Akagi and Kogure sat down under the trees eating their lunch as they talked about the recruitment of official players for the team for the upcoming game against Ryonan. Kogure was looking around the area where they were sitting when he saw a group of male students standing behind the bushes and nudging at each other as they peered at something in front of them. Easily, Kogure recognised one of them to be Sakuragi with the height and the standout hair.

Curious as what they were looking at Kogure stood to walk up to them quietly. He heard one of Sakuragi's friend, a blonde one say, "Hey, there's Haruko, Sakuragi!"

Sakuragi turned his head a bit so that Kogure could see the blush on Sakuragi's cheek.

"Hey look, Haruko's waving at us!" the fat one said waving to the front.

Kogure was about to speak when he heard a cold voice from behind, "You're flirting with my sister?"

Kogure jumped not realising when Akagi had joined him. The juniors were chuckling nervously and each gulped when Akagi gave a low growl of displeasure.

Before you can say 'slam dunk' the boys were running for it, chased by a very angry senior.

Kogure blew a breath of amused exasperation at the boy's antics and turned around to see where the junior's attention were brought to earlier on. There was Haruko with her two friends enjoying their lunch, the girls sitting demurely under a tree. Akagi's sister was pretty in a sweet and innocent sort of way. That was why people like Aota pursues her even when the judo captain hated the girl's brother's guts ever since they were kids. And so it was not surprising if Sakuragi took a liking to her as well.

"Sempai."

Kogure turned around to see Sakuragi walk up to him, apparently out of breath.

"You managed to shake off Akagi?" guessed Kogure with a small smile.

"Hai!" said Sakuragi in a woosh of breath. Then he stood in full erect, his hands on his hips and said vainly, "I wouldn't have ran away from that Gori, y'know. I just had to coz I need to talk to you."

Kogure blinked in puzzlement but when he remembered what has happened the afternoon before in the locker room, the boy's body tensed in sudden wariness.

To his surprise the redhead bowed and said, "Gomen ne, coz my joke got out of hand yesterday. I hope you're not too upset about it..."

Kogure stared at the boy for a moment before he made himself say, "T-That's all right, Sakuragi. I... I forgot about it already..."

The tall junior looked at the spectacled boy curiously, "Really?"

Kogure forced a smile, "Yes. Really, just forget about it."

"Oh," the redhead said lowly, scratching his head in an act of embarrassment.

There was a small lapse of uncomfortable silence before Kogure broke it to ask, "So you like Akagi Haruko, eh?"

"She's... she's ok..." mumbled Sakuragi shuffling his sole against the ground. Kogure could see that the boy's face was red and the boy was hiding the blush by looking down at his feet.

Suddenly there was a cry from his left and before Kogure could turn to see what it was, four boys ran past him in a cloud of dust. Catching up to them was Akagi still in gorilla mode. Beside him, he heard Sakuragi eep before he joined his friends when Akagi roared out his name. The chase continued and again Kogure was left all alone to stare at the boys run around the compound. Kogure sighed and then he suddenly remembered that he has forgotten to give Sakuragi the keyholder he found at the floor of the locker room yesterday. Patting the pocket which holds the object, the senior promised himself to walk to Sakuragi's class later on and give it to the redhead then.



****

Kogure felt eyes fall upon him from every student loitering outside the year one classrooms. It was not surprising for him to be in the centre of attention because it was unusual for seniors, especially from the year three, to be seen walking along the year one's corridors. And added to the fact that nearly everyone knew that he was the vice captain of the Shohoku's basketball team.

Reaching the classroom for class 1-7, Kogure took a glance and it wasn't difficult to find his tall brother about to nod to sleep as the redhead in front of him talked to Yohei, one of Sakuragi's close friends. Thankfully, Sakuragi's back was facing him so Kogure managed to signal his brother to join him outside. Kaede rubbed his eyes and reluctantly stood up to walk to where Kogure was waiting for him.

"Here," said Kogure, dropping the keyholder onto Kaede's open palm, "Give it to Sakuragi. I forgot to give it to him earlier on."

Kaede looked at his brother with a small expression of question, "Why me?"

"Why not?" asked Kogure, looking up at his younger brother.

Kaede shrugged and turned around to enter the class, Kogure calling out his thanks before the boy disappeared through the doorway.

As he made his way back to the year three classrooms, his sights took in the corridor he was walking along and felt a sense of displacement as he remembered that he used to walk along this corridor every day two years ago. Now that he was there, he could still smell that particular odour, triggering his mind of small hidden memories when he was just a junior like Kaede, that were unimportant but precious nevertheless.

"Sempai!"

Kogure turned around and saw a tall redhead jog up to him with a big grin on his tanned face. Waiting for the junior to reach him, he could see the other juniors stare at the redhead, probably still unused to seeing a redheaded giant in their midst.

"Arigato," said the Sakuragi lifting the keyholder to show Kogure what he was talking about, "I was looking all over for this."

Kogure nodded, smiling as he looked around wistfully. Watching the spectacled senior with that look, Sakuragi asked curiously, "What's the matter?"

"Ah, nothing," said Kogure with a chuckle, "It feels kind of weird for me to be walking along this place because it's been a while since I stepped foot in this part of the school. Do you know that your class was my class two years ago?"

Not waiting for Sakuragi to answer, Kogure went on, "It's like I just stepped back in the past. Such a different world compared to where I am now..."

"You don't like walking here now?" Sakuragi asked.

"I don't know. I just feel sad I guess... I know that it's silly but I also feel that I'm a stranger here all alone..." Kogure stopped and looked down, totally embarassed that he was probably talking nonesense to this kid who might not know what he was talking about.

"I know what you mean.."

Kogure lifted up his head in surprise and looked at the redhead questioningly.

"It's like everything here has changed, the people and even the air," explained Sakuragi

Kogure beamed, pleased that they were on the same wavelength, "That's right!"
The two boys laughed. Then realising that they were attracting attention, they quickly shut their mouths but a grin still lingered on their lips.

At that moment a girl who Kogure recognised at Haruko's friend walked up to them to have a chat with the redhead. The senior realising and also with an odd feeling of disappointment that he has no more reason to be there any longer, excused himself and left when Sakuragi thanked him again with a wave of the hand.

Not really listening to the girl in front of him talk, the redhead found himself watching the back of the senior, who was disappearing among the crowd of students quickly.


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