Do you like to play basketball?

"Minami!" yelled Kishimoto when he saw that his friend was not getting up after that fall trying go up against Rukawa.

The referee quickly put off the game, ordering that the medical team take the fallen player to be tended.

Kishimoto eyes widened when he saw Minami lying there unconcious, Oh god, blood, blood... he's bleeding...

**

"Hey are you sure you're alright?" asked Kishimoto of his friend for the fifth time that night.

Minami managed a small smile. "Yes, just feel kinda sore, that's all," he said touching his bandaged head, feeling the stretchable white material under his fingers.

Kishimoto looked at him closely before turning his attention back to where he was walking, "The doc said that you should lay off for a while. 'Fraid that you might get a concussion or something."

"Don't worry," said Minami, aware that his friend was walking at a slower pace for his sake. Minami wanted to shake his head but thought against it. He did feel a bit dizzy.

"What are you going to do now?" Minami asked instead.

"Hmm? Oh..." Kishimoto thought for a moment before answering non-commitally, "Get plastered I guess."

Minami arched a firm eyebrow and stated, "You've never drank before."

"Yeah, well, then it'll be easier for me to get drunk," said Kishimoto with a grin.

Minami sighed lightly, "Then I guess I'll have to accompany you. Who knows what trouble you might get into?"

Kishimoto snorted, "Oh please. There's no trouble Kishimoto from Toyotama can't handle."

Minami lifted his friend's slack arm to fall around his shoulder before he heaved Kishimoto bodily up from his position on the floor.

"Nothing you can't handle, huh, Kishimoto?" said Minami pulling the boy to catch a taxi to send them home. Kishimoto, after having intoxicated himself with a few cans of alcohol, disappeared before Minami could catch up with him. When Minami found him, the boy was sprawled outside the barber shop his long hair gone.
"What the hell made you go and get your hair cut?" Minami grunted, trying to get a better hand hold of his heavy friend. Kishimoto took a year to grow his hair long and now the back part only reached the base his neck and Kishimoto now has bangs, the hair tumbling over his eyes reaching past his cheeks.

When they reached Kishimoto's apartment, Minami found out that the boy's father was not at home so he carried Kishimoto himself to the boy's bedroom and deposited him on the bed. Not that his father would help anyway..., thought Minami, looking down at this unconcious friend.

Minami began pulling Kishimoto's sneakers off before taking off the outer layer of his friend's clothing and then draping a blanket over him. Then he allowed himself to sit on the bed near Kishimoto's prone form to rest and to look at the boy.

The boy's face was slightly obscured by the dark hair, so Minami brushed it off casually and regarded his friend's face for a few moments. Kishimoto's face has not changed since they were kids. True, both of them have grown up but their facial features were just about the same. They have less fun now, though, because they were too occupied in their desire to win that they have forgotten their main reason to play - why Kitano-sensei wanted them to play - is to have fun.
Minami wondered when was the last time they played ball just to play and not to compete.

As Minami was about to stand up to leave, his wrist was suddenly held by a powerful grip. Minami looked down to see his friend looking at him, his eyes wide. Minami was startled to see that it looked.... innocent. The only time he saw Kishimoto like that was when they were kids. That innocence, and his, faded when Kitano-sensei left them.

"M'nami... 'm sorry," said Kishimoto, his voice haorse.

Minami sat down and leaned closer, "What?"

"I hit you..." Kishimoto said, his grip tightening, "I hit you... 'm sorry..."

Minami's expression softened and brushed his friend's hair back, deciding that he liked touching it very much, "That's ok. We're friends, right?"

"Yeah," said Kishimoto smiling before slumping back down on the matress, "Friends...'''

Minami shook his hand out of Kishimoto's now weak grip and pulled the blanket back over his best-friend and walked out of the room, but not before taking one final glance behind him. Minami smiled to himself and shut the door quietly.

**

Kishimoto was woken up rudely by the glaring sunlight coming through the curtains of the windows right under his bed. Even if the material of the curtains managed to dim the light a bit, it still hurt for him to open his eyes.

He slowly sat up and rubbed his face, trying to put some feel in his skin. Feeling his hair obstruct his hands, he reached up to tuck them behind his ear as his fashion but when the hair persisted in slipping out of it's perch Kishimoto didn't care anymore and slowly made his way to the bathroom, hoping to get that awful feeling from his throat and stomach out.

When he reached there he didn't throw up as he'd hoped and so went up to the sink to splash his face with cold water. When he lifted his head to look how bad his face looked in the mirror, he nearly screamed. But since his head was already pounding very hard, he settled for blinking stupidly for a few moments before he groaned.

My hair...

**

Minami saw a 188cm tall boy walking along the hall of the school, the boy's face hidden by the long bangs of his hair which nearly reached his chin.

"Kishimoto!" called Minami and smiled when the boy turned around to smile at him in return.

"'Thought you wouldn't make it with the way you kept throwing up that night," said Minami.

"Well I made it but my head still feels as if it's got a thousand basketballs bouncing up and down non-stop," said Kishimoto, rubbing his temple to emphasise on the pain he was feeling, "Remind me never to get plastered again."

Minami grinned, "I will. And you don't seem all that hysterical about your new hair-do."

Kishimoto blinked, caught up in what he thought was one of Minami's rare full-fledged smiles but then he shook himself. "Oh, this?" he said fingering his now shorter hair, "Hell, I got over it. It did take me nearly a year to grow my hair but this fits me best don'tcha think?"

Minami tilted his head as if in contemplation when Kishimoto brushed his hair back, "Yeah. I kinda prefer you with this one rather than the other."

The corridor was already crowded with students and teachers hurrying for their first period and the two boys easily followed the flow of people. Kishimoto couldn't help but feel he was being watched at by almost everyone they pass.

A teacher was walking towards them when he stopped to greet the pair, "Good Kishimoto. At last your hair is in length regulation."

Kishimoto regarded the teacher cooly, not bothering to reply. Minami did the same, looking down on the teacher disdainfully before he walked away with Kishimoto following behind. They heard the teacher grumble on their behaviour but they ignored it. Everyone knew of their bad attitude and the sensei was not one of their favourite person anyway.

"What are we going to do about the team?" asked Kishimoto suddenly.

Minami went silent at first before answering, "We'll have a talk with Kenehira first. I think it's time to give him a chance to prove himself."

Kishimoto looked at Minami and asked, "Are you sure? How about our fast and fierce strategy?"

Minami kept his gaze straight ahead but not really seeing anything as he remembered Kitano sensei's face.

Do you like to play basketball?

"We'll use it when we need to but for now we must understand the main reason why we're playing basketball," he said, "Because we like it."

Kishimoto lowered his head in thought.
When he lifted his head up, he nearly collided with a girl coming in the opposite direction. The girl was surprised to see him at first before she gave him a smile and aplogised, "Gomen nasai." And then she walked away but not before she turned around to give him another dazzling smile.

"Looks like she likes you," said Minami watching his friend stare at the girl's back in puzzlement, "And look who else seem to be interested in you."

Kishimoto now realised that the feeling that people were watching him were for real. The girls were looking at him as if they've just seen him in school and some were even giving him shy smiles and blushing prettily when he met their eyes.

Kishimoto scratched his head, "Why? I mean the girls always steer clear of me. Why now?"

Minami pushed his hands in his pocket and answered simply, "It's you hair."

"Eh?"

"Your hair," said Minami again, "I think they like the way you look now."

"What?" Kishimoto nearly squawked, "Don't tell me I look like a geek!"

Minami shook his head in amusement, "You look smart."

Kishimoto brushed his hair back self-conciousnessly, "Really?"

"Aa," Minami nodded, wanting to brush the hair back himself, "Really."

Kishimoto scratched his chin in wonder, "Well, well..."

"Don't let it go to your head," warned Minami with a smile.

Kishimoto smiled back. At that moment, a group of girls were passing by them and the two took the chance to look at them. The girls giggled, making Kishimoto grin.

"I think they like you too," said Kishimoto nudging his friend by the arm.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your smile," said Kishimoto, "You should start smiling a lot. I think the girls like it."

"Oh?" said Minami curiously, his smile still in place, "And what does it make me look now?"

"Cute, I guess," shrugged Kishimoto.

Minami arched an eyebrow. Kishimoto felt suddenly embarrassed at calling his friend cute.
"Really?" the shorter boy asked.

"Really," Kishimoto said nodding.

Minami was looking at him oddly that made the boy uneasy but Kishimoto managed to say, "Don't let it go to your head."