just a plain sleeveless shirt (which showed off his oh-so-muscled arm), and shorts. He took time in choosing his accessories, though. He wore a black choker with a silver cross pendant, a matching black tied-up bracelet, and cool black sunglasses.
And he wore the perfect smile, too.
Sendoh smiled and sighed. 'Funny how I could look so damn gorgeous in simple clothes,' he thought. Oh well... his ego sure is inflating again. But looking back, that 'convenience store' portion of the morning wasn't really good. What the hell are those women doing in a convenience store so early in the morning? And to top it all, one of them actually flaunted herself over Sendoh.
'Celibacy,' he reminded himself, and instinctively shoved the woman away. Good thing Kogure was standing nearby. He caught the woman before any further damage might be done. Kiyota and Sakuragi's booming voices brought enough 'damage' already (to everyone's sleepy ears), as well as Koshino, who, as always, was loudly complaining about something Mitsui did.
Oh well... it wasn't as if he *wanted* the women, anyway. He has changed. There was only one thing- person, actually- he wanted in the world...
... and that person is conviniently drooling at the farthest corner at the store... asleep.
And *that* person didn't even say anything about Sendoh's cool get-up. He was too busy lamenting his lost sleep.
Dammit.
'Oh well,' Sendoh thought. 'Past is past. What's done is done. All I have to do is to enjoy this perfect weekend with Rukawa-kun!'
Rukawa, on the other hand, honestly thought that this was a bad idea. He looked down at his periwinkle hawaiian shirt (complete with tall coconuts trees and smiling suns and blooming pink and yellow flowers) that his sisters bullied him into wearing and sighed. His shorts with smileys printed all over it wasn't helping, either. No, this isn't perfect. This is hell.
Nothing could be worse than spending an entire weekend with noisy, nosy, and overly-active people. And his sisters are here, too.
Does heaven hate him, or what?
"Okay, everyone," Maki started, while pointing to a fairly huge two-storey house. "That will be they place where we'll be staying in for the weekend. Now, would everyone please choose their respective rooms and settle down before we meet again at this same spot to plan the day's activities?"
"Geez, Shin," Kiyota snickered, "you sounded as if you're directing another board meeting bullshit. We're here to enjoy the weekend, and we're not supposed to 'plan the day's activities'! What shall we do, then? Brainstorm?" He crossed his eyes and mimicked a little pupil while raising his hand. "I know, teacher! First, we should put on sunblock! Then, we should run towards the beach! Then, we should get wet! Then, we should splash the waves! Then, we laugh! Then-"
"Fine, I get the picture," Maki snapped. Fujima smiled and walked over to Maki.
"Hey... relax, would you? Have fun," Fujima said. "And stop thinking."
Maki... for reasons best left unsaid, blushed.
"Shin blushed! Shin blushed!" Mitsui teased. "Shin likes Fujima!"
And Maki... the ever *sensible* guy of the group, ran over to Mitsui and strangled him.
Koshino laughed. "Good for him," he said. "Go get him for me, Shin!"
Jin glanced over to Koshino and smiled. "You look good when you're smiling," he said. "You should smile more often."
And Koshino... the perpetually *frowning* man, blushed.
"Hiro blushed! Hiro blushed!" Mitsui teased, who just recovered from Maki's death grip. "Hiro likes Jin!"
Koshino, of course, lunged for Mitsui, but the latter was able to dodge him. "Twit!" Mitsui teased and ran away.
"Goddamn you, come back here!" Koshino growled as he ran after Mitsui, who was currently hiding behind Kogure. The others cheered.
Rukawa sighed. "Kids, all of them," he muttered. He picked up his bag and started to walk towards the house. Sendoh noticed and went after him.
"Where are you going?" Sendoh asked.
'Uncle Jimmy's mango farm, duh,' Rukawa wanted to say, but thought the better of it. "Where does it look like I'm going?"
"Anou... the house?"
'Hooray for Sendoh! Gifted child!,' Rukawa thought sarcastically. He suddenly wanted to hit himself for being so damn sarcastic. Why is it that he couldn't just let go of his twisted sarcasm for just one day? Wasn't it that he was already comfortable around this foolish-looking man? He sighed and vowed to keep his sarcasm under control.
He's going to have fun this weekend.
For once... he'd let himself open up to the world. To Sendoh.
For once... he'd let himself be happy.
That is... if this stupid smiling fool would behave.
"The place is perfect, right?" Sendoh asked, which made Rukawa realize that the former hasn't left his company yet. They entered the huge house and headed straight towards the stairs.
"Yeah," Rukawa replied.
"Why are you in a bad mood?"
"I hate waking up early."
"I see."
"And I hate this stupid shirt. And I hate this stupid shorts."
"It's cute! ^_^"
"Shut up."
No words were exchanged as they scanned the rooms... and found out that there are only eight rooms. Each room was large and luxuriously equipped with two beds, a tv, plush pillows, comfy chairs and a bathroom.
The perfect rooms for honeymooners.
The perfect rooms for wild, passionate sex.
Sendoh's nightmare.
"Wow... this is a great place!" Sendoh said as he walked behind Rukawa. Good thing Rukawa couldn't see his discomfort. "There are only eight rooms, though. That means we should share the same room with someone!" He blinked looked at Rukawa with a super sweet smile and said, "Nee, Rukawa-kun-"
"And have you jumping on me in the middle of the night?" Rukawa interruped. "You wish."
"I wouldn't do such a thing," Sendoh said with such reverence. Inside, he was praying for divine intervention.
"That coming from an acclaimed pervert such as yourself?" Rukawa scoffed.
"Aaaw, come on! You might be beautiful and gorgeous and handsome, and I think I'm beginning to like you, but I'm not what you think I am anymore. I've changed! I promise!"
Rukawa stiffened at Sendoh's words.
Beautiful...
Gorgeous...
Handsome...
Beginning to like you...
What the hell...
Sendoh's eyes widened and suddenly, he wanted to slap himself for his stupidity. Who knows if Rukawa was ready for this kind of relationship? Just as Rukawa was starting to open up to him, he just have to slip.
'Moron,' he reprimanded himself. 'Idiotic moron. Moron of morons. Idiot of all idiots. Moron of all idiots. Idiot of all morons. Nitwit. Birdbrain. Fool. Do'aho.' He walked over towards Rukawa and gently laid his hand on the latter's stiff shoulder.
Rukawa stiffened even more. Needless to say, he now resembles an electric post. Put in a few wires, and it should do the trick.
'The touch of a hand,' Rukawa thought while his heartbeat increased its tempo. 'No one has ever touched me before, save for my sisters and friends. His hand is warm. Is this... how... human contact... feels like?'
And then his 'Super Barriers Around the Heart' system raged to life. He could actually hear the stainless steels rising around his heart and brain, while stainless tubes furiously pumped 'cold blood' in his veins and supplied his vocabulary with spiky words. His eyes turned cold as he flinched away from Sendoh's touch.
"Anou... Rukawa-kun. Gomen," Sendoh said softly.
And then the 'Super Barriers Around the Heart' system calmed down a little. But they're still activated, though.
"I promise I'd behave," Sendoh said. "And besides, who'd you share a room with? Sakuragi-kun and Nobu looks as if they wouldn't want to be apart tonight. Shin and Fujima are getting a tad too comfortable with each other. Heaven knows Hiro needed Jin by his side to calm his ever-raging temper. And Hisashi and Kogure are already going out. Ayako-san would be with Miyagi-san, and your sisters would be pairing up, too." Sendoh smiled. "Would you rather I share a room with one of your sis-"
"Fine," Rukawa snapped. "We'll get that room with the balcony. Stay away from my sisters." He started to go to that room but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing the ever-following, ever-smiling Sendoh to crash onto him.
And Rukawa's arse is so damn... plush.
'Down, boy,' Sendoh reminded his... *tool*, for lack of a more discreet word. 'I promised him that we'd behave. And we're practicing celibacy, darn it!'
He looked at Rukawa was currently looking as if he just received a shocking news. "What happened, Rukawa-kun?" he asked.
"Are... you sure about... our friends?" Rukawa asked. "How did that happen? I know about Hana and Kiyota. It's inevitable. But I never... noticed the others. I'm that dense, am I not? I'm too cold. I don't care much for everyone, do I?"
Sendoh frowned. "That's not true. You care for everyone. It's just that sometimes, you get wrapped up in your own world. You always wanted to be alone. People can't blame you if you're like that. They like you that way."
'Heaven knows I like you that way,' he wanted to add.
Rukawa just gave him a strange look and walked away.
"Nothing's really going on with the others," Sendoh supplied, trying to cheer Rukawa up. "It's just that they're really starting to get comfy with each other, that's all. Hisashi and Kogure-san just got together recently. I myself was rather surprised."
"I see."
"Yeah..."
And so... awkward silence continued to reign amongst these two men whilst they opened the door to their room. They were just standing there. Looking at the room. At the beds. At the things. At everything except each other. Yep... there was awkward silence...
Boring scene, actually.
Until the celibate hentai couldn't take it anymore. He had to do something!
And then a brilliant plan popped from his brilliant mind.
"Rukawa-kun!" he exclaimed just as Rukawa was setting down his duffel bag on his chosen bed.
"..."
"I'm gonna make you happy this weekend! I'm going to make you smile, laugh and I'm gonna make you... uh... happy!" Sendoh said with a huge smile.
Rukawa merely 'hn'ed. "You're hungry, aren't you? Empty stomach means empty brain."
Sendoh actually prevented himself from sweatdropping. "I'm serious, Rukawa-kun. I'm going to make you happy!"
"If your plan includes wild trysts in the bed, I'd pass," Rukawa stated, dead-pan as ever.
"Come on! I'm not a pervert, Rukawa-kun-"
'Like duh.'
"-Just trust me, okay? Would you let me make you happy? Would you trust me?" Sendoh asked while crossing his fingers.
Rukawa studied Sendoh. The latter said that he wanted to make him happy. He said he's *going* to make him happy. All he gotta do is to trust the man...
It wouldn't hurt him, right?
"You can start making me happy by allowing me to get out of this goddamn shirt."
Sendoh smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."
But the gleam in Sendoh's eyes made Rukawa think twice about his decision.
'Could I take back what I said?' he asked as Sendoh beamed even brighter.
"Oh, and Rukawa-kun?"
"What now?"
"Periwinkle's good on you."
"Fuck off."
---------------------
Yes... it certainly was the perfect place.
Such a beautiful place.
Such a quiet place...
Until nine men and five women decided to hang out at the beach.
"Goddamn you Mitsui Hisashi! Come back here, you scar-faced wimp!" Koshino shouted as he ran after a laughing Mitsui. Pretty soon, both disappeared in the peaceful horizon.
"What did Hisashi do now?" Maki asked.
"Threw a live crab at Koshino," Fujima supplied. Maki choked on his soda.
"A live- what?!"
"A live crab, Shin," Kiyota said. "You know... one of those crawly ten-legged shellfish? Those-"
"I know what a crab is, Nobu. Thanks very much."
Kiyota laughed. "Kidding, Shin! But you should see Hiro's face. He was red all over! Bwahahaha! The crab wouldn't let go of him no matter how hard he pulled!"
And an image of a reddened Koshino trying to pull a stubborn crab off him while delivering all sorts of curses and foul words was so silly to Maki that he started to snicker.
"Why does Hisashi-kun likes to torture Koshino-kun so much?" Kogure asked.
"Your boyfriend is demented, that's why," Maki joked.
Kiyota widened his eyes in fake surprise. "Oh. My. God. Everyone! Hear ye, hear ye! Maki Shinichi cracked a joke! A lame joke, but still a joke! There must be something wrong." Kiyota stopped and looked at a smiling Fujima. "Ah hell! I know why Shin is in a good mood lately! He's with Fujima-san! Bwahahaha- aaaaack!"
Maki gripped Kiyota's neck so tightly, the latter's face turned blue. When he was satisfied with Kiyota's already-purple face, he threw the guy towards Sakuragi (who was busy splashing around with Shinri and Miku) and turned to Kogure with a sweet smile.
"But seriously," he started, "Hisashi and Hiro's history go way far back when we were kids. Hiro was a crybaby, and Hisashi always liked to bully people... especially crybabies like Hiro. Now, though Hiroaki isn't a crybaby anymore, he's still ill-tempered. Hisashi couldn't help but provoke him. I think it's the purpose of his existence."
"Ah, I see," Kogure said with a smile. "But Koshino-kun seemed pretty okay whenever he's with Soi. Ne, Soi-chan?"
Jin, the ever-sweet, doe-eyed man simply smiled. "I like him."
"Always the straigtforward one, ne, Soi?" Fujima teased. Jin simply laughed.
Kirei sighed dramatically. "You guys are having all the fun," she complained. "Why is it that all gorgeous men are already taken? Where are the *other* guys? And where is Kaede-love?"
Megumi snorted. "Probably fooling around in some broom closet with Sendoh."
"Why fool around in some broom closet when there's a bed? Oh, Megumi-dear, you are so unromantic," Kirei said with an elegant wrinkle of her oh-so-dainty nose. "I want Kaede here. I miss my baby brother."
"Your 'baby' brother?" Maki asked.
"Oh, don't ask," Ayako said while putting sunblock on Miyagi's back. "Kirei-neechan treats us all as if we're two-year-old kiddies. But her favorite is Kaede. She couldn't live without him. And yes, neechan, this is a private beach. The guys rented the whole place for us to use. There's *weren't* supposed to be *other* guys here."
Miyagi just nodded in agreement. He couldn't say much, actually. He was spending precious moments in cloud nine. His eyes were popped into hearts and he was drooling.
"Heh," Megumi snorted. "You should see Kirei-neechan when she's mad, though. Like that time when we couldn't convince Kaede to get the groceries for us. That sultry seductress will morph into a raging Medusa. She's good with lectures, too."
"Oh, come on, Megumi-chan," Kirei gushed. "Don't you go revealing my secrets to these fine men."
And so... it was the perfect, boring, lazy conversation for the perfect place.
Until...
"H-HEEEEEEEEELP!" Sakuragi suddenly screamed at the top of his strong and healthy and loud lungs as he ran towards the shore. He seemed to be holding something in his hands.
"Miyagi-saaaaaaaan! Heeeeeeelp!" Kiyota quipped, running after Sakuragi.
"Ryota-niichaaaaaan! Help us! Help us puh-leeaaaaase!" Shinri cried while she ran towards the shore as well. Miyagi and others ran towards the commotion.
Three people who were so used to hassling their vocal chords were running all over the place. It was quite a sight to behold.
"What? What is it?" Miyagi asked.
"Oniichan!" Shinri cried... "It's... it's dying! Hurry! Save it!"
"What?"
"It was fine a while ago," Sakuragi sniffled.
"I think it drowned," Kiyota added.
"But we don't see anything," Kogure pointed out.
"What is it, Shinri? Why are you crying anyway?" Megumi asked.
"It's the-" Shinri hiccuped.
"What the hell is it?" Miyagi asked.
"Oh, Ryochin, it's the SQUID!" Sakuragi exclaimed oh-so-tearfully. "Save it!"
And showed Miyagi a small squid.
A grilled squid.
It was their lunch.
Miyagi blinked.
Sakuragi, Kiyota and Shinri started laughing their heads off.
"Baka yarou!" he growled as he kicked the two men towards the water.
Shinri was safe under Megumi's protection. She was still laughing her head off.
Grilled squids, anyone?
--------------------------
"There you are, Kaede, my sweety little honey-bunch! What took the two of you so long? Kirei-neechan missed you ever sooo much!" Kirei said as she gave her overly-embarrassed brother a huge huggle. Every person in the group snickered.
'Somebody, kill me,' Kaede begged. 'Better yet, somebody kill her. I still have my dreams to live, thanks very much.'
"Gomen," Sendoh said while rubbing the of his head. "It was my fault. I insisted on buying him lunch. We took a walk around the place, too."
"Oh, it's alright," Kirei sighed out. "It's just that I'm really not used to having Kaede date anyone. He's always been my baby."
'Always been my baby,' Kaede mimicked silently. 'Oh, puh-lease.'
"Come now, Kaede. Be a good boy and put some sunblock on oneechan's back," Kirei said as she dragged Rukawa towards her beach towel and gave him the bottle of sunblock.
"Ask someone else to do it," Kaede said.
"I don't want to."
"I don't want to, either."
"Kaede..."
"Fine," Rukawa snapped and started applying sunblock on Kirei's back. "There. All done. Now leave me alone. I want to sleep."
"Na-ah-ah! It's Sendoh-san's turn," Kirei said. She pulled Sendoh down and presented his back to Rukawa. "You wouldn't want your friend to damage his perfect skin, ne?"
"Who the hell would care about his perfect skin?" Rukawa snapped.
"Be a pal and just do it!" Kirei said.
Uh-oh...
Medusa mode...
Rukawa grumbled as he applied lotion all over Sendoh's back. Poor Sendoh was all stiff. He was trying to control his *tool*. Up, down, Rukawa's hand stroked. Left, right. More lotion. Up, down.
Sendoh was on the verge of hyperventilating.
And Rukawa noticed it... and smiled to himself. 'Enjoying it, aren't you, you baka hentai? Let's see what you'll say to this.'
He squeezed more lotion on his hands and worked all the way up from Sendoh's spine. And his hands snaked towards Sendoh's neck... and his upper chest... then back at his shoulders... then down his arms... back up to the lean shoulders... down his chest... lower...
...lower...
...onto his stomach...
...lo-wer... [1]
Sendoh squeaked, jumped up, and ran towards the beach, shouting, "Thewater'ssocoolwhydon'twealljumpiiiiiiiii~iiin!"
Everyone, who was holding their breaths throughout Rukawa's perfomance, started to laugh.
"Looks like Rukawa's gonna get laid, after all!" Kiyota remarked.
More laughter.
Rukawa, for the umpteenth time that day, merely 'hn'ed.
But whaddaya know... he's happy.
----------------------
"How's your bruise?" Jin asked a still-grumbling Koshino.
"Someday soon, I swear I'm going to kill Mitsui Hisashi and hang his pathetic head at the park for everyone to see," Koshino seethed. "Then I'm going to butcher his body, pull out his esophagus and feed it to the cows."
"Now, now. That's sure pretty harsh of you. I'm certain that he didn't mean to hit your face on purpose," Jin consoled as he rubbed the ice bag on Koshino's damaged cheek. "I witnessed the whole thing. He was running away from you, then he stopped, then he swung around, and you got hit by the back of his hand. You were inconveniently so close to him. He wouldn't hurt you on purpose now, would he?"
Koshino was getting the idea that Jin was treating him like a sulking kindergarten pupil who just lost his cherry tootsie pop to a bully.
But it was okay. He never had anyone to treat him like that. He liked Jin Soichiro. Here was one man who could actually make him smile, no matter how shitty things are for him.
"You and Mitsui-san are always fighting over insignificant things," Jin pointed out. "Maki-san said that you've been like that ever since you were aqcuainted with each other."
"Yeah well, that's true," Koshino said. "No one could irritate me as much as he could. His one goal in life is to harass me in every possible way. My mood could easily blacken at the sight of his stupid face. He's reckless, and he's impulsive, and he's careless about every damned thing, and he's a bully, a punk, blah, blah, blah. Plus he's stupid."
"But he's your best friend, anyway," Jin said with a smile.
Koshino opened his mouth to protest. Then closed it again. Then opened it again. Then closed it again. And sighed.
"Yes, I suppose he is," Koshino said. "He's the only one who can hang out with me that much. I mean, Shin's always busy, and he's too serious for his own good. Nobu's always away, and if ever he's with us, he's always too busy pestering Shin. Akira, on the other hand, is always too busy with his women. We hang out a lot, too, but I'd rather not hear his sexual trysts. So... I guess that's why I'm always stuck with Hisashi."
"I think that's very special," Jin commented. "You two are just like those cousins, Kaede and Hanamichi. So different in many ways, yet always together, through thick and thin. You must feel very lucky to have Mitsui-san as your friend."
Koshino thought otherwise. But he smiled, anyway, since Jin was so darned cute for his own good. Heck, even Jin's formal way of talking topped with a smile was cute, too.
"Anou... Jin-san?"
"Nani?" Jin asked as he advanced towards Koshino...
... who started to feel very awkward under Jin's somewhat different, yet, sweet stare. "Jin-san?"
"Hai?" He was getting closer...
"Anou..." Koshino's breath was getting too ragged.
"Yes, Koshino-kun?"
... and closer...
"You... make me happy." Why is it that he was having difficulty in breathing?
"That's *good*."
... and closer...
"Jin-san?" Damn pair of lungs. Couldn't be of any use in emergency situations such as this one.
"Hai?"
... and closer...
"What... are you doing?" Koshino's breath stopped altogether. And did he just *squeak*?
"Just stay put, Koshino-kun."
... and closer... until...
"Wow! I never knew you had a very tiny mole on the side of your forehead! It's very interesting!" Jin exclaimed.
Koshino doubled over.
"Koshino-kun? Are you feeling fine? Does your bruise hurt?" Jin asked in concern.
Cute, yeah. Formal, yeah. But downright innocent, too.
"For a moment there, I thought you were going to kiss me," Koshino said. Why was he feeling grumpy all of a sudden?
Jin gave him a sweet smile.
"Oh, that was coming, too," he said...
... and pulled Koshino in for a deep kiss.
... Until Kirei pounded on their door.
"Soi-love! Koshino-honey! Dinner!"
----------------------------
*Kiyota and Sakuragi's bedroom*
"Quit poking, Nobu! Just do it!"
"I can't! I'm still sore from before!"
"I gotta have my turn, too, you know!" *pout* *pout*
"But it still hurts! You did it too hard!"
"But you want it hard, ne, Nobu?"
"Oooh, yeah, I want it hard... but not *that* hard! We almost destroyed the-"
*crash!*
"Nobu, you're rocking the bed too hard! Now, we have to pay for that lamp. You didn't have to rock the bed, yarou!"
"Quit complaining! I'm trying my best!"
"Why don't you quit poking and just clean it anyway?"
"Hell, koi, my bruises still hurt! How can clean yours?"
"But you didn't have to poke them! They're already sore as it is!"
"I thought you were a tensai? Why don't you just self-regenerate or something like that?"
Sakuragi gave him a light punch. Kiyota smiled at him as they reached for each other at the same time and kissed.
"We're pretty full of mischief today, aren't we?" Kiyota said as they lied down on the bed.
"Hell, yeah. And my body hurts too."
"Mine, too, you know," Kiyota said. "Shin strangled me so many times today, I lost count. Plus, there was Miyagi's flying kick. I didn't know he could kick that hard. My whole body hurts more than yours."
"Here... lemme make you feel better," Sakuragi said as crawled atop Kiyota and gave his lover a devouring kiss. Kiyota moaned under Sakuragi. It was a good thing they can swing both ways as seme and uke.
Fair play, isn't it?
Right.
Until Kiyota pulled away.
"What?" Sakuragi asked.
"Is this the way we're always gonna be, Hana?" Kiyota asked. Sakuragi frowned and crawled off him.
"Nobu, what the hell's going on?" Sakuragi demanded.
"What the hell are we, anyway?" Kiyota shot back?
"What do you mean?"
"Are we just fuck-fuck-fuck lovers? Or are we something more? It may not look it, Hana... but I want to know. What are we?" Kiyota asked.
Sakuragi smiled. "That coming from Sendoh Akira's protégé? No strings attached, remember? You were the one who told me that. You said you have a reputation to protect, when all along it was *me* who was always in front of cameras."
"Hell, Hanamichi! Don't make this too hard for me!" Kiyota said.
"Don't make what too hard for you?" Sakuragi said.
"I'm trying to tell you something here!" Kiyota exclaimed. "I'm... not.. used to these- these... stuff."
"What stuff?" Sakuragi was enjoying this now.
"Hana... when I said 'No strings attached', I thought... it was both for you and... I," Kiyota stammered. "Well... you're a supermodel. People-... look up to you. And I-... I... I'm pretty well-known as a playboy, too, like Akira."
"And?"
"And now... well, I got the chance to spend time with you... Do stuff with you. Play tricks on others with you... And I-"
"You what, Nobu?" Sakuragi was smirking now.
"I... You see... Anou, Hana..."
"Just say it and be done with it," Sakuragi adviced.
"I've fallen in love with you," Kiyota blurted out. Sakuragi smiled.
"There," he said as he crawled on top of Kiyota once again. "It wasn't that hard, ne?" And he dove in for a deep kiss... before Kiyota flipped them both over.
"Hey... you want to have your turn on the bottom, remember?" Kiyota asked with a smirk.
They were about to kiss each other again with someone knocked on the door.
"Hana-chan? Kiyota-kun? It's me, your Miku-neechan. It's dinnertime already!"
----------------------
"It's a fine day, isn't it, Sashi-kun?"
"Hai." *sigh*
"The place is good. You and your friends did a good job on looking for the perfect place."
"Hai." *sigh*
"Having this kind of porch on a house is good, ne? And it overlooks the calm sea, too. A perfect place to watch the sunset."
"Hai!" *sigh*
"Is the sandwich okay? Soi and I prepared those this morning, but Hana ate almost all of it. I'm glad I saved some for you."
"Hai!" *sigh*
"Is there something on my face, Sashi-kun? You've been staring at me the whole time," Kogure said politely.
Mitsui slapped himself. The love of his life is right in front him, and he acted like a twit! Good heavens, what a dweeb. He looked at Kogure's perfect profile and once again sighed. He couldn't believe his luck.
He must have done something right to please Kami-sama. Kogure was his reward.
Smart, kind, gentle, funny, caring, loving.
The perfect partner for the imperfect person that he is. He frowned.
"Min-kun?" Mitsui softly called out.
"Won't you regret this?"
"What?"
"We've only known each other for a short time, yet, you agreed to have a relationship with me," Mitsui pointed out while trying to avoid Kogure's warm gaze. "I was kinda wondering why... and I was wondering if you'd regret it in the future. You barely know me. I'm hard to put up with. I could be downright stupid at times. I'm very impulsive, and I might do something to hurt you in the future."
Kogure smiled. "Why did you ask me out back then, anyway?"
"I like you."
"But you didn't know me, right?"
"It was love at first sight."
"Same here."
Mitsui's head snapped to Kogure's direction and smiled. "Have you noticed that what we did was very, very irrational?" he asked. "Maki almost choked on his tea when I told them about us."
"My friends were surprised, too," Kogure said. "But then again... you really can't tell your heart what to do, ne? Stop worrying, Sashi-kun. I won't regret anything."
Whaddaya know... a mushy conversationg from the mushiest couple at the beach.
Kogure stood up and leaned on the railing of the porch.
"The sunset's beautiful," he whispered. Mitsui smiled and hugged Kogure from behind.
"Yes, it is," Mitsui whispered back while he nuzzled his face on Kogure's neck. Kogure looked down at Mitsui's strong arms and frowned when he saw bite marks.
"Hisashi-kun, what are those?" he asked as he examined them closer.
"Hiro bit me earlier when we were wrestling in the sand," Mitsui said sheepishly. "That one has a sharp tongue... and sharp teeth, too."
"What did you do?"
"The crab, remember?"
Kogure chuckled. "Oh... yeah..."
"Never mind that darn bite mark," Mitsui said impatiently. "Now, where were we?" he asked as he tightened his arms around Kogure, who turned around and wrapped his arms around the scar-faced man's neck.
"Right here," Kogure said and kissed Mitsui full on the lips.
Mitsui's right hand grabbed the back of Kogure's head as he practically devoured the soft-spoken man, while his other hand snaked under Kogure's shirt. The latter could only moan under his ministrations.
Then the screen door opened with a loud bang.
Figures. It was Megumi.
"Oi. If the two of you are done eating each other, you can start eating the food at the dining room. Dinner's ready."
--------------------------
Back on the beach, two *sensible* people were yet again having a *sensible* conversation.
Or not.
"Ne, Kenji-san, what do you think would happen if you swallowed a bubblegum?" Maki asked as he patted more sand on his lopsided sandcastle.
"I don't know. Maybe it would be stuck on your esophagus forever," Fujima answered and snuck a look at Maki's... er... sand blop. "What's that you're building?"
"A sand castle," Maki said proudly.
"Oh... I thought you were designing Kiyota-kun's tombstone."
Maki sweatdropped. "Geez, it's that bad?"
Fujima smiled. "Worse."
"Well, I'm better with paperworks," Maki said defensively. "Ah! I have a problem for you. Solve this one."
"I'm a basketball player, Shin-kun. Not Einstein," Fujima stated.
"You wouldn't even need an IQ of five for this one," Maki said with a smile. "Okay. Suppose that I wanted to buy this shirt which costs 99 dollars-"
"What kind of shirt is that?" Fujima interrupted.
"Just a plain white shirt," Maki replied. "Now... I don't-"
"How come a plain white shirt would cost that much?" Fujima asked again. A vein popped on Maki's forehead.
"Would you rather discuss the shirt, or should I continue with the problem?" Maki asked.
Fujima blinked then laugh. He really couldn't understand why he liked this overly-serious man. Oh well... he's friends with Sakuragi Hanamichi. The solid proof that he owned a few loose screws. "Relax, Shin-kun! I was only kidding! Go on with the problem."
Maki blinked and blushed. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Anyway... suppose I wanted to buy this shirt which costs-"
"Is that supposed to be a joke, or is that a serious math problem?"
More veins. "A math joke. Now, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me continue, Kenji."
Fujima gave him a silly grin and made a zipping gesture with his mouth. Maki nodded in satisfaction. "Now," he continued "... this shirt costs ninety-nine dollars, but I don't have any money-"
"But what will you do, then?"
"Kenji..."
"Shutting up."
"And here I thought that you were so sensible," Maki sighed out. Fujima, the ever sensible man of his own group, once again laughed.
"Yeah, I'm sensible," he said, "but I just can't help but tease you. You're so serious, I can't even tell if you're telling a joke or not. I wouldn't even know if you delivered the punch line already, because your face is so straight!"
"Kiyota was saying the same thing," Maki said softly. "Am I really that much of a tightass, Kenji?"
'Like duh,' Fujima wanted to tease him but refrained himself from doing so. "Honestly, yes. But you're improving, though. I've only known you for a short time, but you were different from when I've first met you."
"Like... how different?"
Fujima furrowed his face in concentration. "Well, for one thing, you do silly things now. Like strangling Kiyota-kun and throwing him towards the sea. A few days- weeks ago, you would have just sighed and you would tell yourself that you're a patient man and you would tolerate his madness. You know... you should just let yourself go. Let go of all your inhibitions. If you'd continue to be like that, you'd end up like Kaede."
Maki frowned. "Rukawa? What's with him?"
Fujima stopped smiling and just fiddled with the sand. "We've been friends since we were all kids. I'm two years older than Kaede, and I've watched him grow up. Ever since we were small, Kaede has this habit of restraining himself. He's too... withrawn, for lack of a better word. He's cold... always trapped in his own world. He wouldn't allow himself to have fun. His only passion is basketball, nothing else. He never really had more friends other than the four of us."
"He's worse than I am," Maki pointed out.
"Yeah, you're right," Fujima said with a sigh. "Hana couldn't take it anymore, you see, and that was why he dared Kaede to seduce Sendoh."
"But getting laid is not the answer to his problems, Kenji."
"Just as celibacy isn't the answer to Sendoh's problems," Fujima retorted. "It's not really about getting laid, Shin. You should give Hana more credit. He never told us what his real plan is, but we know him. His plan is to push Kaede towards someone. Maybe if Kaede spends more time with someone other than us, he'd be able to find something that we failed to give him. And it was just as fortunate that Sendoh was looking for something more meaningful than the life he used to have. Maybe they could reach out to each other... and finally, my friend could be happy."
"Kenji... I don't know what to say," Maki said softly. Fujima smiled and threw a handful of sand towards Maki.
"No need to be all serious now, Shin," he said. "We're here to have fun. And besides, I think Kaede's happy with Sendoh. He's... changed. Somewhat."
Maki couldn't seem to take his eyes off Fujima. Doesn't the latter know that the reason why he could finally relax is because of him? Fujima is not like any other person he knew. The captain of the national team could be childish, yet sensible. He could be playful, yet serious. He looks as if he's the authoritarian of their group, but he could be really silly.
He changed Maki's world.
And suddenly... Maki wanted to continue his stupid math joke.
"Still want to hear that math joke?" he asked. Fujima smiled and nodded.
"So long as I wouldn't need any calculators for that one."
"No way," Maki said. "Okay... I have this shirt-"
"Which costs ninety-nine dollars, though I don't know what the hell that shirt is... and yeah, you don't have any money, too, right?" Fujima supplied.
Maki grinned. "Yeah... I don't have any money. So what I did was to borrow fifty dollars from my mom-"
"Why not borrow the whole 99 dollars from your mom? Was she poor, or something?"
"Kenji... won't you shut up?"
"Okay. Shutting up. No more popping veins, please."
"Fine..." Maki sighed. "Okay... so I borrowed fifty dollars from my mom, and I borrowed fifty dollars from my dad. So now-"
"What I don't get, Shin, is this. Why do you have to *borrow* from your parents? You are their child. It is the parents' obligation to fulfill the needs of their chil-"
Kenji couldn't continue his tirade.
Why?
Because Maki had enough of it. He couldn't continue his lame joke, so what did he do?
He kissed the annoying Fujima full on the lips.
And of course, the latter didn't interrupt this one.
*This* was waaay better than a stupid math joke which Fujima didn't really give a damn about.
But someone *did* interrupt them...
... and it was the future 'Mrs. Squid'.
"Oh. You're here. I was looking all over for you. It's dinnertime already. Come on in."
And that was the end of their *sensible* conversation.
------------------------------
'Now where the hell is that hentai 'ahou?' Rukawa thought. He and Sendoh were just taking a scroll down the beach while the sun was setting, but when he looked at his side once again, the latter was nowhere to be found.
Figures.
Sendoh Akira... one of the youngest executives of the leading advertising company, the suave, cool, and sophisticated womanizer, the former sex god... fell flat on his face as he tripped on a suspicious-looking crab.
Probably the same crab which tortured Koshino earlier.
"Do'aho," Rukawa muttered as he pulled Sendoh back up.
Sendoh gave him a sweet, sandy smile. "Thank you!"
"Your face is full of sand, ahou," Rukawa said. Without realizing it, he reached up and wiped the sand off Sendoh's face and *ehm* bare chest.
Sendoh, needless to say, was so touched by the endearing gesture, he couldn't speak. He could only mumble a small 'thank you' as Rukawa dusted the last bit of sand off him.
Truly, it was an amazing day for the both of them. They were able to sneak some time away from all the madness of their friends. Together, they built sand castles, they walked around the whole paradise, they talked, they ate, they rode boats, they swam, played chess... practically spent the entire day together.
And now... what could be the best way to end the perfect day other than to walk down the beach while revelling in the glory of the setting sun?
"I had a fun day," Rukawa said in the lowest of tones.
"What was that again?" Sendoh asked.
"I said, I had a fun day," Rukawa said in a louder voice. Sendoh smiled.
"Did I make you happy?" he asked.
"Yes, you did," Rukawa said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Sendoh said and walked astride Rukawa. "The sunset's beautiful, ne?"
Rukawa looked at the horizon. It would have made a glorious painting. Far beyond the vast sea, lied a chain of lush, green mountains, and starting to hide behind it was the setting sun. The sky held a mixture of the colors red, orange and pink, casting a soft glow on the peaceful surroundings. Rukawa never felt such peace before.
This place is such a paradise.
Quite frankly, it was scaring him.
He was happy, yes, but for how long will this last? He was starting to have these strange feelings already, and it was robbing him of his precious sleep. Ever since that nitwit Sendoh Akira came into his life, everything changed.
Suddenly, all he could ever think of was the man.
His stupid smiles, his lame, but funny jokes, his foolish actions, his warm gestures... everything.
What was those feelings, anyway? Rukawa doesn't want to know. It was scaring him. Why did Sendoh has to enter his life, anyway? He was having a fine life... with his friends and- heaven help him- his sisters. Sure, his life was a bit empty, but he's okay with it. He doesn't need anything more, right?
He looked at Sendoh, who, for the second time that day, tripped on his own feet.
Certainly Rukawa doesn't need an idiot like this one, right?
"I'm not pulling you up again, you ahou," Rukawa said. Sendoh jumped up furiously.
"It's because of this damned shell!" Sendoh said as he practically tried to *kill* the poor little shell. But he stopped when he saw how beautiful it is. He placed it in his ear and happily said, "Hey, Rukawa-kun, I can hear the sea!"
"Do'aho, you're beside the sea," Rukawa pointed out.
Sendoh chuckled and handed Rukawa the beautiful shell. It was perfectly rounded, with smooth curves and changing colors. Light pink, and orange, and white, and a little dash of blue.
"What's that?" Rukawa asked, deadpan.
"It's a shell!" ^__^
'Like duh.' Rukawa rolled his eyes. "What's that for?"
"For you!" ^__^
"What would I do with that?"
"It's pretty, ne, Rukawa-kun?" Sendoh said with a warm smile. "Little things could make you happy, you know. Go on... take this pretty little shell. From me to you! So that when you've had another shitty day at the team or when you've had another shitty day at home, just look at this simple but pretty shell, and you'd be happy. And you could also make this as a remembrance... so you would never forget this happy day."
Little things... could make you happy...
From me to you...
So when you've had another shitty day...
you'd be happy...
A remembrance...
of this happy day...
Rukawa found himself reaching for the shell. It fit perfectly in his hand, like it existed only to be held by him. He looked at Sendoh with a strange, but grateful stare.
... and found himself wanting to smile.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"I like you," Sendoh blurted out at the same time.
Oh, and the 'Super Barriers Around the Heart' system raged to life again. Rukawa closed his fist around the shell and shoved it in his pocket.
Awkward silence followed...
... until Shinri came hopping towards them and flaunted herself on Rukawa's back.
"Dinnertime!"
---------------------------
"Wheeeeeeeeen your happy and you know it clap your haaaaaands!" everyone except Rukawa and Sendoh sang.
Needless to say, this group of eleven men and five women were once again destroying the serenity of the said place. So far, the songs 'Mary Had A Little Lamb', 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,' and most of the nursery rhymes and kiddie songs ever composed by man have been sung.
"A bonfire at the beach under the stars of the night!" Kiyota said as he passed an arm around Sakuragi.
"Good thing I brought my guitar!" Mitsui said as he sat down beside Kogure and gave the latter a quick kiss. "Let's stop singing as a group. Who's going to sing solo?"
"I could sing," Kirei volunteered.
"Yeah, and cause a hard on for all these men with your oh-so-seductive voice?" Megumi asked sarcastically. "Never mind, neechan."
"Look at everyone, Aya-chan," Miyagi joked. "It seems as if love is in the air."
Everyone except Sendoh and Rukawa looked at everyone else and exchanged happy and contented looks. No one noticed the silence between the two uncomfortable men.
"No fair... what about us girls?" Kirei pouted. "C'mere, Kaede-love, and accompany your lonely sister."
Rukawa, to everyone's surprise, stood up, left Sendoh's side and walked over to his elder sister, who squealed in delight. "You wouldn't mind, ne, Sendoh-kun?" Kirei asked. Sendoh shook his head and gave Kirei a lame smile.
"Hey, don't ignore this guitar! Who's going to sing?" Mitsui asked once again.
"Why don't you sing, Akira? You have a nice voice," Maki suggested as he ran his hand up and down Fujima's arm.
Sendoh shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm not in the mood."
"Aaaaaaw, come on!" Sakuragi urged. "Don't be such a spoilsport! Why don't you woo our little Kaede and sing a song for him?"
Everyone cheered in agreement, much to Rukawa and Sendoh's discomfort. Finally, though, the poor celibate man has to heed everyone's request. He walked over to Mitsui, whispered something and whispered something in the latters ears.
Mitsui's eyes widened in curiosity. He was just about to ask Sendoh why he chose the particular song, but Sendoh shut him up with a firm look. He shrugged and started to pluck the first few chords anyway.
And everyone fell quiet.
All eyes were on Sendoh. But Sendoh's eyes fell to Rukawa's icy glare. Sendoh ignored the cold stare and poured out his heart onto the song.
~I know I stand in line until
you think you have the time
to spend an evening with me...
And if we go some place to dance
I know that there's a chance
you won't be leaving with me~
"Damn but his voice is sooo good!" Megumi whispered.
"Sssh! You're breaking the moment!" Kirei scolded just as softly.
Rukawa's heart started to pound.
~And afterwards we drop into
a quiet little place
and have a drink or two
and then I'll go and spoil it all
by saying something stupid
like I love you~
Strange looks were thrown towards Rukawa but he ignored them all. The 'Super Barriers Around the Heart' system functioned more furious than ever.
~I can see it in your eyes
you still despise the same old lines
you heard the night before
And though it's just a line to you
for me it's true &
never seemed so right before~
Sendoh could only cast an apologetic look towards Rukawa.
~I practice everyday
to find some clever lines to say
to make the meaning come true
But then I think I'll wait
until the evening gets late
and I'm alone with you~
Everyone was holding their breaths too much, they all look as if they're all going to suffocate. It was a funny sight, actually. Everyone seemed so hooked on Sendoh's every line.
~The time is right
your perfume fills my head
the stars get red
and oh, the night's so blue
but then I'll go and spoil it all
by saying something stupid like I love you~
Stupid group, actually. It was only during that time when Sendoh sang the 'something stupid' line for the second time that they finally understood what was going on. They all released their breaths at the same time and turned to Rukawa...
...whose 'Super Barriers Around the Heart System' was on the verge of blowing up.
~The time is right
your perfume fills my head
the stars get red
and oh, the night's so blue...
But then I'll go and spoil it all
by saying something stupid like I love you
I love you...
I love you...
I love you...~
And as Mitsui stroke the final chords, everyone was hooting and giving Sendoh and Rukawa a few catcalls.
But then everything just *had* to end up in chaos, ne?
Because a crab crawled towards the guitarist and pinched his ass, which caused his to jump up... and accidentally hit the person beside him with the guitar...
... who was, of all people, Koshino Hiroaki.
And so it was the perfect place.
It was cool. The sand was white, glittering under the rays of the glowing moon. The sea was blue... calm... cool... refreshing.
It wasn't quiet, though.
Because eleven men and five women were there.
Chaos started... and ensued...
And lasted throughout the entire day.
**********
tzu.zu.ku
**********
[1] This scene's for you, Diggler! Hwehehehehe...
Aki: *bowing over and over again* Gomen, gomen, gomeeeeeeen for writing such a looong chapter. I really couldn't chop it to bits, though, what with me establishing the whole Eden thing. This would be the longest chapter this fic will ever have. I think the following one's needn't be as long...
Before I forget, that song was 'Something Stupid' sung by Nicole Kidman and Robbie Williams. But I think it was just a revive, right?
Okidokie.. that's it, then! Say something about this chapter, okay?
Aki