CHAPTER 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Hajime no Ippo...

Onwards...

XOXOXO

Ippo watched Sendo storm away, his heart in his mouth, and he didn't even know why. Something had been irking the brunet since that morning when they'd left for the beach. The night before, they'd had a good time – they'd even had a nice conversation. They'd been like real friends. What could've changed overnight to create such a huge wall between them?

Once Sendo disappeared into the the building that housed the restrooms, Ippo lowered his eyes to the sand and continued to scowl. He didn't understand it. A small hand on his bare shoulder brought him out of his reverie. He glanced over at Kumi-san and tried to muster up a smile, but his mouth just wouldn't cooperate. He liked Sendo, and he didn't want the man mad at him. Especially not for something that Ippo didn't even know about. It was frustrating. But...now that he thought about it, Sendo's attitude hadn't changed until he'd seen Kumi-san. He'd grown even more sullen than normal and refused to talk to Ippo. Maybe it didn't help that Aoki-san kept sticking Kumi-san with Ippo whenever Ippo tried to talk to Sendo. Was that why the former champion was so angry?

The pieces slowly began falling into place the longer Ippo used his brain. Sendo had mentioned something about Ippo finally noticing his presence when Ippo had come out of the water. Was Sendo feeling neglected? Ippo didn't want that. The brunet was his friend, and Ippo was determined to prove it. Maybe Sendo didn't think they were friends, but Ippo planned to change that. He focused on Kumi-san again and finally found his usual smile. With a goal in mind, he was able to concentrate on other things a lot easier.

"Yeah, I am a little hungry," he said.

Kumi-san grinned brightly and looped her arm with his. It made him blush whenever she touched him because he wasn't used to all the attention. Not unless he was in the ring. They made their way over to the snack bar that was packed to capacity with squealing children and rowdy teenagers. Ippo's eyes wandered over to the right. Sendo still hadn't emerged from the bathroom, and it was beginning to worry Ippo. He hoped everything was alright.

He and Kumi-san found the rest of the group seated at a table at the back of the establishment, Kimura-san and Takamura-san arguing loudly. Mashiba-san had accompanied them to the beach, to the utmost surprise of the entire group. The only one who seemed unfazed by the man's presence was Kimura-san. In fact, the more Ippo looked at the two men, the more he realized that they were sharing an easy kind of companionship. That was more disturbing than Ippo could have imagined. He'd never pictured Mashiba-san getting along with anyone aside from his younger sister. The man was volatile and bad-tempered to a fault, making it virtually impossible for anyone to get close to him. Kimura-san had managed somehow, though.

Ippo sat at the edge of the table, eyes darting around the small restaurant in search of a scowling brunet with arresting brown eyes and a mischievous smirk. When he didn't spot Sendo anywhere, his shoulders sagged with disappointment. He felt a little guilty for not paying more attention to the other man.

"Idiot! She smacked you 'cuz you were feelin' on her boobs!" Kimura-san shouted.

Takamura-san snorted and took a hefty bite from the burger in his large hands. "She shouldn't have had that skimpy little bikini on, then," he muttered, mouth full of food.

Ippo cringed as he watched a few clumps of chewed up beef and bread hit the table. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who thought Takamura-san's eating habits were less than desirable.

"That's disgusting!" Aoki-san snapped. "No wonder you don't have a woman!"

Aoki-san's girlfriend, Tomiko-san, put a hand on her boyfriend's arm. "Masaru, calm down. Just eat your food."

Aoki-san grinned at Tomiko-san and leaned towards her. The two kissed noisily and hungrily, making Ippo look away with a fierce blush. He wondered what kissing really felt like. Sendo had told him it was gross at first, and when Ippo peeked at Aoki-san and Tomiko-san again, he had to agree. Heck, it looked gross. His eyes turned to Kimura-san, who was talking quietly with Mashiba-san. Their heads were bent close together and Kimura-san had a big smile on his face. Ippo watched, curious. And then his eyes almost fell out of his head when he spotted Kimura-san's hand creeping over Mashiba-san's thigh underneath the table.

What?!

He could see them clearly from his spot at the edge of the table, so there was no way his eyes were deceiving him. What on Earth was going on? Were...were Kimura-san and Mashiba-san...an item? His face grew hot as his blush intensified. Unfortunately, Aoki-san noticed his red face and mistook it for something else.

"Ohhhh, Ippo! Did ya get a little action or somethin'? Yer face looks like an apple!" he said, far too loudly.

All eyes swung in his direction, including Kumi-san's. He started to stutter an excuse, when Sendo approached the table. He glared at Ippo, brown eyes bright with fury, before turning to Kumi-san with the same threatening look. He must've seen something he didn't like because he shook his head slightly and whirled on his heel, headed in the direction from which he'd just come. Ippo almost shot out of his seat, but a carefully placed hand on his forearm kept him in his chair. He glanced over at Kumi-san, wondering what it was that she wanted, and frowned when he realized that she wasn't even looking at him. She had her head down, eyes focused on her lap.

What the?

"Kumi-san?" he asked.

She chuckled. "I'm sorry, Makunouchi-kun. I just don't want you to fight with him. We're supposed to be having fun, but he's making you angry."

Ippo scowled. For some reason, he didn't like the way Kumi-san was trying to place the blame all on Sendo. "That's not true, Kumi-san," he retorted stiffly before removing the girl's hand from his arm and slowly climbing to his feet.

He didn't notice the amused look coming from Kimura-san or the baffled one coming from Aoki-san as he followed the brunet from the restaurant. He was too worried about putting his make-Sendo-his-friend-plan into action. Once he stepped outside the building, the sun made him squint while he adjusted to its brightness. After a few moments had passed, he looked left, then right, and finally found Sendo stalking down the small boardwalk, hands clenched into fists. His back was stiff and full of angry tension. Ippo set off at a jog in order to catch up to him.

"Sendo!" he called, but the brunet kept walking. "Sendo! Sendo-saaaaaaan!"

At last, Sendo stopped and pivoted on his heel, face as scary as it had been during the middle of their second fight. It actually made Ippo pull up short and stare back helplessly.

"What!" Sendo barked, voice a harsh tenor. "What the fuck do you want?! Why aren'tcha wit' yer fuckin' girlfriend?!"

Ippo frowned, completely clueless. No, wait. He wasn't that clueless. He'd seen movies like this, but usually it was a guy yelling at a girl about being with another guy. So, why in the world was Sendo behaving like Ippo had stolen his girlfriend?

"She's not my girlfriend!" he snapped, his own anger rising.

Sendo took a few steps in Ippo's direction, upper lip peeled back in a terrible sneer. "Coulda fooled me, Makunouchi," he snarled.

"Is that what's bothering you? Do you like Kumi-san?"

The thought bothered him more than he thought it would or even should, for that matter. His face felt drawn as he balled up his lips and glared at his rival. All Sendo had to say was that he wanted Kumi-san for himself. Sendo's face went blank for a few seconds before it turned angry again.

"What're you talkin' about? I don't want that stupid girl."

Ippo jerked his head, surprised at the ferocity in Sendo's voice. He didn't want her? Well, that didn't make any sense. Why was he acting like he did, then?

"I don't understand."

Sendo rolled his eyes. "Do ya ever? I toldja already, didn' I? Jus' go back ta her. She's waitin' fer you."

He started to storm off again, but Ippo grabbed his arm. He didn't want to see Sendo so mad anymore, and if there was anything he could do to change the brunet's behavior, that's what he would do. Sendo stopped, but didn't turn to face him.

"Makunouchi, lemme go."

"Don't be mad anymore, and I will."

Ippo planted his feet and prepared for battle. He knew how stubborn Sendo could be, but this time around, he was ready to match the brunet act for act. Sendo slowly turned, eyes narrowed as he inched his way forward. The silence was taut between them as they glared at one another, until Sendo finally smirked and put his face about an inch or two from Ippo's.

"Fight me, Makunouchi. Right now."

Instead of anger or defensiveness, Ippo's gut unexpectedly filled with heat and seemed to nose-dive towards his ankles. Sendo's voice was lower and deeper than normal, his eyes more penetrating. Ippo felt like someone had suddenly pushed him into a hot spring, and he had yet to learn how to swim. When adrenaline entered the fray, he had no other choice but to slam his forehead to Sendo's and sneer, something fierce and passionate screaming to life inside of him.

"Ah," he noised quietly. "Let's fight, Sendo-san."

XxxxxxX

Ippo wrapped his hands with tape before slipping on a pair of practice gloves. He stood in one corner of the basement ring at Kamogawa gym, heart slamming against his ribs as he stared across the white surface at his rival. Sendo's eyes were fierce as he stared right back, lips upturned in a feral smirk. Once his gloves were in place, Ippo slammed them together, testing them as well as adjusting them to his fists. He and Sendo had agreed to go without head gear, making this spar as close to a real match as possible. Ippo rotated his shoulders and did a leaning stretch in his corner as he absently listened to Coach and Yagi-san giving him pointers. He didn't need them. He and Sendo knew each other's fighting styles like they were their own, so all that was left was to go out and pound each other until one submitted to the other.

"You know he's learned to fully use his legs during a match, so watch his in-steps and dashes. And be careful of taking too many of his punches. Those legs have made him even tougher."

"Right," Ippo said. "I remember."

Takamura-san was posted in Sendo's corner, having decided against staying at the beach since he'd crapped out with the ladies. However, Aoki-san had disappeared with Tomiko-san, while Kimura-san had done the same with Mashiba-san. Ippo had had a fleeting moment of guilt when parting with Kumi-san, but his fight with Sendo had become top priority. Now, he and the brunet were facing off with each other yet again, and it was just as thrilling as their Japanese championship title fight.

"Just keep hitting. Pressure, pressure, pressure. It's the only way to keep him at bay. Don't let his size overwhelm you this time, and don't let him intimidate you. You're the champion. Make him see that."

Ippo nodded, not really listening. It was the first time he hadn't been all ears for Coach before a match, but he was too focused on the brunet across the ring, lounging in the corner against the ropes. They were both dressed in boxing shorts, Sendo's a borrowed pair from the gym, while Ippo sported his old, turquoise and white pair. Ippo adjusted his mouth piece and glanced to the side of the ring, where Shinoda-san perched, waiting to ring the bell. Coach finally stopped talking and climbed down from the side of the ring, where he gave Ippo a pointed nod right before Shinoda-san went ahead and signaled the start of the match.

Both boxers lunged forward and met in a deadly clash at the center of the ring. Ippo reeled from Sendo's heavy left jab, but Ippo noticed that Sendo did the same from his left hook. After that, it was a free-for-all of devastating blow after devastating blow. Ippo had never felt as bloodthirsty as he did at that moment; he didn't even have time to dwell on the jarring pain of Sendo's hits. He was too busy throwing his own and fighting for dominance of the match. Before he knew it, they were forehead-to-forehead, breathing harshly in the middle of the ring as the bell sounded, ending the first round. It took a few long seconds for the referee to separate them, but when they finally did part, Ippo turned and headed over to his corner. He glanced over his shoulder before he got there and was pleased with himself to see Sendo doing the exact same thing, brown eyes glittering with passion and excitement.

Ippo plopped down on the stool in his corner and spit his mouthpiece into the towel Coach had waiting for him. Yagi-san tipped a water bottle, allowing Ippo to gargle a few times before spitting the mouthfuls into a bucket beside him. Afterward, he took a couple of sips.

"Good, good, good," Coach started, eyes alight with happiness. "Keep pressuring him. For every blow, return him two or three. Keep it compact, sharp. You're doing great, kid."

Ippo nodded, but discreetly tilted his head so he could look over Coach's shoulder at his opponent. Takamura-san was animatedly giving Sendo advice, but the brunet's eyes were pointed directly at Ippo. When their gazes met, it was like Ippo had been struck by lightning. Something hot and sudden spiked in his body, flashing from the pit of his stomach to the tips of his extremities. He had to refrain from dancing on his stool – he was so anxious to get back out there. And judging by the look in Sendo's brown eyes, the other man obviously felt the same.

Shinoda-san hollered, "Seconds out!" and Ippo climbed to his feet as Coach left the ring, taking the stool with him. Before the older man descended from the side of the ring, he clapped a hand to Ippo's shoulder, dark eyes serious.

"Keep givin' 'im hell, kid."

Ippo grinned and nodded as he turned back to face Sendo. The bell rang, and both fighters leaped towards the center of the ring once more. As Ippo exchanged blows with Sendo, his blood literally seemed to sing through his veins.

He loved fighting with Sendo.

XOXOXO

Sendo clung to the ropes for dear life as he glared at Makunouchi. He'd just been a victim of the Dempsey Roll yet again, but this time the effects were a lot more crippling. He couldn't feel his legs and his face was completely numb. His head was light and fuzzy, vision swimming as though he was trying to see underwater. His lungs were burning from lack of oxygen, but he refused to go down. Makunouchi had succeeded in knocking him down one too many times during their previous match, and it hadn't been such a great feeling. However, he had to admit that he had reached his limit. Makunouchi wasn't doing so great, either, but he was doing a hell of a lot better than Sendo. He was posted up in his neutral corner after the appointed referee (a miscellaneous member of Kamogawa gym) had called a standing down against Sendo. Makunouchi's left eye was damned near swollen shut, blood eased from his nostrils, and he wore a bunch of bruises everywhere, but he was still standing, chest heaving and all. Sendo grinned and shook his head a tiny bit. Makunouchi was still too strong for him.

Sendo lowered his hands, and the Kamogawa trainer, Shinoda-han, rang the bell, ending the match. He was disappointed, but then again, he really wasn't. He'd gotten his chance to fight Makunouchi to his heart's content again, and the feeling was irreplaceable – one he wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Sendo sighed and collapsed against the ropes in order to gather his wits and fight the urge to slip into unconsciousness. He was blinking away the persistent drowsiness, when something strange happened. Instead of stumbling over to his corner, Makunouchi stumbled his way over to Sendo's side. Sendo watched him like the smaller man was a poisonous spider, unsure of what Makunouchi had up his sleeve. After a few silent moments of just looking, Makunouchi moved in and put an arm around Sendo's waist.

"Are you OK, Sendo-san?"

Was Makunouchi pitying him? Sendo glared at him and started to snap at him, when he paused and took a closer look at the dark-haired man's face. It was beaten up, but the look in that gray eye had gone from fierce and determined to soft, concerned and damned near enchanting. Sendo held his breath as he studied his rival. Makunouchi's hands were hot, just like the rest of his body that seemed to be a little too close.

Why now? Sendo internally screamed. Not now, dammit!

"I'm fine, Makunouchi," he grumbled and tried to pry the man's hands away from his sides.

Makunouchi didn't budge. In fact, that gray eye hardened.

"Stop it. I'm going to help you to the showers."

The hairs on Sendo's arms and along the back of his neck stood up at Makunouchi's innocent statement. Or rather, his innocent command. What the hell was this? Was the asshole really looking down on him?

"Makunouchi, I don' need yer fuckin' help! Ya think yer that bad that I can't get around on my own now?"

Makunouchi froze, eyes widening. Well, the one that wasn't almost shut, at any rate. Then, that same eye narrowed into a thin slit.

"You're getting my help anyway, Sendo-san. That's what friends do."

Sendo frowned, stuck yet again. Makunouchi kept throwing that word around, and each time he did, it confused the hell out of Sendo. He didn't know what to make of it. Sure, Makunouchi was his rival, and sure, when they weren't fighting, they shared an easy kind of camaraderie. But did that really make them friends? And then, there was that sarcastic little voice at the back of Sendo's mind that kept whispering about being more than Makunouchi's friend.

What the hell was that, anyway? Why couldn't he keep his mind from flinging itself into the gutter recently when it came to Makunouchi? It was disturbing.

Sendo peered at the dark-haired man from the corner of his eye before finally sighing and loosening the tension riddled across his back. He nodded slowly and allowed Makunouchi to help him away from the ropes. Maybe he would take a chance with this "friends" thing.

XxxxxxxX

His face was on fire. He had to turn in the opposite direction just so Makunouchi wouldn't see how red it had gone. He hadn't intentionally looked at Makunouchi's package, but it was there. There was no way he could have missed it, even though the smaller man was shy as hell about it. And for what reason? Sendo had no fucking idea. Makunouchi was holding more weight between his legs than a drug pusher saw in a month. But now, Sendo had to wonder why seeing Makunouchi's log flustered him so badly. It wasn't like it was the first man muscle he'd ever seen.

That's got nothin' ta do wit' it, his conscience supplied with a smug tone.

Sendo ran a wet hand over his face, hoping the scalding water would serve to knock his mind out of filthy territory. It wasn't working. Although the shower room was silent aside from the running water, Sendo could still hear Makunouchi's quiet movements, which only made him imagine the slighter man standing there naked and soaking wet.

"Stupid," he growled under his breath. "Yer bein' stupid."

"Eh?" Makunouchi's voice called over the noise of the water. "Did you say something, Sendo?"

Sendo shook his head as he kept his eyes front and center. There was no way he was turning in Makunouchi's direction. He was already in a tight spot, hormones and emotions going haywire for no apparent reason. He really didn't need anymore fuel for the fire raging in his imagination.

"I was jus' talkin' ta myself," he muttered.

"What?!" Makunouchi shouted, body edging closer from Sendo's right.

Sendo's eyes grew enormous as he tried to disguise the panic in them. Why was Makunouchi moving? Why wouldn't the idiot just stay on his side of the shower? Sendo tried to slide away from the dark-haired man's approaching body heat as discreetly as possible, but he didn't think it worked. Makunouchi just kept inching right on towards him.

"I wasn't talkin' ta you," Sendo almost screeched as he clutched a bar of soap to his chest. His bruises were aching and the small cut above his eyebrow was stinging like hell, but he didn't feel any of it as adrenaline surged through his veins. He had to get away. "Go back ta yer shower, Makunouchi."

Makunouchi went silent and that was the only reason Sendo ventured a glimpse in the man's direction. He regretted it instantly. Why the hell did his rival have to be so goddamned cute? Makunouchi was covered from head to toe in white lather, his smooth-looking skin peeking from beneath the bubbles in a few tempting spots. Sendo gritted his teeth and immediately turned away from the enticing sight.

What the fuck...

He busied himself with washing as he studiously ignored the other man. On second thought, he didn't need a response from Makunouchi; he just needed the guy to move away and go back to what he was previously doing. A few minutes ticked by without incident, making Sendo forget about his predicament as he rubbed a hand over his chest, rinsing away the suds from the soap. He shut off the water, then reached for the towel Makunouchi had provided him with and was halted in his movements so abruptly, he felt like he'd run into a parked car.

Makunouchi was staring at him. Frowning...but still staring.

Sendo scowled to hide the sudden onslaught of arousal that nearly floored him.

"What?" he barked, tone defensive and aggressive.

Makunouchi jumped, gray eye going round with surprise. "Huh?"

"Why the hell ya starin' at me like that?"

"I-I am? I mean, I-I was?"

"Cut the crap, Makunouchi! What the hell ya lookin' at?"

Makunouchi's frown deepened as he lowered his eye to the white, tiled floor of the shower room. He was already done with his shower because he had a light turquoise towel around his waist, and his hair wasn't as soaked as it had been a little while ago. Now, it was standing up in damp spikes all over his head. Sendo glared as he snatched his own towel from the shower head to his left and wrapped it around his hips. He was jittery and nervous – two emotions that really didn't sit well with him – and it was all because Makunouchi had gone and switched the script on him. The smaller man had never outright stared at him unless it was during a fight or, more recently, during an argument. It tied Sendo's gut into knots since he didn't know what to make of it.

"I-I didn't mean to stare, Sendo-san."

Sendo rolled his eyes and sucked his teeth. "Yer back ta that, eh?"

Makunouchi looked up, gaze clearly confused. One of his hands gripped the knot he'd made in the towel at his waist, while he gnawed at his bottom lip. Why did he look so nervous? It was making Sendo's skin crawl. What the hell was up with this atmosphere? One minute they were fighting and living it up as boxers and the next minute...what? He had no idea how to analyze the way Makunouchi was looking at him.

"Hey, Makunouchi," he started after taking a step towards the door and thinking better of it. "Ya sure yer OK?"

Makunouchi nodded at the floor, the hand on his towel twisting the material between his fingers.

"I'm fine. I-I was just thinking about something. Don't mind me."

He didn't believe that for an instant, but took Makunouchi's advice and shrugged as he left the shower room. He made it into the locker area and went over to a bench he'd claimed for himself. There was an extra set of clean clothing there that Takamura-san had left for him. Sendo knew he would probably drown in the larger items, but, hey...they were clean and that was more than he could say for his own at the moment. He slipped into the white, short-sleeved t-shirt and black warm-up shorts before slipping his feet into his own sneakers. By the time he was done, he noticed that Makunouchi still hadn't emerged from the shower room. Curious, he rubbed both palms down the front of his shorts as he made his way back to the other room. It was quiet beyond the doors, which raised a red flag for Sendo. Was something wrong? Had Makunouchi passed out? That thought spurred Sendo forward, his heart racing. He pushed through the doors and stood in the room, his eyes darting around in search of his rival.

Makunouchi was nowhere to be found...until Sendo spied a set of feet on the other side of a shower partition. Makunouchi didn't seem to be on the floor, so that had to be good news, right? Still unsure of what was taking the dark-haired man so long, Sendo carefully made his way over. He thought about calling out to Makunouchi, but changed his mind at the last second. He was already there, so it wouldn't make sense to announce his presence. It wasn't like they were in a restroom where he might catch Makunouchi on the toilet or something. He rounded the pale blue partition and froze, mouth falling open and eyes feeling as though they were seconds from falling out onto the floor.

He didn't realize he'd made a sound until Makunouchi whirled in place, gray eye huge and mouth stuck in the shape of an "O." They stared at one another in shock for what felt like an eternity, but was probably closer to a few seconds before Makunouchi yelped and covered himself with his towel. Sendo backed away from the shower stall and covered his eyes, his heart still going nuts, but for a different reason this time. He took a couple of deep breaths and tried to cool the heat in his face and the awareness in his groin.

"What the fuck?" he whispered to himself. "What the fuck?"

What the hell had he walked in on? There was nothing wrong with Makunouchi at all. Aside from the fact that he'd been wrestling with a very large...

"S-Sendo?"

That timid tone made Sendo shudder for some reason. He felt like he'd just walked into a porno. Makunouchi sounded just like a girl that'd been caught masturbating by the parents of the kid she was supposed to be babysitting. It was a wicked scenario, but definitely one Sendo had seen on an adult film.

"My bad, Makunouchi. I, uh...yeah...my bad."

He had no idea what to say to the guy at this point. Not even in his wildest dreams would he have imagined himself walking in on Makunouchi masturbating. In public, no less. There were several reasons Sendo felt that way, but the one that stood out the most for him had to be the conversation he and Makunouchi had had the night before. Makunouchi was so shy and proper that it'd been like pulling teeth to get the guy to admit that he even masturbated to begin with. Walking in on it was an entirely different bag of cats.

Butterflies fluttered in Sendo's gut as he stood on the other side of the partition, unsure of what to do next. Makunouchi wasn't making a sound, either, probably mortified to death. Sendo wouldn't be surprised to find the guy keeled over for real this time. However, he was surprised when the dark-haired boxer emerged from the other side of the shower, head down and gray eye full of trepidation. It was clear that he didn't want to meet Sendo's gaze, and Sendo couldn't blame him. For once, he was embarrassed out of his mind. What were they going to say to one another? How should they proceed from this point on? The moment was excruciating for Sendo because he'd already been trying to rein in his libido when it came to the slightly smaller man. Now, he had to deal with that image of Makunouchi leaning against the shower wall, hand wrapped around his generous length and face scrunched with pleasure. Sure, that wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Sendo sighed and ran a hand through his still damp hair. He knew for a fact that if he left it up to Makunouchi to smooth things over, it wouldn't get done, so he sighed again and faced his rival. Makunouchi was still staring at the floor, eye wide and lips pursed together, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Wha's wit' that face, Makunouchi? I ain't yer mother."

Makunouchi's head jerked up as he finally met Sendo's eyes. His face was filled with hope, and Sendo came to understand why. Makunouchi probably thought he was about to be made fun of. Sendo chuckled. That may have been true had Takamura-san been the one to walk in on him.

"All guys jerk-off, ya know? Ain't nothin' new. 'Cept, next time ya might wanna do it somewhere wit' a lil more privacy."

Makunouchi's face flushed as his eye went back to the floor. Instead of cowering away, he smiled and nodded as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You're right," he replied. Then, he grimaced. "I still wish you hadn't seen that, though. I'm so embarrassed."

Sendo felt the air in the room clearing of tension, but it did nothing to lessen the butterflies in his stomach and arousal in his shorts. And aroused he was. Makunouchi was a frustrating guy, but he was an attractive one. Bad thing was, he didn't even realize how attractive he was and how infuriatingly cute he could be. It was annoying.

"Relax," Sendo started, a devilish look hiding his previously uncertain one. "I won't tell anyone."

Makunouchi must have read the teasing tone of voice because his head came up again, and his gray eye was the size of a baseball.

"Sendo! Y-you wouldn't!"

"That a challenge, Makunouchi?"

"No! I just... Please don't tell!"

Sendo gave the other man a wolfish grin before he dashed from the shower room. It was the only thing he could think of to get away from Makunouchi without causing a scene or hurting the guy's feelings. The way he was feeling was rather dangerous at the moment. He ended up in the large gym area, sweat collecting along his hairline. He figured that scene he'd walked in on would be on his mind for the rest of his life, simply because he was so attracted to his rival. He face-palmed and groaned.

"Oh? What's wrong, Sendo?" a deep voice boomed from behind him.

He jumped and turned to face Takamura-san. The man towered over him, wearing a wide grin that just spoke of constant mischief. Sendo knew for a fact that he couldn't tell this man what he'd seen. Makunouchi would die from embarrassment and probably try to kill him in the process.

"Ah...I jus' got a headache."

Takamura-san threw his head back and let loose a full-bellied cackle. "Ohhhh, Ippo kicked yer ass pretty good, eh?"

That rubbed the wrong way, but Sendo decided ignoring the barb was a better idea than snapping back. Especially since his attention had been diverted to the dark-haired man leaving the locker room. Makunouchi looked up and froze. His gray eye went round as he alternated his gaze back and forth between Sendo and Takamura-san. Sendo immediately understood; he just hoped Makunouchi would figure out that he would never rat him out that way.

"Um," Makunouchi started.

Takamura-san turned his brilliant grin in the other man's direction, which was a relief. It meant that Sendo didn't have to continue his lie about a nonexistent headache. However, Makunouchi proceeded to tell on himself in a way.

"It's not what you think," he blurted, clearly intimidated by his mentor.

Sendo almost face-palmed again, but figured alerting Makunouchi to the foot that was headed towards his mouth was a better option. He shook his head back and forth, eyes wide, trying his hardest to relay the message. Thankfully, Makunouchi understood with just one glance, but Takamura-san had already caught the slip.

"What are you talkin' about? Sendo's headache?" the bigger man asked, alternating his gaze between Sendo and Makunouchi. After a few moments of that, he turned back to Makunouchi with his signature grin. "Well, I'll be damned," he said, voice low and amused.

Before Takamura-san could continue, Kamogawa-san strolled over, dark, hawk-like eyes analyzing Sendo and Makunouchi from head to foot. Clearly satisfied with what he saw, he waved his cane at Takamura-san and scowled.

"Leave the kid alone. I told you to go home and get ready to start your match regimen tomorrow," he growled.

Takamura-san seemed to revert into a child as he pouted and folded his arms across his broad chest. He closed his eyes and the tone he used brooked no further argument.

"I'm ready for my match right now, old man."

"Like hell you are. Go home."

"Ah-ah. I've got a date anyway," Takamura-san grumbled before turning towards the exit. However, after a few steps, he shot a wicked look over his shoulder at Sendo and Makunouchi. "You ladies have a nice night."

Sendo didn't quite understand what the sarcastic undertones in Takamura-san's voice meant, but the look Makunouchi was wearing had him shifting nervously. The last thing Sendo wanted to worry about on top of his attraction to his rival was his idol being up to no good.