Chapter 3

Sour Lemons & Sour Milk

Kanagawa Prefecture

A park between Ryonan and Shohoku High

Thump. Thump. Thump.

"You're late."

"I know," pant, pant, "I know; I'm sorry."

"Tch. That's what you say every time."

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Grin. "I'll kick your ass today, though."

Snort. "Not bloody likely."

Dribble, lay-up, score.

"Good one."

"Hn."

"But not good enough!"

Grab, jump, slam dunk.

"Kuso. That was a foul. You hit my hand."

"No, I didn't. Sore loser."

"Cheater."

Sendoh Akira made a noise of fake outrage.

Rukawa Kaede glared.

"Why do I bother playing against you every Saturday?"

"Because you know I'm one of the best," Sendoh smirked.

Rukawa shook his head. "We beat you guys just yesterday. Do'ahou."

"So we've moved on to pet names? Sakuragi won't be pleased you're using his special one."

Rukawa looked murderous.

"That stupid redhead? He can go chop himself into little pieces and drown in the sea. Better yet, use him as fish bait, why don't you?"

"Ookay, definitely more animosity than usual. What did he do this time?"

'Butt out, kitsune! What do you know, you're probably gay. All you do is sleep and play basketball when you have a whole brigade of girls dying to date you.'

"Nothing."

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Swoosh.

"Nice. So, Rukawa, the boys said some weird things to me the other day."

"Do I look like I care?"

"You should. It's about you, too."

"What, Ryonan basketball team's finally realised I'm better than you are?"

"Very funny. No, actually, they think I'm gay."

Rukawa snorted and spun the basketball on his finger. "Not surprising."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You're just so … so … gay. You're the 'I'm-so-cuddly-and-adorable-all-the-bunnies-and-hedgehogs-love-me' type of person."

Sendoh beamed. "Ahh, so I am cuddly and adorable. Aww, you're sweet, Kae-chan."

"Urgh. See? There you go, beaming out that gay vibe like a broadcast satellite. And don't call me Kae-chan. That's gross."

Pout. "It's cute."

"No, it's not."

Sendoh abruptly changed the topic. "You're gayer than I am, though."

"Oh, wow, I didn't know there was a meter indicator flashing on my forehead."

"Stop that stupid sarcasm of yours. No wonder you keep getting into fistfights. Or is that just your excuse to get up close and personal?"

Glare. "Do'ahou. I'm not gay."

"Because really, you have more fangirls than I do, screaming your name, disrupting games, and you don't even–"

'…look at them'. Stupid Mitsui.

"–look at them," Sendoh continued cheerily, oblivious to Rukawa's scowl. "Some of them are–"

'…pretty hot, too'. Stupid, stupid Mitsui.

"–pretty hot, too. At least I glance at them once in awhile. And if one of them is really pretty, I might take her out on a date. No going steady though; girlfriends are too much trouble."

Again, who gives a shit (other than the dumbasses) about girls? They don't look like something I'd want to touch, like say, basketballs.

Rukawa snarled as he recalled thrashing Sakuragi, Miyagi and Mitsui for daring to call him a fag. With some satisfaction, he remembered that Sakuragi still sported a gauze bandage around his shocking red head, Miyagi's muffin hair was completely wrecked, and Mitsui's dentures were chipped in a corner.

Sendoh winked. "So you're definitely 100 percent more gay than I am."

"Whatever. You're the one who keeps smiling at me, like you want to just jump me."

Sendoh lifted an eyebrow. "I smile because I'm happy. It's a beautiful day, I'm playing the greatest sport ever invented and it's not even lunch yet. Not because I want to jump you, although you are such a pretty boy."

"Speak for yourself. You have dimples, for god's sake, and eyelashes longer than a girl's. And your hair must take ages to do. What straight guy takes so much care of himself?"

Sendoh tapped his chin. "Funny. That's what the boys said, too. That, and something about my boxers…"

Grunt. "So you are gay."

Blink. "I don't know."

Silence.

Thump.

"Okay, okay, I'm not gay, per se. I like girls. I like them in all the beautiful, different colours. Black, white, yellow, brown. Blondes, brunettes, redheads, and whatever they've dyed their hair to."

Sendoh shrugged. "But I am curious what it's like on the other side."

Rukawa choked. Sendoh thumped his back.

"Aren't you curious, too? I mean, why restrict yourself to a couple of slices when you can have the whole cake?" Sendoh continued nonchalantly.

"I can't believe you're saying this. I can't believe that you're actually making sense saying this," Rukawa muttered, rubbing his temples.

Sendoh grinned. "So you think you could swing both ways?"

Silence.

"Actually, I don't know," Rukawa confessed. "I really haven't um, done anything with anyone. Never felt any uhh, spark, is that what you call it?"

"Hmm … Wanna try?"

Choke. Sputter. Gasp.

"WHAT?!"

"Just an experiment. Just to make sure," Sendoh said soothingly.

"How do you propose we do that?"

"We kiss, of course. Don't tell me you've never kissed anyone before."

Blink. "I haven't."

Blink. "Wow." Blink. Blink. "Okay. I'll try to make it good, then."

"Thank you so much for your kind understanding. I'm sitting at a park with Sendoh Akira and he wants to give me my first kiss. Why in god's name is this happening to me?"

"Shut up. Your mouth's too clever for its own good. Are you going to let me kiss you, or not?"

"Argh. Hurry up already; let's get this over with."

"Okay."

Silence.

More silence.

And then–

"ACKK! BLEARGH! Eww, eww, eww, eww, EEW! That was just too WEIRD. I can't take this; I'm going to wash my mouth out now…"

Rukawa wiped his mouth, glaring at Sendoh as he guzzled down a bottle of water.

"You're a fine one to talk. That was disgusting. That wasn't a kiss, that was slobber. At least I only drool in my sleep."

Sendoh spat. "Ptuuiii. Remind me that I'm not gay if I ever question my orientation again. And that I happen to like breasts, not chest."

"Okay. You're not gay. Thankfully, neither am I. You're too tall, for one. And you smell like sweat. AND you taste like sour lemons. I think a girl would be better."

Sendoh looked miffed. "Well, you taste like sour milk. Must be all that leftover drool."

"Tch."

Rukawa walked over to the forgotten basketball and picked it up.

"Now that we're done with your dumb experiment, are we going to play, or what?"

Sendoh smirked.

"Bring it, Rukawa."

"Oh. My. GOD. Did you see that, Yohei?"

"I did, Chuichiro, and I never want to see it again for as long as I live."

"I feel ill. And it's not because I had three bento sets either."

"You're a pig, Nozomi. Next time we go out, I'll remind you of what we just saw so that you'll lose your appetite. Then maybe you'll be skinny."

"Bastard. I'm just big-boned. I'm a growing boy; I need my food."

"Don't worry, I'll just show him the photos and he'll throw up."

Blink. Blink. Blink.

"You took photos? Of that–that kiss? Yuji, you liar, you don't own a camera."

"I don't, but my new cellphone does. See?"

Sakuragi's gundan gathered around to peer at the pictures.

"Who would've thought, eh? Sendoh and Rukawa. My, a lot of girls are going to be devastated. I guess Hanamichi was right after all."

Silence.

"Now, let's get out of here before they find us hiding."

The bushes rustled.

Then–

"Hey, Yuji … I don't suppose you can send pictures with that, can you?"

END

AN: Haha, this was rather longer than expected. What next, I wonder;) Leave me comments if you feel I should improve anything, alrighty:)