[Two and Rocking On]

I've never seen Ayako so…so…angry before. She just stormed out. Crouching at the door, I tried to camouflage with the wall pattern as she swept by, not even noticing me. At home, oni-chan called her to apologise. In his own way of course. Oni-chan doesn't express himself very well when apologising. But you must excus him: he rarely feels the need to apologise. I came in at the point when Ayako was screaming at him. And oni-chan was slowly getting madder. Little smoke trails started drifting around his ears, and when he finally put down the phone, there were several veins popping from his face. I sank down in a chair beside him, letting him cool down first. I know my brother well. Once he cools down he gets more reasonable. And he never refuses his younger sister.

"Oni-chan… maybe… the way you said it came out different than you meant. So it's your fault too, a bit."

"My fault? But that girl is beyond reason. Screaming like that."

He was becoming more and more vocal.

"Oni-chan? You're shouting too."

"Eh? Oh, sorry. Well, maybe you are right."

"Uh-huh. You should write a letter instead. Then that way I can reread what you wrote."

It took him half the night to write the apology. And here it is, I reproduce it below.

Ayako:

I apologise on behalf of the Shohoku basketball team for insulting you.

Akagi Takenori.

It is without the many blotches, crosses, and scribbles.

So he gave Ayako the note. I accompanied him to make sure the transaction went well. It did, Ayako said that she was feeling kind of bad about her behaviour the other day as well, so now I guessed that everything would go back to normal, and Ayako would go back to being the manageress. But I was wrong. O - oh… what was happening? What did I just hear? Play that back.

"Maybe you should start a girls team. For a while. That will teach the team to appreciate you."

"Well, yes, and now, a girls team seems quite a good idea. I wonder why this wasn't done before?"

So in I broke. "Oh Ayako, let me join, let me join, please? Please?"

She looked slightly amused. "I was intending to ask you anyway… ask Yuriko and Matsui too." (A/n :: worried look:: I think those are the names, right?) So…I suppose I'm kind of the second member of the girls team. Anyway, I needed to go ask Yuriko and Matsui if they would join with me. After all, we've done most things together.

"Oh, and by the way, which classes are the…Rukawa Brigade, at least I think that's what they call themselves, in?"

Why do I have this sudden sinking feeling? Ayako, no, you can't mean…

"I want to ask them to join too."

Ah well, I guess one can never have the best of both worlds. Later I went over to Ayako's house and talked over the details. She hadn't really thought it through properly. A team not only needs players, it needs a coach, it needs to have a training ground, it needs to have the necessary equipment to train. Now where were we going to get all those?

Ayako just looked a bit lost. Then she cheerfully told me that she had that all worked out too. She and Akagi had talked to Anzai-sensei, and between them, they decided that Monday, Wednesday, Friday would be reserved for the boys' team, and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday would be for the girls. "And… the coach?"

"Oh, I'll be coaching you. Quit looking so afraid." She leaned over and whacked me gently with the fan. "Of course Anzai-sensei offered to help out sometimes."

Then it was time to make a few phone calls.

*Ring ring…*

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Ayako from Class (X) Year 3. I'm starting up a basketball team for girls. Would you be interested to join?"

(Suspiciously) "Basketball. Will we get to see Rukawa-kun on a regular basis?"

"Well, not exactly, but you might even get a chance to play a match against him…"

"Hang on, this calls for a group discussion."

On the other side

Ru: So what do you think, Ka, Wa?
(Ka and Wa have been busy eavesdropping on the other line.)

Ru: Ka? Wa?
(Ka and Wa are too busy dealing with the enormous pink hearts blocking their vision.)

Back

"Yes. We'd love to." "But of course we love Rukawa more…" she added as an afterthought.

Do you ever get this feeling, of a million butterflies in your stomach, especially when you think about what's coming? I do. To be more precise, I am. First practice starts next week, and I just get all nervous and happy at the same time whenever I think of it.

[#] Oooogh. I want to stay and type some more, but I can't! I have Chinese tuition. And that lasts around 3 hrs. And Chinese is like, my worst subject. Besides math. And Geog. And Science. And Music. Bleagh. Do any of you guys have tuition too? Anyway, I reread the previous chapter, and yeah, Ayako is OOC. Whups. (Sheepish look) I hope Haruko isn't OOC too. I tried to make it sound more like her but I'm not too sure how that worked out. Ah well. It's off to tuition I go. Please please reviewwwwww…[#]

PS (I can't stand my Microsoft Word. It changing the default for English (UK) to English (US) and then I get ugly red marks all over)