23Chapter 7: Mitsui-Sensei VS The Princess
Author's Notes:
Hi, everyone! To tell you guys the truth, I was about to cut the chase and end this story when I wrote chapter 6 because no one reviewed chapter 5 but then I received the reviews from super rookie and Cherry Blossoms Kaorin that I decided to make it a little longer. Hope the readers won't mind though since I'm having fun writing this (because Mitsui is my favorite) as much as I hope that you guys are having fun reading this. By the way, this chapter contains some basketball stuff and I'm not really a pro so please bear with me. Well, thanks again and please review.
* Special Note *:
Hey, doujin! What's up!? I'm really flattered about your reviews, I mean you have three reviews up! I hope you like this one too, okei?! J
"Okay, stand right over here," Mitsui started as he led Keiko to the penalty line. He then stood beside her, on her right.
"Okay, then, what am I supposed to do?" Keiko said impatiently as Mitsui led her to the penalty line.
"Patience, my Princess, patience!" Mitsui admonished smirking at Keiko.
"I told you over and over again, stop calling me 'your' Princess!" Keiko frowned at him clearly irritated.
"Harumph! You know if I'd know any better, you're just doing this to spite me, or maybe get back at me. Deep down inside, you couldn't resist Mitsui Hisashi's charms," Mitsui said nonchalantly. He dribbled the ball and then threw it into the ring. The ball hit the rim of the net, circled and went in.
"Whatever," Keiko mumbled turning her head to the left to hide the deep shade of red forming in her face at being caught off-guard.
However, Keiko's reaction to his statement was a little too late and Mitsui saw the blush forming in her kawaii face. He smiled. She looks so cute when she blushes! Sensing her uneasiness, he decided to start the lesson. He's not really after winning the bet but he's after winning the trust of Keiko and he has to do that before the clock ticks 4:00. Winning the bet, for him, would just be a bonus. "All right! Let's start!"
Keiko snapped her head back to look at his direction. "Okay. The sooner this is over, the earlier I get home."
"Do you really hate me that much?"
"Hah! That's for me to know and for you to find out! Now, didn't you tell me that were going to start?" a twinkle appeared in her chocolate brown eyes, innocently flirting with the older boy.
Mitsui did a double take. Nani!? Is she flirting with me? He didn't expect that answer from her. Her answer was smooth and full of confidence. However, he regained control of himself, not letting Keiko know that he was loosing his cool just to be within touching distance of the redhead.
"Okay. First of all, are you right-handed or left-handed?," the shorthaired senior questioned.
"Right-handed."
"All right then, hold the ball like this," he held the ball in a position wherein both his hands are behind the ball. His right hand was slightly higher than the left one. "When you jump, flick the ball using your right hand. The left hand just supports the ball."
He handed the ball to Keiko. "Now, you try it."
"K'so! It didn't went in!" Keiko said frustrated as she threw the ball and it only hit the rim of the net.
"Oh, come, on! Don't get so frustrated! You're actually improving, you know. You and your brother are both fast learners," Mitsui called out from under the net where he is standing to get the ball then throw it right back at Keiko.
The last shot that Keiko made was her fifth try. The first, like the one in the gym, went beyond the backboard. The second throw was too short. The third and fourth hit the backboard. Finally, the fifth hit the rim of the net.
Mitsui threw the ball to Keiko. She positioned herself and then jumped. She flicked the ball and like her fifth try, it only hit the rim of the net. He heard Keiko sigh as she was waiting for him to pass the ball to her instead he went and brought the ball to her.
"Here," he said as he handed her the ball. He went behind her back and surprisingly began softly massaging Keiko's shoulders. "You're too tense. Your form is good but you need to loosen up."
He heard Keiko give a soft moan from the pressure of his hands on her shoulders. He shuddered as he realized how close he was to Keiko. He just wanted to reach out to her and kiss her with all the passion he's got on her soft red lips but he tried hard to resist the urge to do so. Mitsui knows now isn't the right time to do that.
She likes the feel of his strong callused hands on her shoulder. It was so good that the moan that she was trying so hard to keep inside finally found its way out. Her heart tells her to just whirl around and kiss him but her mind tells otherwise. Her mind tells her to step away from him.
As if reading her thoughts, Mitsui stopped the free massage that he was giving her. Again, a barely audible moan escaped her lips as his hands separated from her slim shoulders. He got the ball from her hand and their fingers touched. Their eyes met. Both saw the unspoken longing in the other's eyes. However, Mitsui Hisashi has other plans on his mind and he turned his back on her and said, "Okay, let's do this the other way."
He went behind her back. He then shifted the ball to his left hand and slipped his right hand through Keiko's waist. He shifted the ball again to his right hand and took hold of Keiko's right hand and placed it on the ball where it should be. His right hand was on top of Keiko's right hand. He did the same with their left hand.
Keiko gulped when she what he was doing. She felt that all her plans the other night to make him suffer was slowly draining away. All she wanted to do was to tell him that she really likes him.
Suddenly, Mitsui's voice broke the silence between them. "We're going to do this together until you get the feel of it. I'm going to count to three and when I reach three, we jump, clear?"
"Crystal," she answered.
"One… Two…Three," the two of them jumped. Mitsui supported Keiko's right wrist. He guided her hand and when the time was right, he flicked the ball, his hand still on top of Keiko's. The ball flew smoothly and landed on the hoop perfectly.
"That was good," Mitsui praised from under the net. After three shots, of guiding her, he had let her go. Keiko was practicing shooting all on her own, and she was good at it. Mitsui strode over to where she was and handed her the ball.
Keiko turned to him and smiled a real genuine smile. "Yeah, it was. My brother lost the bet."
"Nah… You can always tell him that you didn't learn anything. You know, turn the table around so he'll win."
"No way, he'll be a little pissed off because you won but he wouldn't like it any better if he found out that I actually learned something and tried to cover it up just so he could win. Besides that would be cheating and didn't he tell you not to cheat?"
An awkward silence followed Keiko's statement. Mitsui was at a lost for words. He was actually looking at the big clock behind the goal post. It was already 3:45 and in 15 minutes' time, Keiko would go home and the bet is over. He would never have Keiko alone anymore.
Just then, he felt soft warm lips pressed against his own. He realized that Keiko was kissing him. Puzzled and yet not wanting to let go, Mitsui kissed back. He felt Keiko's hands creep up to his head and toy with his hair. Sensing this as a sign that it was okay to reach his hand out and hold Keiko too, he enveloped his hands around Keiko's waist.
When they broke off for air, Mitsui asked her, "Why did you do that?" Their eyes met as he waited for her answer.
"Do what? Kiss you? Because I wanted too."
"So…"
"So all I'm saying is that I'm sorry for acting like a baby and hiding my true feelings for you from you. It's just that I wanted you to suffer, well maybe not suffer but cringe because of what happened but the truth is I really like you ever since we first met."
Mitsui closed his eyes as he remembered the time they first met. "It's okay. I'm sorry too. For everything."
"That time that we met, I thought to myself that all your good looks are wasted into a jerk like you," she explained timidly, still not averting her eyes from him and boldly facing his blue eyes. "But I was wrong. You're good inside too. You're an angel after all," she whispered her last words as tears started to fall from her chocolate brown eyes.
Mitsui wiped the tears that fell from her eyes. He then silenced her with a sweet gentle kiss. "If I'm you're angel then you're my heaven. I love you with all my heart, Sakuragi Keiko."
"I love you too Mitsui Hisashi," Keiko answered back as Mitsui enveloped her in a big bear hug. They did not notice that the clock was already ticking 4:00 and that a pair of chocolate brown eyes belonging to a certain redhead had witnessed all that had happened for the past 15 minutes muttering to himself, "It's about time that you two got together… K'so! That means I have to hunt the Gundan tomorrow to borrow money for Micchy's dinner! Baka Micchy…"
Author's Notes (yep! again!):
Wahhh! I didn't expect that it would end in this chapter! Well, don't worry! I'm working on an Epilogue! You'll read that too, won't you?! Onegai! J