Celibacy
Aki Midori
Blah:
Er, uh... Blah?
Warnings: Go see the previous chapters. This fic is full of obscenity, I tell ya. And I think I lost my touch in humor. *aki screams*
discLaimers: They're going to be mine in a few years or so.
-------------------------------
Celibacy
Chapter Eleven: Absence - It Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Nothing could be heard, save for the steady thumping of basketball against the cold floor and the grunts of the National Players. Shouts, too.
"Yohiko! Rebound!"
"Lower your knees!"
"All hail to Fujima! Basketball god!"
"Three points! Yosh!"
"We're number one!"
"Yeah!"
Yep, nothing could be heard. At least, as far as Rukawa was concerned. His mind had reached point-blank since eons ago, when he walked away from someone, all the while clutching a *pink* plushy which Shinri oh-so-inconveniently named 'Stardust'.
Rukawa Kaede owned a pink bunny called Stardust. What's next? An orange pig called 'Moonbeam'? Oh. Oh yeah. Pretty soon, he'll be having a stuffed squid called 'Sunshine'- if not 'Ryota'.
Now that he thought about it, he wondered if he gave Stardust enough cologne for today. Stardust doesn't like to smell bad. Stardust is a very prickly bunny. Rukawa even bought her a stuffed carrot to mumble when he's not around. The little bunny loves to cuddle. She hates it too when he leaves her around on the floor.
Poor Stardust. All alone in his room. He would have let Shinri take care of her, but he wouldn't want his sister to put those foul ribbons in her ears.
He wondered if Sendoh would have wanted those ribbons on Stardust's cute ears.
"Rukawa-kun, watch out!"
*Wham!*
It all happened so fast. One minute he was thinking about Sendoh's approval of those ribbons, the next, he was sprawled on the floor with a huge round mark on his face.
Basketballs are hard balls, that much he was sure of.
"Kaede, you okay?" Fujima asked as he helped Rukawa up.
"Tweety birds are yellow," Rukawa said. Fujima sweatdropped. Nakahime's throw wasn't gentle. That ball was practically imprinted on Rukawa's face. Fujima sighed as he pulled the man who was currently ranting about the yellowness of tweety birds towards the bench. He couldn't blame Nakahime. It was Kaede's fault for being so absentminded since yesterday. He figured it has something to do with the big break-up on Monday. And that was two days ago.
Miracle of unfortunate miracles, the great ace lost all his shots today. He also slipped once when he was running for a fast break, and he bumped into Fujima while defending. To sum it all up, Rukawa is acting like a total basketball idiot.
It was phenomenal. Historical. The press would eat them alive if they found out.
"Time out, everyone! Five-minute break!"
A collective sigh of relief was heard among the players. Grunts and slaps and laughs were heard, but Rukawa was oblivious to them all.
"Bunnies are cute," Rukawa muttered as Fujima tried to wipe away the sweat on his younger friend's brow.
Fujima grunted as he heaved a heavy dunce-like man in a more comfortable sitting position. "I'm sure they are. Now get a hold of yourself." He slapped Rukawa again and again to bring the man back to reality.
"Heh? Kenji? Wha-"
"Tweety birds are yellow," Fujima said with a snicker. "You realized that very precious trivia while you were out."
Rukawa doesn't know what he's talking about. Tweety birds made him think of yellow daisies, though, and yellow daisies made him think of Sendoh.
'Don't go there,' he scolded himself. 'You will not think of Sendoh anymore. You vehemently repeated that vow over and over again last night at the tiolet! Now be a man and go on with your pathetic, measly, lonely life!'
"Kaede, you okay now?" Fujima asked. "The break'll only last for five minutes. You could take a rest for a while, I guess. Rio could play for-"
"I'm perfectly fine!" Rukawa snapped. "Look, Kenji! My health is perfect, I look gorgeous, I'm very fit to play, and I'm so perfectly fine! Now give me a damned ball before I bash everyone's head to oblivion!"
Silence filled the air as a ball quietly rolled towards his foot and he grunted as he picked it up. Lightning was a turtle compared to Rukawa's speed as he ran across the court and slammed the ball against the ring.
A slam dunk makes him think of a certain spiky-haired man with a goofy grin. That man could sure pack up a very powerful slam dunk.
"Aaaaaargh! Goddamn you, get out of my head!" Rukawa exclaimed as he furiously dribbled the ball and dunked at the other side of the court. Question marks popped out of everyone's heads.
Fujima grinned. "Stress," was the only explanation he gave his players.
Two hours later, all sorts of cusses floated out of the locker room as a certain man's bruised shin was nursed by a certain mild-mannered, recently-laid-by-an-advertising-executive captain.
"Ouch!"
"Stay put, Kaede!"
"But it hurts!"
"No doubt," Fujima agreed as he pressed the ice over Rukawa's bruise. "What the hell were you thinking, pulling up a stunt like that? What are you, an acrobat or something?"
Rukawa gave his captain a blank stare. "There was a banana peel on the gym. Bananas don't play basketball. I do. Bananas don't have the right to set foot on the gym. I do. It's not my fault that some stupid monkey left that peel on the floor, and I'm doing my stuff- which is to play basketball. The collision was an accident. The banana peel was at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Fujima gave a little laugh. "You don't have to sound as if it was against the banana's destiny to be left like that at the floor. Anyway, you still hurt?"
"Like hell," Rukawa replied as he stood up and took his bag and walked out the locker room. Fujima snickered behind him. "You've been snickering a lot today, Kenji. You got laid last night?"
"Uh-huh, and this morning, too," was the impudent reply. Rukawa was tempted to stick out his tongue at Fujima but decided against it. Hell, it wasn't his fault that his friend's in love with a tightass, was it?
"So... how was it?" Rukawa asked, desperate to start a conversation. Silence makes him think of that time at the beach, and that time at the beach makes him think of Sendoh. He doesn't want to think of Sendoh.
He'd rather think of that cartoon show he watched earlier with Shinri this morning while they talked about her boyfriend. Caring Bears or Care Boars or something like that. He couldn't remember the title, but he did remember rainbows coming out of those perky creatures' chests. Horrifying.
"It was divine," Fujima said with a grin.
"What, the bears and boars were divine?" Rukawa asked. Fujima gave him a look and bonked him on the head with his spare rubber shoes.
"Idiot. I was talking about Shinichi!" Fujima snapped. "You asked how it was, and I said it was divine! What are bears and boars doing in your usually basketball and Sendoh-oriented mind?"
"Nothing," Rukawa replied. Better not tell Fujima that he'd been watching a horror show. "So.. uh.. was it true, then? What Kiyota told Hana, and Hana told me?"
"What about?"
"Er.. that Maki has ice shoved up his ass?"
"Kaede!"
"I was just asking. No need to hit me with your shoe," Rukawa said as he nursed another hit. It was definitely a bad day. A day of injuries and horrifying t.v. shows. It must be punishment for breaking Sendoh Akira's heart.
'Halt!' Rukawa Kaede exclaimed in his thoughts. 'Don't think of that man! It's a SIN to think of that man!'
Damn that man for invading his thoughts every now and then. His life's a living hell ever since he laid his eyes on Sendoh Akira. How he wished he could make things go back to the way they are. He'd even willingly buy female paraphernalias- for his sisters, of course- if only heavens would erase Sendoh's impudent memory off his mind.
His ear's itching again, too, dammit. He really have to stop taking Megumi's bets.
"Aaaaaah! Look! That *daisy* stud makes Rukawa look sooooooo sexy!" a high-school girl screeched.
"The stud looks cool, by the way," Fujima joked as they dodged a group of girls. "Daisy, eh? Would you be wearing a red rose stud tomorrow, Kaede?"
"Shut up," Rukawa snapped. "I should have brought my car."
Fujima only laughed at that. Pretty soon, they were seated at their usual table at the cafe. Whispers about a glinting daisy on an ace's ear were heard, and by the time they spent their fifteenth minute at the shop, Rukawa was ready to explode.
So what if he's wearing a stupid daisy stud?! Megumi made him, damn that bully. What, those people never saw a gorgeous hunk wear a *daisy* stud before? Damn those impudent mortals to infinity and beyond! It's irritating the seven hells out of him, dammit! He wanted to drown all those people at the Antarctic!
He wanted to drown Sendoh in his own bath tub!
*blink*
Now why the hell was he thinking about Sendoh again?
"Shit!" he cursed as he banged his head against the coffee table. "It /ALL/ comes down to him!"
Fujima 'tsked' and pushed the Frappucino towards Rukawa. "Calm down, man. It's not like you to lose your cool."
"I can't when the image of that horny hedgehog keeps on popping in my mind," Rukawa seethed. "My thoughts are conveniently unrelated to him. I was so happy damning those starry-eyed twits and then he suddenly pops into my mind. Everything comes down to him! What's wrong with me, Kenji, tell me so I can go back to being the cool bastard everyone knows!"
"Kaede, are you alright?"
"No, Kiminobu, he's not fine, so you can take a seat," Fujima said as he stopped Rukawa from banging his head on the table again. "Hello, everyone. How's work today?"
"I'm still a genius," Sakuragi declared as he plopped down in front of Rukawa.
"Yes, Hana, that, we're sure of," Kogure replied with a smile. "My new book's gonna get published soon."
"I got promoted," Jin said.
"Again?!" Sakuragi exclaimed. "Congratulations, friend! My genius is rubbing off on you! No need to thank me, Soi. You're welcome."
Jin laughed. Kogure smiled. Fujima snickered. Rukawa stopped trying to injure himself and gave his cousin a patronizing look.
"Sure. Delude yourself," he muttered as he dumped his face on his hand.
"You look miserable, as always," Sakuragi remarked. "And easy on the coffee, oh, dear cousin of mine. You might get drunk."
"Leave me and my coffee alone, and I'll leave you to your fantasy," Rukawa retorted.
"What's your problem anyway?!" Sakuragi demanded. He pulled Rukawa's ear by the daisy stud and gave his cousin a good punch.
"You're still breathing, that's my problem," Rukawa replied as he punched Sakuragi in the stomach. "And leave my ear alone, dammit."
"Easy, you two," Kogure said, stopping a potential war episode. He turned at the nervous, but otherwise starry-eyed waitress and smiled. "I'll have an espresso, thank you very much."
"Hai!"
"I'll have the best that this coffee parlor can give," Sakuragi said with a final pinch at Rukawa's arm.
"Ha~i!"
"And I'll have a mocha frapuccino, just like Kaede here," Jin said.
"Haaaa~i!" the waitress exclaimed as she bounced all the way to the counter. "They look soooo gorgeous! and Kogure-san smiled at me!"
Kogure laughed. "The girls are so perky today."
"They're perky forever," Sakuragi said as he winked at another waitress. "At least they know how to recognize perfection when they see 'em."
Rukawa merely 'harrump'ed. Perfection? Yeah, he'd seen perfection. Sendoh Akira was the embodiment of perfection. That erected hair; that smooth, strong, handsome face; that deep, fathomless blue eyes; those kissable lips; that lean body; those warm arms... that perfect smile. Now /that/ is perfection. Not ketchup-colored hair and overly-inflated ego.
So unlike Sendoh. Confident, but not boastful. Successful, yet humble. Handsome, yet-
'Halt!' Rukawa screamed in his thoughts. 'You will /not/ go there!'
"Good. Drown yourself in oblivion. Really cool, Kaede," Sakuragi said with a snort. Rukawa paid him no heed. The latter was busy scolding his traitorous memory. Sakuragi decided to ignore his pathetic cousin and turned to Jin. "Oi, Soi! Heard you and Koshino are hitting it off. Nobu said the grinch was practically floating around the office every morning, if not complaining about Mitsui's presence in his life. What did you do to him?"
"Sex is good for the health. And the nerves," Jin said with a soft smile.
"Why you little devil, you," Sakuragi teased. He turned to Kogure. "And you? What about your book? What's that about? The Literary Criticism of Little Red Riding Hood?"
Kogure laughed. "It's literary, alright, but it has nothing to do with girls in red hoods."
"No-one's gonna ask about me and Shin?" Fujima said with a smirk.
Sakuragi shook his head. "Nope. It's written all over your face. Might as well wear a neon sign that says 'I had a thorough fuck-session last night and I'm so sore!' Can it, Kenji. I know the signs." The group, save for a miserable ice kid, laughed.
Rukawa had practically closed out everything the moment Sakuragi started to sing the rubber ducky song. Rubber ducks made him think of yellow. Yellow made him think of Smileys. Smileys made him think of-
Halt!
But he couldn't help it. Coffee made him think of Sendoh. Fire extinguishers made him think of Sendoh. Dyed poodles made him think of Sendoh. Mops made him think of Sendoh. Flower vases made him think of Sendoh. Every damned thing made him think of none other than Sendoh Akira!
His smile, his warmth, his humor, his *everything*!
The hand waving in front of his face made him think of Sendoh.
"Hello! Earth to my future brother-in-law!" Miyagi called out.
"Forget it, Mr. Squid," Sakuragi snorted. "He's not with us. He's busy spending time with Sendoh on Mt. Tra-lala."
Miyagi humped. "Well, if you asked me, I think Sendoh's good for him. He's such a baka, my future otouto is. Dumping his one chance at happiness."
"You got that right," Fujima said. A waitress came and asked the marine biologist for his order.
"He's going to have grilled squid sandwich, squid balls, and squid ink for his beverage," Sakuragi said. Miyagi, of course, wasted no time pummeling Sakuragi in his squid-like fury. When he was sure Sakuragi's face would bruise the color of squid, he stopped pummeling his friend and future cousin-in-law and smiled at the waitress.
"I'll just have a grilled cheese sandwich and a soda," he said with a smile. He sat back down on his seat and smoothed his shirt. "Kaede took it hard, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did," Kogure agreed. "We're worried about him. We don't know how to pull him out of his demise."
"Easy. I'll show him my squid plushy," Miyagi said as he pulled out a small stuffed squid out of his pocket. Quetion marks and sweatdrops popped and rolled down the gang's heads. Miyagi paid his friends no heed as he shoved the squid in front of Rukawa's face and made it dance and leap and sway from side to side.
Add to it Miyagi's squid anthem. The lyrics were composed of nothing but the glories and marvels of the wondrous creatures called squid, who reside on the depths of Poseidon's seas.
It looked and sounded so ridiculous, Rukawa almost strangled it when he came back to the land of the living.
"Ha! Works every time!" Miyagi declared as he wiggled 'Squiddy' around. "Welcome back, Kaede."
"Who let you out of your aquarium?" Rukawa snapped.
"Touchy, isn't he, Squiddy? A good 'Welcome, Oniichan', too."
Rukawa stuck his tongue at his friend and glared daggers at the poor squid. He looked at it as if it doesn't have the right to walk the earth. He stared as if the squid's presence is so foul, it ought to be burned at stake.
But come to think of it. When you injected enough Viagra in that squid, would those tentacles stood as erect as they could be? And if those tentacles indeed harden, turn them upside-down and what do you have? Sendoh's spiky hair.
Halt!
Good heavens, even a *squid* could be connected to Sendoh! Rukawa came down to one conclusion.
He missed Sendoh. A lot.
******
"Sir, are you /sure/ you want to buy that Barbie doll?" the saleslady asked for the fifth time. "Because if you want, we have here a vast collection of model cars-"
"I want that Barbie," Sendoh said, adamant. The saleslady cringed.
"If you say so, sir," she said. "Please follow me to the counter. Would you pay cash or credit?"
"Cash," Sendoh said non-chalantly. "I want two of those Hello Kitty plushies, too. That mug looks okay, so I'll buy that. Oh... please give me that neon yellow bean bag chair, too, please."
"Uh... yes, sir. Right away, sir," the saleslady said as she gathered Sendoh's requests, all the while blushing because the man looked so handsome, and all the while thinking that the man looked so handsome but it's such a shame because he's such a weirdo. Oh well, she thought. Maybe it's for his kid or his girl friend.
A few minutes and not-so-few paper bills later, Sendoh emerged out of the store carrying whatever cute stuff the store sells. He threw the bags on the backseat of his car and plopped down in front of the wheel.
"Kaede would have loved all those," he said to himself.
He named the fox plushy Kaede, and the Barbie doll 'Delilah'. He named a few other things while he drived around the city.
Kaede loves cute things. Sendoh would pour these cute things on Kaede's feet if only that man would take him, heart and soul. But no, Kaede couldn't- wouldn't love him. The man walked away from Sendoh, and the latter's tired- emotionally and physically- of running after the cold man.
Oh well... more cute things then. Cute things remind him of Rukawa. Heck, Rukawa's so damn cute himself! Not to mention that plush backside. Yeah. Rukawa Kaede has a cute arse, no doubt about it.
Sendoh sighed and drove towards Kiyota's apartment. Might as well spend the night with his buddies, since he couldn't see Rukawa tonight- or any other night, for that matter. He wanted to bawl then and there, but no! He's a man, not a ninny! He's going to go on with his life, forget that he loved Rukawa so much, and continue practicing celibacy! One week left, and he'll make it. He's a man of his word. He won't even screw around after his month. He's... changed, somehow. He's a new man. He knew how it is to fall in love.
He grew up, in a way.
But he's going to face his heartache like a man! Good-bye, Rukawa Kaede!
"Hey, that flower's cute," he said as he parked his car in a convenient corner and dashed for the bouquet. Kaede loves cute things.
Yep. Good-bye, Rukawa Kaede.
Yeah, right.
Good-bye Rukawa Kaede, his ass. He knew he couldn't forget the man even if he banged his head on any solid surface a thousand times. Surgeons might as well tear his brain away from him, but he'll always remember Rukawa.
He couldn't forget Rukawa... so he splurges his money buying every cute thing his eyes ever laid upon. Pathetic, really.
Half an hour later, he was oh-so-comfortably seated on Kiyota's cute couch, watching Mitsui and Koshino wrestle.
"I'm warning you, you jerk! Give me back my wallet, or else!" Koshino threatened.
"Or else what?" Mitsui dared. "You're gonna tell Soi-chan I'm picking on you again? Come on! Don't be such a tightass! I just wanna see your neoprints!"
Sendoh wondered if he's ever gonna have the chance to wrestle with Rukawa. On his bed.
"Those neoprints are PRIVATE, you dumbass! Now give those back!"
Punch. Kick. Grunt. Punch again. Roll. Punch. Yell.
"Ha! Here it is!" Mitsui said with a triumphant cry! "Oh look! Hiro's crossing his eyes in this picture! And he's sticking out his tongue! Oooooh! This one's him and Jin spit-swappin'! Perfect shot!"
"Lemme see!" Kiyota cried out as he bounced off his seat. Maki was calmer however, as he stood up from his strategic position near the window and walked over to a struggling Mitsui.
Sendoh wondered if Rukawa would look cute if he crossed his eyes and stick out his tongue.
"Mitsui! I'm going to kill you!" Koshino yelled as he banged Mitsui's head against the carpeted floor again and again. Maki just laughed and shook his head. He took notice of Sendoh, though, and made the mistake of asking the latter if he's alright.
"I'm not in love with Kaede anymore!" Sendoh snapped.
Everyone stopped their activities and stared at Sendoh.
"Akira, I asked you if you're okay," Maki said. "I didn't ask you whether or not you're still in love with him, because we know you still are."
"Oh yeah? Prove it!" Sendoh challenged.
"We don't have to prove it you, jerk," Koshino snapped, still under Mitsui. "Why don't you just stop lying to yourself, be a man, and just accept the fact that you and Rukawa weren't meant to be together! That, or march over to his house, kick off his door, and bang him on his own bed."
"My, Hiro. Your true colors are showing!" Mitsui teased. "You're such a sex-maniac."
"Shut up."
Sendoh shook his head. Fools, all of them. Hmp. Just because they have active sex and love lives doesn't mean they have the right to rub it in his face. What good friends they are.
He wondered if Rukawa's a great friend to his friends.
Sendoh heaved a great sigh and pouted. "I can't stop thinking about him."
"Of course," Kiyota said. "The man's got you wrapped around his finger."
"I just unwrapped myself off him."
"But you still love him."
"Damn."
"Ne, Akira, why do you have huge bags under your eyes?" Maki asked.
Koshino grunted at that. "He's been watching all of Rukawa's games since they broke up. Fixed his eyes on the perfection that is Rukawa. Damn, you should have seen him. He's practically crying as if he's watching the world's greatest drama."
"I never knew bastketball's sad," Mitsui joked as he tickled his grumpy friend.
"Come on, guys, lay off me," Sendoh pleaded. "And Hisashi, get off Hiroaki. You're implanting obscene thoughts in my mind."
Koshino screeched and pushed Mitsui off him and glared at Sendoh. "You and your perverted mind."
Sendoh then wondered how it would feel to be in that position with Kaede. And he wondered if Kaede would laugh if he tickled him.
"Thinking about Sendoh again?" Kiyota asked.
"No, he's thinking about fertilized eggs and pasteurized milk," Mitsui said sarcastically. "Come on, man. We're talking about Sendoh here! He lived and breathed Rukawa since the day he met the man! Of course he's thinking about him!"
"Give me something else to think about then," Sendoh said.
"Wanna watch porn?"
"Oh, shut up, Shinichi. Your jokes are lame."
"Hey, at least I'm trying," Maki said. "Or... maybe we could handle your problem the way other men handle theirs."
"How?" Sendoh asked. Anything to get his mind off Rukawa! It's breaking his heart! And oh. The thought of Rukawa turns him on, too. That's bad.
"We could get drunk," Maki suggested.
Kiyota oggled. "Shin! You're suggesting we get drunk?! And on a Wednesday night, too! My god! The world's ending! Everyone, repent, I tell you! It's judgment day!"
"Shut up, Nobu," Maki snapped, but with a smile. "It's not everyday we get drunk. Let's all share Akira's misery, why don't we?"
"Really, Shin," Kiyota said with a shake of his head. "Fujima changed you a LOT. No. Make that, Fujima /and/ sex." Maki merely smiled.
"Oi, count us in," Mitsui said.
"My, thanks a lot for volunteering /ME/," Koshino sarcastically said. "Anyway, since this act of deliquency was suggested by Shin, I'm in."
"Good. What about you, Akira?" Maki asked. Four pairs of eyes turned to Sendoh.
Sendoh thought about it long and hard. Get drunk, his friends told him. Maybe alcohol would help him forget Rukawa and his heartache for a while.
That's good.
******
"Whaaaahahahahaha! Come on, Shin! Do that again!" Mitsui urged. Maki complied.
"Shit! You're sho flexhible!" Sendoh said as another round of laughter passed. Even Koshino was laughing his head off. "Oh my... Hi~ro! Shincshe when did you 'ave a tchwin? Why are there two o' ya?"
"Doofus! There'sh only one Koshino Hiroaki in the world!" Koshino declared.
"Thank god!" Mitsui commented. Whaddaya know. The group laughed their asses off again.
"'Ermm, guys!" Kiyota called out. "When wash the lasht time you got so drunk?"
"Uh... I don't remember when," Maki slurred, "but I remember we were together that time."
"Yes!" Sendoh cried out. "Friendsh forever! Cheersh!"
"Cheers!" the others called out after him.
Sendoh wondered if Rukawa'd be as jolly as they are when he's drunk.
Oh, shit. He's still thinking of the man. Sendoh sighed.
"Thish ishn't working, friends, citizens and country men," Sendoh murmured. "I shtill can't get my mind off him."
"Well, at least you're trashed," Mitsui said. "It's gonna be hell tomorrow."
"We'll call in sick," Maki said.
Sendoh swayed to and fro as he walked over to Kiyota's bar and pulled out another bottle of alcohol. "I miss him."
"Sure you do."
"Why are we drinking again?" Sendoh asked. Great. Now there are two Makis, too. And there are three Kiyotas. Damn. What'sh the world coming into? Everybody'sh multiplying!
"We're lamenting your lost love," Kiyota reminded him, eyes crossed.
"Oh."
Lamenting losht love. Yesh. 'E's right. Why'sh he lamenting losht love again? Oh. Kaede dumped 'im. Or wash is the other way 'round? Eh? He doeshn't know, anymore. Now why the hell are there two everythingsh 'ow? Would Ka'de take care of 'im when 'e had a hang'ver t'morrow? Nope. Prob'ly not. Kaede doeshn't love 'im. Yeah.
Now there are three everythings.
Three Kaedes on his mind.
And the pain increased three-fold.
That'sh bad.
**********
tsu.zu.ku
**********
I keep on torturing these two. But don't worry. Those two are gonna come to their senses soon enough. I have a few more chapters left. Stupidity's very rampant on this fic, don't you guys think?
You guys get my hidden message on this fic, right? If you don't... read it all over again. Hehehe... Anyway, I just want to write extra disclaimers for the following mentioned stuff: Care Bears, Barbie, Viagra, Hello Kitty, and Neoprint. I don't own those (thank God).
And if the humor's pretty lame, and sarcasm's not as sharp, I apologize. I think I'm losing my touch because I have little time to write. I'm in a period of a SLUMP. I'm telling you, it's not a very wonderful experience. Let me gather my wits again, okay?
Anyway, I'll see ya in the next chapter: What Becomes of the Bet?: High-Class Meddlers 2
Ja!
aki
Aki Midori
Blah:
Er, uh... Blah?
Warnings: Go see the previous chapters. This fic is full of obscenity, I tell ya. And I think I lost my touch in humor. *aki screams*
discLaimers: They're going to be mine in a few years or so.
-------------------------------
Celibacy
Chapter Eleven: Absence - It Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Nothing could be heard, save for the steady thumping of basketball against the cold floor and the grunts of the National Players. Shouts, too.
"Yohiko! Rebound!"
"Lower your knees!"
"All hail to Fujima! Basketball god!"
"Three points! Yosh!"
"We're number one!"
"Yeah!"
Yep, nothing could be heard. At least, as far as Rukawa was concerned. His mind had reached point-blank since eons ago, when he walked away from someone, all the while clutching a *pink* plushy which Shinri oh-so-inconveniently named 'Stardust'.
Rukawa Kaede owned a pink bunny called Stardust. What's next? An orange pig called 'Moonbeam'? Oh. Oh yeah. Pretty soon, he'll be having a stuffed squid called 'Sunshine'- if not 'Ryota'.
Now that he thought about it, he wondered if he gave Stardust enough cologne for today. Stardust doesn't like to smell bad. Stardust is a very prickly bunny. Rukawa even bought her a stuffed carrot to mumble when he's not around. The little bunny loves to cuddle. She hates it too when he leaves her around on the floor.
Poor Stardust. All alone in his room. He would have let Shinri take care of her, but he wouldn't want his sister to put those foul ribbons in her ears.
He wondered if Sendoh would have wanted those ribbons on Stardust's cute ears.
"Rukawa-kun, watch out!"
*Wham!*
It all happened so fast. One minute he was thinking about Sendoh's approval of those ribbons, the next, he was sprawled on the floor with a huge round mark on his face.
Basketballs are hard balls, that much he was sure of.
"Kaede, you okay?" Fujima asked as he helped Rukawa up.
"Tweety birds are yellow," Rukawa said. Fujima sweatdropped. Nakahime's throw wasn't gentle. That ball was practically imprinted on Rukawa's face. Fujima sighed as he pulled the man who was currently ranting about the yellowness of tweety birds towards the bench. He couldn't blame Nakahime. It was Kaede's fault for being so absentminded since yesterday. He figured it has something to do with the big break-up on Monday. And that was two days ago.
Miracle of unfortunate miracles, the great ace lost all his shots today. He also slipped once when he was running for a fast break, and he bumped into Fujima while defending. To sum it all up, Rukawa is acting like a total basketball idiot.
It was phenomenal. Historical. The press would eat them alive if they found out.
"Time out, everyone! Five-minute break!"
A collective sigh of relief was heard among the players. Grunts and slaps and laughs were heard, but Rukawa was oblivious to them all.
"Bunnies are cute," Rukawa muttered as Fujima tried to wipe away the sweat on his younger friend's brow.
Fujima grunted as he heaved a heavy dunce-like man in a more comfortable sitting position. "I'm sure they are. Now get a hold of yourself." He slapped Rukawa again and again to bring the man back to reality.
"Heh? Kenji? Wha-"
"Tweety birds are yellow," Fujima said with a snicker. "You realized that very precious trivia while you were out."
Rukawa doesn't know what he's talking about. Tweety birds made him think of yellow daisies, though, and yellow daisies made him think of Sendoh.
'Don't go there,' he scolded himself. 'You will not think of Sendoh anymore. You vehemently repeated that vow over and over again last night at the tiolet! Now be a man and go on with your pathetic, measly, lonely life!'
"Kaede, you okay now?" Fujima asked. "The break'll only last for five minutes. You could take a rest for a while, I guess. Rio could play for-"
"I'm perfectly fine!" Rukawa snapped. "Look, Kenji! My health is perfect, I look gorgeous, I'm very fit to play, and I'm so perfectly fine! Now give me a damned ball before I bash everyone's head to oblivion!"
Silence filled the air as a ball quietly rolled towards his foot and he grunted as he picked it up. Lightning was a turtle compared to Rukawa's speed as he ran across the court and slammed the ball against the ring.
A slam dunk makes him think of a certain spiky-haired man with a goofy grin. That man could sure pack up a very powerful slam dunk.
"Aaaaaargh! Goddamn you, get out of my head!" Rukawa exclaimed as he furiously dribbled the ball and dunked at the other side of the court. Question marks popped out of everyone's heads.
Fujima grinned. "Stress," was the only explanation he gave his players.
Two hours later, all sorts of cusses floated out of the locker room as a certain man's bruised shin was nursed by a certain mild-mannered, recently-laid-by-an-advertising-executive captain.
"Ouch!"
"Stay put, Kaede!"
"But it hurts!"
"No doubt," Fujima agreed as he pressed the ice over Rukawa's bruise. "What the hell were you thinking, pulling up a stunt like that? What are you, an acrobat or something?"
Rukawa gave his captain a blank stare. "There was a banana peel on the gym. Bananas don't play basketball. I do. Bananas don't have the right to set foot on the gym. I do. It's not my fault that some stupid monkey left that peel on the floor, and I'm doing my stuff- which is to play basketball. The collision was an accident. The banana peel was at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Fujima gave a little laugh. "You don't have to sound as if it was against the banana's destiny to be left like that at the floor. Anyway, you still hurt?"
"Like hell," Rukawa replied as he stood up and took his bag and walked out the locker room. Fujima snickered behind him. "You've been snickering a lot today, Kenji. You got laid last night?"
"Uh-huh, and this morning, too," was the impudent reply. Rukawa was tempted to stick out his tongue at Fujima but decided against it. Hell, it wasn't his fault that his friend's in love with a tightass, was it?
"So... how was it?" Rukawa asked, desperate to start a conversation. Silence makes him think of that time at the beach, and that time at the beach makes him think of Sendoh. He doesn't want to think of Sendoh.
He'd rather think of that cartoon show he watched earlier with Shinri this morning while they talked about her boyfriend. Caring Bears or Care Boars or something like that. He couldn't remember the title, but he did remember rainbows coming out of those perky creatures' chests. Horrifying.
"It was divine," Fujima said with a grin.
"What, the bears and boars were divine?" Rukawa asked. Fujima gave him a look and bonked him on the head with his spare rubber shoes.
"Idiot. I was talking about Shinichi!" Fujima snapped. "You asked how it was, and I said it was divine! What are bears and boars doing in your usually basketball and Sendoh-oriented mind?"
"Nothing," Rukawa replied. Better not tell Fujima that he'd been watching a horror show. "So.. uh.. was it true, then? What Kiyota told Hana, and Hana told me?"
"What about?"
"Er.. that Maki has ice shoved up his ass?"
"Kaede!"
"I was just asking. No need to hit me with your shoe," Rukawa said as he nursed another hit. It was definitely a bad day. A day of injuries and horrifying t.v. shows. It must be punishment for breaking Sendoh Akira's heart.
'Halt!' Rukawa Kaede exclaimed in his thoughts. 'Don't think of that man! It's a SIN to think of that man!'
Damn that man for invading his thoughts every now and then. His life's a living hell ever since he laid his eyes on Sendoh Akira. How he wished he could make things go back to the way they are. He'd even willingly buy female paraphernalias- for his sisters, of course- if only heavens would erase Sendoh's impudent memory off his mind.
His ear's itching again, too, dammit. He really have to stop taking Megumi's bets.
"Aaaaaah! Look! That *daisy* stud makes Rukawa look sooooooo sexy!" a high-school girl screeched.
"The stud looks cool, by the way," Fujima joked as they dodged a group of girls. "Daisy, eh? Would you be wearing a red rose stud tomorrow, Kaede?"
"Shut up," Rukawa snapped. "I should have brought my car."
Fujima only laughed at that. Pretty soon, they were seated at their usual table at the cafe. Whispers about a glinting daisy on an ace's ear were heard, and by the time they spent their fifteenth minute at the shop, Rukawa was ready to explode.
So what if he's wearing a stupid daisy stud?! Megumi made him, damn that bully. What, those people never saw a gorgeous hunk wear a *daisy* stud before? Damn those impudent mortals to infinity and beyond! It's irritating the seven hells out of him, dammit! He wanted to drown all those people at the Antarctic!
He wanted to drown Sendoh in his own bath tub!
*blink*
Now why the hell was he thinking about Sendoh again?
"Shit!" he cursed as he banged his head against the coffee table. "It /ALL/ comes down to him!"
Fujima 'tsked' and pushed the Frappucino towards Rukawa. "Calm down, man. It's not like you to lose your cool."
"I can't when the image of that horny hedgehog keeps on popping in my mind," Rukawa seethed. "My thoughts are conveniently unrelated to him. I was so happy damning those starry-eyed twits and then he suddenly pops into my mind. Everything comes down to him! What's wrong with me, Kenji, tell me so I can go back to being the cool bastard everyone knows!"
"Kaede, are you alright?"
"No, Kiminobu, he's not fine, so you can take a seat," Fujima said as he stopped Rukawa from banging his head on the table again. "Hello, everyone. How's work today?"
"I'm still a genius," Sakuragi declared as he plopped down in front of Rukawa.
"Yes, Hana, that, we're sure of," Kogure replied with a smile. "My new book's gonna get published soon."
"I got promoted," Jin said.
"Again?!" Sakuragi exclaimed. "Congratulations, friend! My genius is rubbing off on you! No need to thank me, Soi. You're welcome."
Jin laughed. Kogure smiled. Fujima snickered. Rukawa stopped trying to injure himself and gave his cousin a patronizing look.
"Sure. Delude yourself," he muttered as he dumped his face on his hand.
"You look miserable, as always," Sakuragi remarked. "And easy on the coffee, oh, dear cousin of mine. You might get drunk."
"Leave me and my coffee alone, and I'll leave you to your fantasy," Rukawa retorted.
"What's your problem anyway?!" Sakuragi demanded. He pulled Rukawa's ear by the daisy stud and gave his cousin a good punch.
"You're still breathing, that's my problem," Rukawa replied as he punched Sakuragi in the stomach. "And leave my ear alone, dammit."
"Easy, you two," Kogure said, stopping a potential war episode. He turned at the nervous, but otherwise starry-eyed waitress and smiled. "I'll have an espresso, thank you very much."
"Hai!"
"I'll have the best that this coffee parlor can give," Sakuragi said with a final pinch at Rukawa's arm.
"Ha~i!"
"And I'll have a mocha frapuccino, just like Kaede here," Jin said.
"Haaaa~i!" the waitress exclaimed as she bounced all the way to the counter. "They look soooo gorgeous! and Kogure-san smiled at me!"
Kogure laughed. "The girls are so perky today."
"They're perky forever," Sakuragi said as he winked at another waitress. "At least they know how to recognize perfection when they see 'em."
Rukawa merely 'harrump'ed. Perfection? Yeah, he'd seen perfection. Sendoh Akira was the embodiment of perfection. That erected hair; that smooth, strong, handsome face; that deep, fathomless blue eyes; those kissable lips; that lean body; those warm arms... that perfect smile. Now /that/ is perfection. Not ketchup-colored hair and overly-inflated ego.
So unlike Sendoh. Confident, but not boastful. Successful, yet humble. Handsome, yet-
'Halt!' Rukawa screamed in his thoughts. 'You will /not/ go there!'
"Good. Drown yourself in oblivion. Really cool, Kaede," Sakuragi said with a snort. Rukawa paid him no heed. The latter was busy scolding his traitorous memory. Sakuragi decided to ignore his pathetic cousin and turned to Jin. "Oi, Soi! Heard you and Koshino are hitting it off. Nobu said the grinch was practically floating around the office every morning, if not complaining about Mitsui's presence in his life. What did you do to him?"
"Sex is good for the health. And the nerves," Jin said with a soft smile.
"Why you little devil, you," Sakuragi teased. He turned to Kogure. "And you? What about your book? What's that about? The Literary Criticism of Little Red Riding Hood?"
Kogure laughed. "It's literary, alright, but it has nothing to do with girls in red hoods."
"No-one's gonna ask about me and Shin?" Fujima said with a smirk.
Sakuragi shook his head. "Nope. It's written all over your face. Might as well wear a neon sign that says 'I had a thorough fuck-session last night and I'm so sore!' Can it, Kenji. I know the signs." The group, save for a miserable ice kid, laughed.
Rukawa had practically closed out everything the moment Sakuragi started to sing the rubber ducky song. Rubber ducks made him think of yellow. Yellow made him think of Smileys. Smileys made him think of-
Halt!
But he couldn't help it. Coffee made him think of Sendoh. Fire extinguishers made him think of Sendoh. Dyed poodles made him think of Sendoh. Mops made him think of Sendoh. Flower vases made him think of Sendoh. Every damned thing made him think of none other than Sendoh Akira!
His smile, his warmth, his humor, his *everything*!
The hand waving in front of his face made him think of Sendoh.
"Hello! Earth to my future brother-in-law!" Miyagi called out.
"Forget it, Mr. Squid," Sakuragi snorted. "He's not with us. He's busy spending time with Sendoh on Mt. Tra-lala."
Miyagi humped. "Well, if you asked me, I think Sendoh's good for him. He's such a baka, my future otouto is. Dumping his one chance at happiness."
"You got that right," Fujima said. A waitress came and asked the marine biologist for his order.
"He's going to have grilled squid sandwich, squid balls, and squid ink for his beverage," Sakuragi said. Miyagi, of course, wasted no time pummeling Sakuragi in his squid-like fury. When he was sure Sakuragi's face would bruise the color of squid, he stopped pummeling his friend and future cousin-in-law and smiled at the waitress.
"I'll just have a grilled cheese sandwich and a soda," he said with a smile. He sat back down on his seat and smoothed his shirt. "Kaede took it hard, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did," Kogure agreed. "We're worried about him. We don't know how to pull him out of his demise."
"Easy. I'll show him my squid plushy," Miyagi said as he pulled out a small stuffed squid out of his pocket. Quetion marks and sweatdrops popped and rolled down the gang's heads. Miyagi paid his friends no heed as he shoved the squid in front of Rukawa's face and made it dance and leap and sway from side to side.
Add to it Miyagi's squid anthem. The lyrics were composed of nothing but the glories and marvels of the wondrous creatures called squid, who reside on the depths of Poseidon's seas.
It looked and sounded so ridiculous, Rukawa almost strangled it when he came back to the land of the living.
"Ha! Works every time!" Miyagi declared as he wiggled 'Squiddy' around. "Welcome back, Kaede."
"Who let you out of your aquarium?" Rukawa snapped.
"Touchy, isn't he, Squiddy? A good 'Welcome, Oniichan', too."
Rukawa stuck his tongue at his friend and glared daggers at the poor squid. He looked at it as if it doesn't have the right to walk the earth. He stared as if the squid's presence is so foul, it ought to be burned at stake.
But come to think of it. When you injected enough Viagra in that squid, would those tentacles stood as erect as they could be? And if those tentacles indeed harden, turn them upside-down and what do you have? Sendoh's spiky hair.
Halt!
Good heavens, even a *squid* could be connected to Sendoh! Rukawa came down to one conclusion.
He missed Sendoh. A lot.
******
"Sir, are you /sure/ you want to buy that Barbie doll?" the saleslady asked for the fifth time. "Because if you want, we have here a vast collection of model cars-"
"I want that Barbie," Sendoh said, adamant. The saleslady cringed.
"If you say so, sir," she said. "Please follow me to the counter. Would you pay cash or credit?"
"Cash," Sendoh said non-chalantly. "I want two of those Hello Kitty plushies, too. That mug looks okay, so I'll buy that. Oh... please give me that neon yellow bean bag chair, too, please."
"Uh... yes, sir. Right away, sir," the saleslady said as she gathered Sendoh's requests, all the while blushing because the man looked so handsome, and all the while thinking that the man looked so handsome but it's such a shame because he's such a weirdo. Oh well, she thought. Maybe it's for his kid or his girl friend.
A few minutes and not-so-few paper bills later, Sendoh emerged out of the store carrying whatever cute stuff the store sells. He threw the bags on the backseat of his car and plopped down in front of the wheel.
"Kaede would have loved all those," he said to himself.
He named the fox plushy Kaede, and the Barbie doll 'Delilah'. He named a few other things while he drived around the city.
Kaede loves cute things. Sendoh would pour these cute things on Kaede's feet if only that man would take him, heart and soul. But no, Kaede couldn't- wouldn't love him. The man walked away from Sendoh, and the latter's tired- emotionally and physically- of running after the cold man.
Oh well... more cute things then. Cute things remind him of Rukawa. Heck, Rukawa's so damn cute himself! Not to mention that plush backside. Yeah. Rukawa Kaede has a cute arse, no doubt about it.
Sendoh sighed and drove towards Kiyota's apartment. Might as well spend the night with his buddies, since he couldn't see Rukawa tonight- or any other night, for that matter. He wanted to bawl then and there, but no! He's a man, not a ninny! He's going to go on with his life, forget that he loved Rukawa so much, and continue practicing celibacy! One week left, and he'll make it. He's a man of his word. He won't even screw around after his month. He's... changed, somehow. He's a new man. He knew how it is to fall in love.
He grew up, in a way.
But he's going to face his heartache like a man! Good-bye, Rukawa Kaede!
"Hey, that flower's cute," he said as he parked his car in a convenient corner and dashed for the bouquet. Kaede loves cute things.
Yep. Good-bye, Rukawa Kaede.
Yeah, right.
Good-bye Rukawa Kaede, his ass. He knew he couldn't forget the man even if he banged his head on any solid surface a thousand times. Surgeons might as well tear his brain away from him, but he'll always remember Rukawa.
He couldn't forget Rukawa... so he splurges his money buying every cute thing his eyes ever laid upon. Pathetic, really.
Half an hour later, he was oh-so-comfortably seated on Kiyota's cute couch, watching Mitsui and Koshino wrestle.
"I'm warning you, you jerk! Give me back my wallet, or else!" Koshino threatened.
"Or else what?" Mitsui dared. "You're gonna tell Soi-chan I'm picking on you again? Come on! Don't be such a tightass! I just wanna see your neoprints!"
Sendoh wondered if he's ever gonna have the chance to wrestle with Rukawa. On his bed.
"Those neoprints are PRIVATE, you dumbass! Now give those back!"
Punch. Kick. Grunt. Punch again. Roll. Punch. Yell.
"Ha! Here it is!" Mitsui said with a triumphant cry! "Oh look! Hiro's crossing his eyes in this picture! And he's sticking out his tongue! Oooooh! This one's him and Jin spit-swappin'! Perfect shot!"
"Lemme see!" Kiyota cried out as he bounced off his seat. Maki was calmer however, as he stood up from his strategic position near the window and walked over to a struggling Mitsui.
Sendoh wondered if Rukawa would look cute if he crossed his eyes and stick out his tongue.
"Mitsui! I'm going to kill you!" Koshino yelled as he banged Mitsui's head against the carpeted floor again and again. Maki just laughed and shook his head. He took notice of Sendoh, though, and made the mistake of asking the latter if he's alright.
"I'm not in love with Kaede anymore!" Sendoh snapped.
Everyone stopped their activities and stared at Sendoh.
"Akira, I asked you if you're okay," Maki said. "I didn't ask you whether or not you're still in love with him, because we know you still are."
"Oh yeah? Prove it!" Sendoh challenged.
"We don't have to prove it you, jerk," Koshino snapped, still under Mitsui. "Why don't you just stop lying to yourself, be a man, and just accept the fact that you and Rukawa weren't meant to be together! That, or march over to his house, kick off his door, and bang him on his own bed."
"My, Hiro. Your true colors are showing!" Mitsui teased. "You're such a sex-maniac."
"Shut up."
Sendoh shook his head. Fools, all of them. Hmp. Just because they have active sex and love lives doesn't mean they have the right to rub it in his face. What good friends they are.
He wondered if Rukawa's a great friend to his friends.
Sendoh heaved a great sigh and pouted. "I can't stop thinking about him."
"Of course," Kiyota said. "The man's got you wrapped around his finger."
"I just unwrapped myself off him."
"But you still love him."
"Damn."
"Ne, Akira, why do you have huge bags under your eyes?" Maki asked.
Koshino grunted at that. "He's been watching all of Rukawa's games since they broke up. Fixed his eyes on the perfection that is Rukawa. Damn, you should have seen him. He's practically crying as if he's watching the world's greatest drama."
"I never knew bastketball's sad," Mitsui joked as he tickled his grumpy friend.
"Come on, guys, lay off me," Sendoh pleaded. "And Hisashi, get off Hiroaki. You're implanting obscene thoughts in my mind."
Koshino screeched and pushed Mitsui off him and glared at Sendoh. "You and your perverted mind."
Sendoh then wondered how it would feel to be in that position with Kaede. And he wondered if Kaede would laugh if he tickled him.
"Thinking about Sendoh again?" Kiyota asked.
"No, he's thinking about fertilized eggs and pasteurized milk," Mitsui said sarcastically. "Come on, man. We're talking about Sendoh here! He lived and breathed Rukawa since the day he met the man! Of course he's thinking about him!"
"Give me something else to think about then," Sendoh said.
"Wanna watch porn?"
"Oh, shut up, Shinichi. Your jokes are lame."
"Hey, at least I'm trying," Maki said. "Or... maybe we could handle your problem the way other men handle theirs."
"How?" Sendoh asked. Anything to get his mind off Rukawa! It's breaking his heart! And oh. The thought of Rukawa turns him on, too. That's bad.
"We could get drunk," Maki suggested.
Kiyota oggled. "Shin! You're suggesting we get drunk?! And on a Wednesday night, too! My god! The world's ending! Everyone, repent, I tell you! It's judgment day!"
"Shut up, Nobu," Maki snapped, but with a smile. "It's not everyday we get drunk. Let's all share Akira's misery, why don't we?"
"Really, Shin," Kiyota said with a shake of his head. "Fujima changed you a LOT. No. Make that, Fujima /and/ sex." Maki merely smiled.
"Oi, count us in," Mitsui said.
"My, thanks a lot for volunteering /ME/," Koshino sarcastically said. "Anyway, since this act of deliquency was suggested by Shin, I'm in."
"Good. What about you, Akira?" Maki asked. Four pairs of eyes turned to Sendoh.
Sendoh thought about it long and hard. Get drunk, his friends told him. Maybe alcohol would help him forget Rukawa and his heartache for a while.
That's good.
******
"Whaaaahahahahaha! Come on, Shin! Do that again!" Mitsui urged. Maki complied.
"Shit! You're sho flexhible!" Sendoh said as another round of laughter passed. Even Koshino was laughing his head off. "Oh my... Hi~ro! Shincshe when did you 'ave a tchwin? Why are there two o' ya?"
"Doofus! There'sh only one Koshino Hiroaki in the world!" Koshino declared.
"Thank god!" Mitsui commented. Whaddaya know. The group laughed their asses off again.
"'Ermm, guys!" Kiyota called out. "When wash the lasht time you got so drunk?"
"Uh... I don't remember when," Maki slurred, "but I remember we were together that time."
"Yes!" Sendoh cried out. "Friendsh forever! Cheersh!"
"Cheers!" the others called out after him.
Sendoh wondered if Rukawa'd be as jolly as they are when he's drunk.
Oh, shit. He's still thinking of the man. Sendoh sighed.
"Thish ishn't working, friends, citizens and country men," Sendoh murmured. "I shtill can't get my mind off him."
"Well, at least you're trashed," Mitsui said. "It's gonna be hell tomorrow."
"We'll call in sick," Maki said.
Sendoh swayed to and fro as he walked over to Kiyota's bar and pulled out another bottle of alcohol. "I miss him."
"Sure you do."
"Why are we drinking again?" Sendoh asked. Great. Now there are two Makis, too. And there are three Kiyotas. Damn. What'sh the world coming into? Everybody'sh multiplying!
"We're lamenting your lost love," Kiyota reminded him, eyes crossed.
"Oh."
Lamenting losht love. Yesh. 'E's right. Why'sh he lamenting losht love again? Oh. Kaede dumped 'im. Or wash is the other way 'round? Eh? He doeshn't know, anymore. Now why the hell are there two everythingsh 'ow? Would Ka'de take care of 'im when 'e had a hang'ver t'morrow? Nope. Prob'ly not. Kaede doeshn't love 'im. Yeah.
Now there are three everythings.
Three Kaedes on his mind.
And the pain increased three-fold.
That'sh bad.
**********
tsu.zu.ku
**********
I keep on torturing these two. But don't worry. Those two are gonna come to their senses soon enough. I have a few more chapters left. Stupidity's very rampant on this fic, don't you guys think?
You guys get my hidden message on this fic, right? If you don't... read it all over again. Hehehe... Anyway, I just want to write extra disclaimers for the following mentioned stuff: Care Bears, Barbie, Viagra, Hello Kitty, and Neoprint. I don't own those (thank God).
And if the humor's pretty lame, and sarcasm's not as sharp, I apologize. I think I'm losing my touch because I have little time to write. I'm in a period of a SLUMP. I'm telling you, it's not a very wonderful experience. Let me gather my wits again, okay?
Anyway, I'll see ya in the next chapter: What Becomes of the Bet?: High-Class Meddlers 2
Ja!
aki