It was a nice day in Kanagawa and for once Rukawa was walking, instead of cycling, to the gym where the team was going to be practicing. Everything was right in his life - for Rukawa Kaede anyway. His grades may be down (not a big surprise there), his teachers may hate him (for sleeping in their classes but not brave enough to punish him) and his bicycle may be out of commission for a week of two (it wasn't his fault he ran over a parked car while he was sleeping. Really, it wasn't. The road was bent) but his performance in the game he gave his all too was getting better and better under Anzai-sensei's direction.
Yup, everything was fine.

However, as soon as he saw Sendoh Akira groping Hanamichi right in front of his eyes all he saw was red. Ok, sure, maybe Sendoh was just brushing away a few leaves which has fallen from the tree they were standing under from Hanamichi's black uniform top, but still it made Rukawa steam to see the spiky-haired boy touch the do'aho.

Hanamichi was too busy bragging on and on about how Shohoku beat Toyotama with the tensai's help, ignoring Sendoh's hands which were brushing the dried leaves of off his uniform, when suddenly he felt a strong arm drape around his shoulders before he was tugged to lean on an immovable body of Rukawa Kaede.

"Kitsune! What are you doing?!" demanded Hanamichi, trying to shrug the offending arm away but the fox-eyed boy only held him tighter.

Rukawa did not answer but instead fixed his cold blue-eyed gaze onto the surprised Ryonan player.

"What is this?" Sendoh asked, his brows high with surprise.

As an answer, Rukawa brought his other hand around and hugged the shocked redhead blatantly.

"Well, he doesn't seem to like it," Sendoh commented, motioning to Hanamichi who was protesting very loudly at how he was being handled.

Rukawa turned a deaf ear at Hanamichi's complaints and shrugged. Suddenly, the redhead managed to twist himself forcibly out of Rukawa grasp and jumped a few feet away, screeching like a virgin who has just been molested, "You crazy, hentai fox! Get away from me!"

The fox-eyed boy just looked at him boredly, not minding the continuous verbal assault from the fiery redhead sent his way.

"I should kick your ass, you perverted sicko!"

Hanamichi wasn't sure when but he realised that Rukawa's cold blue eyes weren't cold anymore. Glittery, yes, but glittery in a sad, moony kind of way...

"You crazy sonova*&#$@!"

And was that a little tremble on the boy's lips?

"I...I... You... Wh..."
Darn it! Why did Rukawa have to act all hurt and weak like?
It was a curse for being a tensai with a big, soft heart, therefore it wasn't all that surprising for the redhead to find his protests die down his throat.
Oh, and the fact that Rukawa had him backed up a tree, their bodies touching chest to chest and hip to hip that Hanamichi felt as if Rukawa's body melted over his like liquid molten.

"I...like you..." whispered Rukawa before he touched his lips with Hanamichi's, kissing the redhead passionately until the redhead felt that he was the one melting instead.

Sendoh gaped at the scene before him. Damn, that kid was good! The way Rukawa played himself as the one being hurt rather than the one doing the assault was so unexpected that he wasn't surprised Hanamichi faltered with his defense. Of all people Sendoh wouldn't have thought Rukawa would be so sly as to use that trick on the naive redhead.
Hmmm... maybe he should try that out with Koshino...

After a very long moment, Rukawa released Hanamichi when the redhead was just about to pass out from the raw emotion of the fox-eyed boy.

"Ok," sighed Sendoh, bringing Rukawa out of his occupied state, "You convinced me. But how are you going to convince the rest of them, I wonder?"

"Who?" Rukawa narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Oh, come on, Rukawa," laughed Sendoh, "Don't tell me that you don't see the way people looked at Hanamichi when he played? Even I had a hard time taking my eyes off of a person like him."

"I'll take care of it," Rukawa said coldly, again holding onto Hanamichi possessively.

"Really?" Sendoh smirked, "And how are you going to do that? Cling onto him until they get the picture?"

~Ooh boy, I love you so
Never, ever, ever gonna let you go
Once I get my hands on you~

Hanamichi's face was bright red as all of his friends including the Sakuragi Gundan, Ayako and Anzai-sensei laughed at his predicament.

"Urusai!!" Hanamichi yelled, wanting to hit the nearest person with his fist but with the way Rukawa was clinging heavily onto his arm it was kind of impossible.
So the redhead settled for giving one of them a head-but, which got him the same results.

"Iteee..." Nooma complained weakly from his prone position on the floor, a bump steaming from his forehead. The others were still laughing but Hanamichi felt an itty bit better.

"And how long are you going to hold onto Sakuragi like this?" Akagi asked, trying hard not to lose it like the rest. Sure, it was disrupting the team's concentration but seeing the comical look on the redhead's face was amusing as hell.

"A week. Maybe two," Rukawa told him simply.

"Nani?!" sputtered the redhead, "You said only till after the game with Kainan!"

"W-Why Kainan?" Ayako gasped, trying to get her breath back.

Rukawa's fox-eyes narrowed, "They need to know..."

"What? You and Sakuragi?"

The raven-haired boy gave Maki a serious look and nodded. The tanned guard stared back at him before turning to regard the redhead, who was blushing like hell, with the same measure of curiosity.

"Can you let me go now, baka kitsune?!"

Kiyota only laughed harder.

~Ooh boy, I love you so
Never, ever, ever gonna let you go
I hope you feel the same way too~

"Uh... don't worry about it Rukawa. I already got someone. Right, Fujima?"

"Oh yes! I love Toru-kun very much!"

Rukawa looked at the two Shoyo players closely. Satisfied with what he saw, he left, dragging the sputtering redhead away with him.

"Thank you, Fujima. I'm sorry you have to lie like that. I didn't know Rukawa can be so-"

"Who said I was lying, Toru-kun?"

"E-Eto..."

~Ooh boy, I love you so
Never, ever, ever gonna let you go
Once I get my hands on you~

The boy sighed, "No, Rukawa, I'm not interested in Hanamichi that way."

"Good," Rukawa said, inserting a small measure of warning in his tone.

"Rukawa!!" Hanamichi cried, "Are you nuts?? That's Yohei!!!!"

With the way the Sakuragi Gundan was cracking up it was a miracle none of them died for lack of oxygen.

After a week of satisfying his need to notify everyone concerned of his feelings for Hanamichi, Rukawa finally eased up on his hold of the redhead. Even as Hanamichi was feeling a humunguous sense of relief, the redhead could not help but feel... loss... of the touch.

"I love you, Hanamichi. I may have physically taken my hands off of you, but in truth I'll never, ever, ever going to let you go."

The redhead stared at the raven-haired boy in surprise. Never, ever has anyone said those words to him before and hearing them come out from the kitsune himself was an absolute wonder. Hanamichi instantly knew that he has fallen. Hard.

Rukawa was about to turn and walk away when suddenly a warm hand gripped his and pulled him close to a strong, warm body. A chaste kiss on his forehead sent more shivers to his frame than any of the hungry kisses that he has stolen from the redhead's lips.

"Neither will I, Kaede."

~Ooh boy, I love you so
Never, ever, ever gonna let you go
I hope you feel the same way too~

~owari

This songfic is based from Shaggy's song, 'Luv Me, Luv Me' with Samantha Cole.