Sakuragi sighed to himself out loud not aware that Yohei was watching him with a curious expression on the boy's face.

"Yo, Hanamichi. What's up?" asked Yohei.

"Hm? Oh, n-nothing," answered the redhead, hastily turning his attention back to his food.

"Nothing, eh?" Yohei grinned, "Trouble in paradise, bro?"

"I said it's nothing," Sakuragi growled, making his bestfriend arch an eyebrow in surprise. Yohei shrugged and continued to eat his burger.

Certain that Yohei was not interested in him anymore, Sakuragi let his mind wander again.

The kitsune. That boy always managed to shine brighter than himself overall. Sure, Sakuragi's amazing jumps and rebound catches were the best in Shohoku but Rukawa's individual skills and rare group cooperation catches the attentive people's attention the more. And there's no forgetting the fox-eyed boy's attractiveness, which does not fail to steal away many girls' hearts - or boys'.

Sakuragi could not help but agree to himself that the fox's styles were perfect, honed by years of experience and so he had planned in watching Rukawa's movement very carefully to see if he can discreetly learn them for himself. Soon he found himself looking at Rukawa for more than just the boy's basketball skills.

~I must be crazy now. Maybe I dream too much. But when I think of you, I long to feel your touch~

When did that happen? Sakuragi wondered.
He thought that it was probably from watching the kitsune too much. Who could help but not admire at Rukawa's aesthetic features?

Those blue fox eyes can make you spellbound once you can gaze into their depths, especially when they were blazing with passion. Sakuragi only sees them in that state when Rukawa gets angry or when confronted by a challenge.

And also when the two of them fight. Before, when those blue eyes stared at him, he stared back to show defiance but now he stares back because he has became helplessly entranced.

And those lips. Those lips, that Sakuragi never saw smiling but once, looked so sensual that the redhead felt shivers throughout his body whenever he thought of them.

And how about that soft pale skin? Was it as smooth as marble or as cold as one?

~To whisper in your ear. Words that are old as time. Words only you would hear,

If only you were mine~

Sakuragi sighed again. He did not think that he could ever find out.

He remembered the time when he first met Rukawa on the roof with the Sakuragi Gundan to fight the year threes. When Rukawa looked at him with those sapphire-coloured eyes, he was amazed to find a boy as tall as he was who can look so beautiful even with the side of his face bloodied and bruised.

~I wish I could go back to the very first day I saw you. Should've made my move when you looked in my eyes~

But when he heard that it was the person whom sweet Haruko has a crush upon, his admiration became blinded by jealousy.

Now, Sakuragi understood why Haruko was so enamored by Rukawa. The girl has known the fox-eyed boy since pre-high school and Hanamichi has only just met him after that.

What Sakuragi feels for Rukawa was different than the feelings he has for Haruko and those 50 girls who had dumped him. He was attracted to the girls because of their feminine beauty and personality everyone at school sees, but with Rukawa, his attraction came from a deeper source than that.

Being in the same team, he was able to see the real Rukawa the outsiders rarely sees.

The kitsune does have any qualms in showing Sakuragi his anger, hate and passion.
Heck, I think he shows them to me more often than to other people, thought Sakuragi wryly, and knowing that makes those moments all the more precious to him.

"Y'know," Yohei spoke up, breaking off Sakuragi's reverie, "You can just tell him."

The redhead blinked, "Huh? Who?"

"Rukawa."

Sakuragi did a double-take and cried out, "How did you know?!...I... I mean...."
Then he clamped his mouth shut, now just realizing that he has just confirmed Yohei's belief.

"I see you looking at him differently nowadays," said Yohei smiling, "Kinda like the way you look at Haruko before but it's kinda... more absorbed. And when he's not around you fall into this sort of weak and lost look."

"The tensai is not weak!" protested the redhead.

"Ok, how about dreamy and lost?"

"I... I..." Sakuragi stammered before he hit his head on the table and wailed, "I don't know what to do!"

Yohei sighed, "I told you to talk to him."

"It's not that simple," mumbled Sakuragi still not lifting his head from the table-top, "I don't even know if he likes guys. Anyway, he hates me."

"Appearances can be deceiving," Yohei said sagely.

Sakuragi looked up at Yohei with a 'yeah, get real' look.

"What? So you're gonna wait until someone else makes a move?" demanded Yohei. When the redhead did not answer, he slipped an arm around the Hanamichi's shoulder and said, "Hey, c'mon, Hanamichi. I know you've been hurt 50 times. So what's one more if there's a possibility that you can finally get what you want."

Hanamichi dropped his head again this time deep in thought.

~So today, I finally find the courage deep inside just to walk right up to your door~

Sakuragi stood at the front of the door to Rukawa's house, his muscles tense and his heart beating loud in his ears.

"Now's the time, baka," the redhead told himself but he found out that he couldn't even lift his hand to knock.

~But my body can't move when I finally get to it just like a thousand times before~

Suddenly, the door was flung open and there stood Rukawa looking at him uneasily. Watching the boy's expression, a sudden thought came to the redhead.

Crap! Don't tell me he knows as well?! thought Sakuragi in panic.

The two stood there silently for what seems like eternity before the redhead cleared his throat and said, "Well, uh, kitsune, I...."

Before Sakuragi could finish what he wanted to say, Rukawa suddenly thrust a piece of paper from his clenched fist into the redhead's hand.

~Then without a word he handed me this letter~

"What?" Sakuragi asked looking at Rukawa, lifting the letter quizically. The boy merely watched him, trying to keep his face impassive but the unease in his expression was still there.
Curiously, he opened the wrinkled piece of paper with careful fingers.

~Read "I hope this finds the way into your heart", it said,

"I love you, please say you love me too". These three words, they could change our lives forever. And I promise you that we will always be together till the end of time"~

Sakuragi's eyes widened as he read the words. When he looked up, Rukawa has managed to at last hide whatever feelings he was having from his face.

The redhead has written notes like this to girls he thought he loved and now someone was giving him one for the first time, and it was from Rukawa Kaede, Shohoku's no.1 rookie (not that Sakuragi would admit it) and heart throb!

Sakuragi looked into the cold blue fox-eyes and smiled. This has made it all easier.

He stepped up and cupped the fox's face for their first kiss. Rukawa started in surpise before he relaxed and began kissing the redhead back, a deep murmur of surprise and pleasure reverberating from his throat making the redhead shiver in response.

When they broke apart, Hanamichi was transfixed by the sight of Rukawa's blue eyes glittering with something new - something wonderful, and he planned on keeping it there for as long as he could.

I love you.

THE END

The song used in this fic is Celine Dion's "I Love You".


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