Chapter 2
When Life Gives You Lemons...
Ryonan High School
Gymnasium
"WHERE IS THAT BOY?!"
"Calm down, Captain, I'm sure he'll be here soon…"
"Yeah, it's only been 20 minutes so far, Uozumi."
"Maybe he's fishing and lost track of time (again) …"
"Fishing? FISHING? You mean all he does is sit and stare at the water waiting for some stupid fish to bite?"
"My notes … Hmm, let's see … Yes, yes, fishing … Sendoh-san fishes at Sagami River, since it is convenient. Senpai favours fly fishing, and tends to use wet flies as bait; although he does say he uses worms once a while, and even leftover stale bre–"
"Hikoichi, I could care less if Sendoh uses flies, worms, bread, or even those bloody lemons he's always sucking on like a baby's pacifier! All I want to know now is why he isn't here when we have a friendly against Shohoku High tomorrow!"
"Hey, I wonder if they're better now than the last time we were up against them…"
"It was really tight, that game … 87-86. And we almost lost too, eh Uekusa?"
"I thought we were done for sure, Kosh."
"Luckily, Sendoh made the toss right under Akagi's armpit just before the whistle blew. It was such a close finish."
Ikegami Ryoji knitted his eyebrows.
"Sendoh really enjoyed that match, didn't he?"
Murmurs of assent from the Ryonan Basketball Club.
"Especially when playing against that number 10. Man, what a loud-mouth," Koshino Hiroaki glowered, recalling the obnoxious redhead.
"Hah! That was nothing compared to when he was up against Shohoku's new ace."
"Um, who?"
"Sorry, we forgot you weren't there, Fukuda. Anyway, this guy's name is Rukawa Kaede and his skill is just – wow! First time I've seen a freshie play so well – except when Sendoh first joined, of course."
"It was unbelievable! Unberievabruia! Sendoh-senpai had this fire in his eyes, like he was burning up … Like he could just hunt Rukawa down and eat him up!"
"And spit him out."
"And gobble him back up again."
"The looks they gave each other were so intense…"
"There were definitely sparks flying between those two…"
Silence.
Fukuda lifted an eyebrow.
Koshino cleared his throat.
Uozumi's left eye twitched.
Ikegami coughed.
"Say, Kosh … Sendoh is um, well … He's got a girlfriend, right?"
"Uhh … Actually, he doesn't. Said he can't be bothered. I think his exact words were, 'I'd rather play b-ball with the guys'."
More silence.
Uekusa Tomoyuki and Aida Hikoichi gaped.
"C-Could it be…"
"No. Way."
"Anything's possible…"
"But this is Sendoh! He's got fangirls and all – even your sister likes him!"
"Doesn't matter if they like him or not. The real question is, does he like them back?"
The team members stared at each other.
"So you're saying he's gay?"
"Well, he leers – I mean, smiles – a lot for no reason … Mostly at the boys…"
"Plus he's got this flawlessly milky skin, large eyes, lush eyelashes…"
"He's a vainpot – c'mon, look at that hair. Takes a lot of time to get it that way…"
"He keeps suggestively sucking on those damn lemons, like it's supposed to be a turn-on…"
"AND he's got the hots for that Rukawa fellow."
"W-What if he falls in love with one of us, too?"
There was a collective gulp.
"Now I know why Sendoh adores his boxers with the bright pink hearts." Uozumi's voice was unnaturally faint.
10 minutes later…
The gymnasium doors slid open with a loud BANG.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Sorry, Tao– Oh, he's not here, thank goodness."
The rest of the team were wary as Sendoh Akira emerged, panting heavily.
"I'm so thirsty … Hikoichi, would you mind passing me the water, please?"
Aida turned pale, but he wordlessly handed a bottle to Sendoh, who immediately flashed a winning smile.
"Oh, I love you, Hikoichi! Thank you; you're an absolute darling!"
The small first year squeaked.
Then fainted.
Sendoh blinked.
"What did I say??"
END
AN: Yes, this story WAS supposed to be a Rukawa one-shot, but this was just too fun to write. I guess it is now probably a series of one-shots which are slightly connected. Thanks to all who reviewed:) And I hope you enjoyed this.