Author's Note: This is my first Slam Dunk yaoi fanfic. I wrote this for my sister who is still very much obsessed with SD yaoi fanfics (and now so am I). As I haven't seen any fics involving Kiminobu's birthday, which by the way is celebrated on July 12, I made this chapter especially dedicated to him. And also because he is my favorite SD character!! There will be a lot of OOC-ness (and now, when I say OOC, I really do mean it!) in Kaede and in the other characters as well, I hope you don't mind. Thank you in advance for bearing with my craziness.

And to thank a few who have reviewed my work…

· shi-chan

· OrOoo

· Yuuki

· G Lee

· sky75rk (I was like your sister when I first got to watch Slam Dunk. I hated to think that these muscular men could have yaoi partners, especially Kiminobu. But the sd-yaoi sickness got the better of me.)

Unrequited Love

Chapter Three

Happy Birthday, Kimi-kun!

"You watched what with Rukawa?" the Shohoku shooting guard asked, his spoon hanging in mid-air.

Kogure Kiminobu shook his head. How many times did he have to repeat himself to the blue-eyed former junior high MVP? He had agreed to the lunch date that Mitsui had earlier "invited" him into. Kogure would've said no, knowing that his best friend would only want him to tell him every detail of what had happened the night before. He wasn't ready yet, with his feelings towards the super rookie still uncertain. But he couldn't say no to the shooting guard.

"I watched A Walk To Remember with Kaede-kun, Hisashi. How many times do I have to repeat myself?" Kogure asked exasperatedly.

Mitsui Hisashi stared at the vice captain. What did Kogure see in the Ice Prince any way? First he went to the amusement park with Rukawa, then they went for a movie… what the hell was happening?

"Gomen, Min-kun. I just find it so strange… you going out with Rukawa."

"Kogure's going out with whom?"

Both the small forward and the shooting guard turned their gazes to the burly captain, who seated himself beside Mitsui. Akagi Takenori usually ate lunch somewhere with Anzai-sensei, discussing matters that concerned the team's performance. It was quite unusual for him to come to the canteen and eat there. Akagi's questioning eyes turned from Kogure to Mitsui, then back again as he munched his lunch.

"I'm going out with no one, Akagi," the vice captain said, lowering his head.

Mitsui shook his head. Akagi had to know. As far as he was concerned, Akagi and himself were the ones who knew Kogure the most. Both of them treasured the friendship with this quiet bespectacled boy and wanted only happiness for him. And for him, Min-kun didn't seem all too happy about whatever he was going through. But he respected Kogure if he wanted to keep it a secret.

"Rukawa's been playing more enthusiastically nowadays, don't you think, Mitsui?" Akagi asked, silently taking note of Kogure's suddenly red face.

Speaking of the devil… Mitsui nodded. "He did seem rather inspired to do his best, ne Min-kun?"

"H-hai," he replied nervously.

"I heard that you've become his private tutor, Kogure. Are his grades improving?"

Kogure shrugged. "He's having a test today that will determine if he still passes."

Mitsui laughed. "Oh I'm sure he'll pass the test he's gonna be having today… especially with someone on his mind…"

Akagi glanced at the former MVP. "Is Rukawa seeing someone?"

"Oh, I don't know," Mitsui replied, shooting a glance at the suddenly-all-so-quiet-and-red-on-the-face small forward. "Is Rukawa seeing someone, Min-kun?"

If looks could kill, Kogure was sure that the shooting guard that was sitting in front of him would drop dead at that moment. Mitsui knew all too well that the I-care-about-Rukawa's-well-being subject was very delicate as of the moment but that didn't stop the blue-eyed boy from asking his opinion in things about Rukawa.

Kogure shrugged. What the hell was happening to him? Nowadays, it was always Rukawa… Rukawa's blue eyes, Rukawa's smooth lay-ups, Rukawa's smiling face, Rukawa's voice…

"Kiminobu-sempai!"

And there was it again. Rukawa's voice.

"Kiminobu-sempai!"

Waitaminute…

"Oi, Rukawa!" Mitsui greeted the junior, with a smile as the junior slid in the seat beside Kogure.

"Konnichiwa, Mitsui-sempai, Akagi-sempai," Rukawa greeted back rather happily.

The junior small forward was, yes, very happy. And that was all because he had passed his history exam with a B+. And he had his vice captain to thank for. He slipped the paper into Kogure's hands that were on top of the table. Kogure silently clasped it, then beamed at Rukawa.

"Is this true, Kaede-kun? You got a B+ in History?"

Perhaps his ears with not functioning in the way it was supposed to be, Mitsui thought as he snatched the paper Kogure was holding. Now his eyes were also playing a trick on him. He rubbed his eyes. It was still there. Clear as blood, the red mark was a B+ on Rukawa Kaede's history exam paper.

"Yes, Kimi-kun! I got a B+ and it's all because of you!" exclaimed the super rookie.

"Yogatta! I'm so happy for you!" Kogure exclaimed, smiling at Rukawa who had a slight blush on his cheeks.

"This is great Rukawa," Akagi said, finally waking up from the daze he was just in just like Mitsui.

"Domo, sempai!"

"Hey, Min-kun! Don't you think Rukawa here deserves a reward of some kind?" Mitsui said, a teasing glint in his sapphire eyes.

Kogure didn't seem to notice that Mitsui had asked that on purpose to see if he would fall for it. He seemed too happy for Rukawa right now to even notice that Akagi was eyeing them both suspiciously.

"That's a great suggestion, Hisashi!" Kogure said, a light bulb appearing at his head.

He grabbed Rukawa closer and whispered something to the taller boy. The ace gleamed. Then he nodded. Mitsui was about to ask Kogure what the reward was when the bell rang. Kogure hurriedly slipped out of his seat and waved goodbye at the three.

"Hisashi, I had wonderful lunch. Meet you at the court later!" he shouted as he winked at the three-pointer before disappearing behind the canteen door.

Mitsui sighed as he gathered his things. He would never be able to find out what went through the mind of that honor student, he thought. Anyway, he had better things to occupy himself with especially with Kogure's birthday the next day.

"Mitsui…"

Mitsui glanced up at the captain. "Akagi…"

"The team's gonna be buying presents later. Coming?"

Mitsui smiled. "Sure I will," he said. He turned to Rukawa. "You have a gift for tomorrow, right?"

Rukawa looked at him quizzically. "Gift? For whom?"

Akagi punched him on the head. "Baka! It's Kogure's birthday tomorrow! Didn't you know that?"

Rukawa winced, rubbing his head. "Iie… demo… domo, sempai! I'm gonna buy him a present later!" Rukawa said, rushing off to his class.

"Does Rukawa have a crush on Kogure?" Akagi asked.

Mitsui, once again, shrugged. "We still have class, Akagi."

Akagi nodded as he eyed the shooting guard suspiciously. Kogure and Mitsui were hiding something from him, he was sure about that. He hated it when they won't tell him. He sighed. Maybe Kogure would spill the beans one time. Or maybe Mitsui. He'd just had to wait and as of now, hurry to his class.

~*~*~

Just exactly why Akagi had cancelled the day's practice, Kogure didn't know. But he was secretly grateful to the gorilla-like captain for the time off at a very convenient time. With no practice that afternoon, he had enough time to fix himself for the "reward" dinner he was going to have with Rukawa later that night.

He was still uncertain about his feelings towards the blue-eyed Shohoku ace but he decided that he was just thinking too much or the movie last night had infected his brain. He kept reminding himself: He COULD NOT POSSIBLY FALL IN LOVE WITH A GUY, especially with Rukawa Kaede. But the guy, he thought, had very irresistible lips that curved into a breathtaking smile. He shook his head. He was beginning to consider that Rukawa had indeed poisoned him.

He chuckled at the idea as he walked to the mirror near his study table. He combed his hair, then straightened his red polo and black pants. Rukawa would be ringing on his door any moment now.

~*~*~

Rukawa was extremely grateful to Akagi that the captain had cancelled the practice for the day. It gave him enough time to go to a bookshop nearby and look for a suitable gift for his beloved. He spent over an hour before he found the right book, as he remembered who Kogure's favorite author was (A/N: Sadly, it isn't me.). He hurriedly biked home to shower and get dressed for his dinner with Kogure. He would wrap the book later.

He sighed, kicking a pebble as he went towards his sempai's apartment. He was supposed to be the one to invite Kogure to a dinner, not the other way around!

Oh, well, it's better than having none at all…

He ran a hand over his raven black hair that went well with his navy blue polo and black pants before ringing Kogure's doorbell.

~*~*~

"Matte kudasai!" came Kogure's voice form somewhere inside the apartment.

A moment later, Kogure opened the door and greeted Rukawa with a smile.

"I'm not going to invite you in anymore, I hope you won't mind," Kogure said, locking the door. "I have a reservation for both of us at Chateau Venice. Have you eaten there?"

When Rukawa shook his head, the vice captain laughed. "Neither have I, actually. But I hear that the food there's great."

"Then," Rukawa said, hailing a cab, "Let's get going! I can't wait to try it out with you!"

~*~*~

The Chateau Venice had a very romantic atmosphere. The restaurant was located at the ground floor at the corner of the mall that was at the center of the town. The moment both small forwards stepped into the restaurant, they felt like they were already in Venice, Paris, and London all at the same time. The Chateau had dim lights, each table lit by only two candles. Jazz music was played by a live band at the center of the restaurant where the dance floor was located. Kogure and Rukawa's table was located near the dance floor, also lit by two red candles. They seated themselves across each other and a few minutes later, a girl came to them.

"Bonsoir, Messieurs. Welcome to the Chateau Venice. I am Chef Marie, the one who will cook and serve your meals tonight," the girl said with a French accent, handing them the menu.

Kogure smiled at the girl before looking at the menu. Most of the foods were written in French, to Rukawa's dismay. He grunted knowing that he'd have a hard time knowing what to order. Kogure, on the other hand, thanked his mother for giving him French lessons when he was in junior high. He scanned at the menu then saw what he wanted. He picked the simple ones, knowing that he might not like the other ones. He glanced at his companion and saw what Rukawa was going through.

"Mind if I helped you, Kaede-kun?"

Rukawa smiled at Kogure gratefully. "Is it too obvious that I don't know how to read French or have eaten in a fine dining restaurant before? I don't even know what to order."

Kogure giggled a little. "Not really. Want me to order for you?"

Rukawa nodded. Kogure scanned the menu once more and a few minutes after, upon finding which food particularly took his breath away, he turned to the chef.

"Mademoiselle Marie, we would like to have would like to have poached halibut steaks with creamy fish sauce and fresh scallops in white wine over pasta. And I think for dessert, Gâteau St. Honoré and Strawberry Bande de Fruits," Kogure said with a French accent that brought shocked expressions to Rukawa and Marie's face as he handed the latter the menu.

Chef Marie smiled. "Those are good choices, Monsieur. Would you like some wine to go with it?"

Kogure nodded politely. "Novelino please. Merci Beaucoup, mademoiselle."

"Merci Bien, messieurs. I'll come back with your order after about thirty minutes."

Chef Marie bowed a little then exited leaving the two by themselves. Rukawa smiled. He still could not believe that he was in a restaurant, having dinner with the most beautiful man alive, in his opinion. He could not believe that his dream, well one of his dreams, was coming true right before his eyes. He felt so happy as if he was just proclaimed the MVP of the Inter High games. Oh, yes. He was very fortunate tonight. He stared across the table at the love of his life who had his eyes closed, drumming his fingers on the table, in tune to the jazz music that was playing near them. Rukawa sighed. The dim light coming from the candle cast a moonlight glow on the vice captain's smiling face. He looked so peaceful and angelic, just humming the music like that. Rukawa was sure that he was the luckiest person alive to have Kogure Kiminobu right in front of him.

Kogure slowly opened his eyes and saw the Shohoku ace staring at him. In the dim candlelight, Rukawa's pale features seemed to have more color making the senior small forward realize the striking good looks of the blue-eyed rookie. The smile Kogure had earlier wore widened. Rukawa indeed looked handsome.

"You've been staring at me since Marie left," Kogure said softly, a slight tease in his voice.

Rukawa smiled at his brown haired companion. He would've said that it was because he found the vice captain very attractive, if it weren't for the fact that the ace wanted to savor every moment he had with Kogure before telling everything to him. He was afraid of what might happen after his soon-to-be confession of love.

"I didn't know you knew how to speak French," Rukawa said avoiding the statement Kogure said earlier.

"Kaasan had me take lessons in junior high."

"Sou ka… You like jazz music, Kimi-kun?"

Kogure chuckled. "It does seem quite obvious."

"Saa…"

"The jazz music playing is entitled Hey There," Kogure said, swaying his head to the beat of the music.

Rukawa turned his attention to the band. There were five people: one playing the guitar, the other one playing the bass, one playing the drums, the other playing the conga and the last musician was just holding his saxophone as if waiting for his cue.

The music was light and many couples have already come up the dance floor. One of those were both males, one pair both females. The rest were like married couples. The music continued and it was soothing. The rhythmic beating of both the drums and the conga were in tune with the strumming and plucking of the guitar and bass. Rukawa sighed. If he only knew how to dance, he would stand up and ask his Kimi-kun to dance with him. But he didn't know how to dance.

"Dance with me, Kaede?"

Rukawa was suddenly taken aback when he saw Kogure standing in front of him, a hand held out.

"I… don't know how to dance," Rukawa replied, embarrassed.

Kogure smiled. "Then I'll teach you."

"I have two left feet."

"Please?"

Rukawa looked up at Kogure's pleading brown eyes. It was impossible to resist such gaze!

Rukawa smiled. "Oh alright. But don't get mad at me when I step on your foot, ok?" he said standing and taking Kogure's hand.

"Hai!"

Kogure led Rukawa to the dance floor. He still held Rukawa's left hand when he started moving.

"Now Kaede-kun… right foot back, then back in its original position… double step, then left foot forward. And again. This, my dear, is cha cha."

Kogure continued repeating the same steps with Rukawa still by his side for a few more minutes. Then, he positioned himself in front of Rukawa while he still danced to the music. Rukawa was a bit nervous. What if he made a complete fool of himself while dancing with Kogure? What if he did something really idiotic and by the time he told Kogure that he liked him, he wasn't likeable enough?

"Relax, Kaede-kun. Flow with the music," Kogure said softly.

Rukawa nodded nervously as he sighed inwardly. He had to relax. Or else everything would go wrong.

Once Rukawa relaxed, Kogure observed, stirring him had been quite easier. Kogure smiled. Rukawa was a fast learner. Even Mitsui had a hard time learning cha cha when he tried to teach the shooting guard when they were first years. Having memorized the music by heart, he knew when the saxophone would play. And that was about a few seconds from now.

He raised his left hand that was still holding Rukawa's right hand and encircled it on his waist in such a way that his back was leaning on Rukawa's chest and the ace's hands were on other sides of Kogure's waist. He had done it in perfect timing as the sax began to play. Rukawa stiffened. He had never been in close contact with Kogure before! Not this close! Kogure began to sway and leaned his head on Rukawa.

"Relax. Just feel the music. Sway your body."

Rukawa gulped. A thousand thoughts swirled inside his mind, each one as incoherent as the other - or maybe even more. He closed his eyes and silently obeyed Kogure's words. If he was determined not to make a fool of himself, he had to relax and let the music take him, he thought.

~*~*~

Sendoh Akira was happily dancing with his boyfriend Koshino Hiroaki at the same restaurant that Kogure and Rukawa were. He had promised Koshino earlier that day that he would date him in a nice French restaurant. He didn't expect to see Rukawa there, or anyone for that matter. Rukawa didn't recognize the two because of the dim lights. Sendoh didn't even notice the pair until Koshino tapped his shoulder.

"Mmmm… Hiro-kun?"

"Akira, isn't that Rukawa and the vice captain of Shohoku?"

Sendoh looked at the direction where Koshino was pointing. True enough, it was Rukawa who had his hands and Kogure's waist. A flash of shock passed Koshino and Sendoh's faces.

"I didn't know that they were already a pair!" Sendoh exclaimed softly.

"Already?"

"Yeah. Haven't you been observing the way he looks at Kogure? Even at court. He looks at him even stares at him lovingly!"

Koshino cocked his eyebrow at his boyfriend. "And how, may I ask, did you come up with that conclusion?"

Sendoh smiled at Koshino. "Don't tell me your jealous of Rukawa-kun, Hiro-kun? I mean I just see it because that's the way I look at you."

Koshino blushed at this. "Fine. But I'm not sure if they're already a pair."

"Huh?"

"Rukawa seems a little nervous."

"Sou da ne."

~*~*~

Mitsui and the rest of the Shohoku Basketball Team plus Haruko and Ayako have just finished their birthday shopping. They were at the ground floor of the mall that was at the center of town. They were famished, as they have been racking their brains for two hours just looking for presents and decorations for the party the next day. Sakuragi was beginning to be quite a pain in the neck and Haruko was the only one who could reprimand him in, let's just say, a not-so-very violent way.

At present, they were strolling down the corner of the mall where Chateau Venice was located.

"Hey! Isn't that Kogure-san?" asked Yasuda who was looking through the glass window of the restaurant.

Everyone turned his or her attention to Yasuda. They leaned at the window and they saw that it was indeed Kogure.

"He's dancing with Rukawa-kun?" Sasaoka asked, quite unsure if he was dreaming or not.

Mitsui's jaw dropped. So this was the reward! His eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets as he saw Rukawa and Kogure's body sway in perfect synchronization. He knew that Kogure was one heck of a ballroom dancer but this was beyond that! Akagi seemed to have a very big problem with his eyes. He kept rubbing them but he still saw his team's vice captain dancing sweetly with their super rookie.

"When did Kogure-san learn to dance like that?" Miyagi asked.

"He had lessons before he got into Shohoku. He told me," Mitsui replied, his eyes not leaving the pair.

Haruko and Ayako were looking at Rukawa and Kogure at a whole new light. The other juniors, Sakuragi included gaped at the sight. Mitsui shook his head disbelievingly as he saw Kogure unwound himself from Rukawa, stirring the other one in another step. Then the vice captain lead Rukawa in a slow cha cha with Kogure going very very low.

~*~*~

"Sempai!" Rukawa exclaimed as Kogure danced the regular cha cha with a bit of twist in his hips as the sax ended his piece.

Kogure smiled. "Hey! This is part of the dance! C'mon Kaede-kun! Dance!"

Rukawa continued to dance the regular cha cha, letting Kogure dance the one with the twist. The vice captain laughed at this.

"What's so funny?" Rukawa asked.

"Nandemonai. It's just that I remember a similar incident with Hisashi."

Rukawa cocked an eyebrow. Why was he a reminder of the three-pointer?

"He wasn't the one who loved to dance at first. He had quite a difficult time, just like Akagi," Kogure narrated, a small chuckle coming out his mouth as he remembered Akagi and Mitsui practically having two left feet.

Rukawa smiled. It was nice having to know more about his seniors.

Kogure continued dancing. "Compared to them, I'd say you have more grace than they ever had."

"It's nice to know that I have something to be proud of, more than basketball."

~*~*~

"What the…"

Sendoh's eyes grew wide. He never thought that the quiet vice captain of the Shohoku team had those kinds of moves under his sleeves! He now saw Kogure with a whole new light. He really had this urge to leave Koshino to Rukawa and dance with the bespectacled boy.

Koshino glared at his boyfriend. "If you're going to drool at Kogure while dancing with me, you might as well forget dancing with your BOYFRIEND!"

That seemed to bring the Ryonan ace out off his reverie about Kogure. He shifted his gaze to the Ryonan guard in front of him, his pleading blue eyes set on making him irresistible.

"Oh, Hiro-kun! You know that I would never ever leave you for anyone else!"

Koshino rolled his eyes. "Well you looked like you were about to just a few minutes ago! Just because the way Kogure dances, is so…"

"Sexy?" Sendoh prompted.

Koshino bonked his head. "AKIRA!!!"

"GOMEN!!!"

~*~*~

The saxophone once again was playing its piece and Kogure had purposely wrapped Rukawa's arms around his waist. Both small forwards were still oblivious to their unwanted audience in the Chateau and outside. Rukawa closed his eyes once again. He was in heaven. Never had he thought that he'd dance like this with his Kimi-kun! He was getting almost everything he wanted and it wasn't even his birthday! He smiled. He was indeed the luckiest person in the whole world. Especially when none of his teammates could see what was happening. He opened his eyes and saw several people looking through the glass window of the Chateau. He froze. He had spoken too soon.

Kogure still had his eyes closed, flowing with the music. He felt lucky. Lucky because he was dancing with one of the most eligible bachelors in Kanagawa. Lucky because the said guy wasn't even complaining and that guy was his friend. And most of all, Mitsui wasn't there to see everything and he would get away tomorrow without any teasing from the shooting guard. Suddenly, he felt Rukawa stiffen behind him. He opened his eyes.

"Kaede-kun?" he asked as he looked up to his kohei.

Rukawa didn't respond and was staring straight at the glass window. Kogure, curious at what had stunned the Shohoku ace, followed his gaze. Kogure's eyes widened. There outside the window was Mitsui, Akagi, and the rest of the Shohoku basketball team! The vice captain felt all his blood rush up to his face. He did the most logical thing he could think of at the moment. He pulled Rukawa out off the dance floor and led him to the table. They reached their table just in time to see Marie bring their order.

"Madamoiselle Marie, could I order one bottle of Vodka? Chilled please," Kogure said as politely as he could manage.

Marie smiled and bowed. "Oui, monsieur."

Rukawa and Kogure remained silent as they began to eat their dinner. Kogure's head was swirling with so many questions. Plus, he didn't know how he would face the team tomorrow, most of all the shooting guard and the captain. Sakuragi's teasing he could endure, but not his two best friends'! He breathed hard. Marie had better bring the Vodka soon.

"Kimi-kun…" came Rukawa's soft and low voice.

Kogure looked up from his fresh scallops and looked at Rukawa. He too was red in the face, but the senior small forward considered that it might have been because of the candlelight. Rukawa's passive face lit up with a small smile.

"I'm having the best night of my life," the blue-eyed rookie told him, staring straight into his cinnamon brown eyes.

The senior small forward's lips curved into a small smile realizing what Rukawa was doing. And he was thankful.

"So am I, Kaede-kun. So am I."

~*~*~

It was already eleven thirty in the evening when Rukawa left Kogure at his doorstep. After the dinner at the Chateau, they went to a nearby park and talked under the stars about the team, Rukawa's parents and so many other things. If it weren't for the fact that his vice captain was getting sleepy, due to the Vodka intake earlier that evening, the super rookie wouldn't end the night just yet. Rukawa whistled as he walked home. He was very very happy. Eventhough they were interrupted by the unexpected presence of the whole Shohoku Basketball Team, and Sendoh Akira and Koshino Hiroaki. He shook his head. That part of the night, he had to forget. He was only a few steps away from his apartment when he saw a familiar figure sitting at his doorstep.

"Mitsui-sempai…"

Oh, why oh why did HE have to show up now!

"I know you don't want to see me right now, Rukawa," Mitsui said, standing up to face the small forward. "Due to what happened tonight, I'm guessing. But, tomorrow is Min-kun's birthday and seeing how concerned you are…"

Rukawa's eyes shot up. Mitsui smirked.

"… about my dear friend, I must ask you for one thing for Min-kun. Something you have to do for him tomorrow as everyone is taking part in this."

Rukawa stared at the senior. What was he saying?

"Akagi cancelled tomorrow's morning practice and made it late afternoon. But this late afternoon 'practice' is actually…"

"A surprise party for Kimi-kun."

Mitsui smiled. "This is going to take quite a long time, super rookie. I'm sure Min-kun would think it's quite polite for you to let me in."

Rukawa cocked his eyebrow as he opened the door of his apartment. "Why do you keep saying Kimi-kun's name, sempai?"

Mitsui laughed as he followed Rukawa inside. "Jealous?"

Rukawa glared at him for hitting the right button. True. He was jealous of the senior in more ways than he could count. He was also angry at the three-pointer, remembering how Mitsui hit his precious Kimi-kun when he tried to beat the hell out off Miyagi and the team.

"Iie," he denied.

Mitsui snorted at Rukawa's obvious lie. He knew that Rukawa was jealous beyond jealousy. He knew how much the boy cared about his best friend. But he wasn't at Rukawa's apartment for that. Not now, anyway.

"What was it you wanted, sempai?"

A sly smile formed on Mitsui's lips. "Are you willing to do absolutely anything and everything for Min-kun?"

Rukawa, though totally confused at what that meant, said, "Yes. Absolutely."

"Then, do this for him…"

~*~*~

It was a bright and beautiful Saturday morning of the 12th day of July. Kogure stretched his arms as he got out of bed. It was a glorious morning that as he opened his window, the sun pouring through it bathing him with warm sunlight, he even greeted the birds 'ohayou'. He freshened up and put on a white shirt. He went down to the kitchen, his face absolutely beaming.

"Ohayou, Kaachan, Touchan, Hime-chan!" he greeted as he sat on his chair beside his younger sister.

"Mou, Kimi-niichan! I'm not your little hime anymore! And my full name's Himeko!" his sister retorted.

Kogure reached to ruffle his sister's long dark brown hair that reached up to the middle of her back. His sister was as the same age as Rukawa but she was studying in another school. She attended almost all his games, and was close with both Mitsui and Akagi. She was a little smaller than Miyagi and looked a lot like her older brother. Except for the fact that she preferred having contact lenses rather than glasses. He smiled at her as he took note of the shorts she had on.

"You'll always be my li'l hime, Himeko-chan. Are you going to play badminton today?"

Himeko brushed her hair with her hands. "Hai. Wanna come?"

"Sure! My practice is not until late this afternoon. Anyway, Hime-chan, where's kaachan and touchan?"

"Kitchen. They're taking too long with breakfast."

Just then, Kogure's parents came in with a big birthday cake on their hands.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIMINOBU!!!!" his parents and his sister sang.

Kogure stared at the cake beaming as much as he could. It was a two-layer strawberry cake with the words: HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY KIMINOBU on top. There were 18 candles around the cake that was a shape of a basketball.

"Oh, kaachan, did you bake this?" Kogure asked as his mother kissed him.

"Both your touchan and me with a little help from you imouto."

His father hugged him. "Happy birthday, Kiminobu. Man, you're old man's getting older as you do."

Kogure smiled. "Physically older but still young at heart. Arigato gozaimashita."

"Blow the candle already Kimi-niichan! I'm starving here."

"And so am I," his father said.

"Make a wish, musuko," Kogure's mom said.

And Kogure did make a wish as he blew all eighteen candles. His mom clapped and started slicing the cake and his father handed him his presents. He opened them. There was a book entitled Sophie's World form Himeko, and two new polos form his parents. He smiled. This was one of the best birthdays he has ever had.

~*~*~

After three badminton games with his sister (Himeko won), they headed home. He wanted to play some more, but he was reminded of his practice that afternoon. He had to rest before training himself to death again. Kogure shook his head. Sometimes he hated Akagi. Like now, for instance. It was his birthday and the captain didn't even care the hell about it.

"It's not fair, you know. I remember the time when Takenori-niichan had his birthday and your practice for the day was cancelled. Now it's your birthday but he didn't cancel it?! It's really unfair of him," Himeko said as they passed through the gate of their house.

Kogure smiled. It was as if Himeko had already read his mind.

"Ah, well. I can't say no to a practice especially now. And you know Akagi."

"But didn't Hisashi-niichan say something?"

Kogure patted her head. "Akagi could be very persistent though Hisashi is quite stubborn."

Himeko glared at her brother at the gesture. They rang the bell and immediately, their mom answered it.

"Welcome home children. Kimi, you have a visitor."

"I do?"

Curious, both Kogure and Himeko peeked at the sala. Recognition coming to both of them, they walked towards Kogure's visitor.

"HISASHI-NIICHAN!!! I MISSED YOU!" Himeko exclaimed, hugging Mitsui.

The three-pointer beamed at her as he scooped her in his arms.

"I missed you too, Hime-chan! It's been such a long time! You've grown to be such a beautiful lady!"

A blush crept onto Himeko's face as she slapped Mitsui's shoulder lightly. "Hisashi-niichan!"

Mitsui laughed as he released her and turned to her older brother. Kogure was pouting at him cutely.

"You're taking advantage of my sister, Hisashi," he said in a brotherly tone with a hint of tease in it.

Mitsui smiled. "I'm not. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Min-kun!"

"I thought you'd never say that."

"Well, now that I've said it, dress up! We're going to practice! Remember how much Akagi hates late-comers."

Kogure sighed then eyed Mitsui's clothing. "Why are you dressed as if you're not going to practice?"

Mitsui's eyes shifted slightly as he searched for an excuse. "I… I like to dress up properly."

The small forward cocked an eyebrow at him. "Since when?"

Mitsui shrugged. "Get dressed properly. Just bring your basketball get up and let's go! I want to take a walk with you before going there."

Realization dawned upon Kogure. "Oh, alright. Be with you in a jiffy!"

"Hisashi-niichan, I'll be taking a bath too. I still have things to do! Ja! Hope to see more of you!" Himeko shouted as she rushed upstairs to her room.

Kogure's face took upon a brotherly concern as he glanced at the shooting guard before going up to his room.

"Don't you even think of joining her."

Fear suddenly passed through Mitsui's face then he laughed as he saw a teasing glint in the vice captain's eyes.

"Wait for me," Kogure said.

Mitsui nodded then sighed deeply. That was close! He reached for his duffel bag then checked to see if his present for his best friend was there. He smiled as he saw that he hadn't forgotten it. He reached for his cell phone from his pocket and texted Rukawa that they would be there in a few minutes.

~*~*~

Both the shooting guard and the small forward walked side by side towards the school gym. Kogure told his best friend how vexed he was at Akagi for not even canceling today's practice. Mitsui reminded him of the upcoming games and that they had to practice. He told the vice captain that he would talk to Akagi later that day into partying a little in celebration of Kogure's birthday. Kogure's brown eyes warmed at this, thanking the three-pointer for listening to him. By that time, they had already reached the Shohoku Basketball Gym.

Mitsui knocked three times, signifying that they were already there.

"Go on, Min-kun. Open the door," he said, pushing him softly.

Kogure did as he was told and all at once he saw the gym, almost dark as night.

"Hey, Hisashi! Where's…" he turned to face the shooting guard but he wasn't there.

"Hisashi?"

He was about to go outside to look for Mitsui when the door closed. He turned around. What was happening? Were ghosts haunting him on the day on his birthday? And where was everyone? Where was Hisashi? His body trembled a little. He really did not like this one bit.

He was about to call Mitsui's name or text him when the lights suddenly shot up and confetti was pouring on him from above.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KOGURE KIMINOBU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It took Kogure a few seconds to take in what had just happened and what was in front of him. The whole court was decorated gaily, one side had a banner that said 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICE CAPTAIN!', and there was confetti all over him. And in front of him stood Akagi, Mitsui, Rukawa, Sakuragi and the rest of the Shohoku Basketball team with Haruko, Anzai-sensei, Ayako, Sendoh, Koshino, and the Sakuragi Gundan. They were all beaming at him as they sang the happy birthday song for Kogure and one by one gave him their presents, hugging him or giving him pats on the back.

"… Happy Birthday…. To You…."

Kogure's eyes were already brimmed with tears as Yohei patted his back, the last one to great him a happy birthday. His lips were quavering as tried to smile at all of them and relate how happy he was. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Tha… thank you… all of you…"

There. I finally said it.

'You're welcomes' could be heard from them. Kogure slipped off his glasses and wiped his tears before putting them on again.

"I thought there was a practice…." Kogure said, turning to the captain.

"Fooled you, didn't I?" Akagi said, greening from ear to ear.

"How could anyone forget celebrating the birthday of our favorite Megane-kun?" Sakuragi exclaimed.

"Yeah!" the gundan seconded.

Kogure's eyes turned to Sendoh and Koshino. "You…"

Sendoh laughed. "Just thought we'd drop by and say hi to the team. Then we saw them decorating the gym and we found out it was your birthday. And so helped them! And so here we are!"

Kogure smiled at all of them. How he wished he had enough vocabulary schema to express what he really felt at the moment. But all he could say was…

"Let's party, then!"

~*~*~

The party went on in full swing as the sun began to set in the horizon. As they ate, the food care of Ayako and Haruko, Kogure began the process of opening his presents. Sendoh and Koshino had given him two new batteries for his cell phone; Miyagi gave him a new pair of rubber shoes; Akagi's present was a new disc man; Ayako gave him a bottle of his favorite perfume; Haruko, a knitted sweater; Yasuda, a CD of his favorite band; Kakuta, Shiozaki, and Sasaoka, two DVDs that he was searching for earlier that week; Sakuragi, five Bench T-shirts, varying in colors; Sakuragi Gundan, a new bag; Anzai-sensei, a basketball; Mitsui, a book of the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe (Kogure almost strangled Mitsui to death with a hug); and from Rukawa, Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend (Rukawa received the same hug Mitsui had received).

After eating and opening his presents, Kogure was asked to sit down and watch a mini-show that would consist of three of his closest friends. First up was Akagi, who recited Kogure's favorite Shakespearean sonnet. Everyone laughed as he tried to put some gestures to go with the sonnet. Then, next was Mitsui. He played the guitar piece of Kogure's favorite song, You're My Angel, while he sang to it which left the vice captain, close to tears once again, touched at what had Mitsui had done.

"And last up is the person you'd never thought you'd see doing what he is about to do," Mitsui said through the mike as he put down the guitar he was holding.

Once again, the lights went out and a spotlight lit up the stage. Kogure's eyes quickly adjusted to the dimness as he heard the song's entrance notes. It was a familiar song, he thought. A song that was often heard in a series he often watched.

Then suddenly, he heard a low voice singing.

"My first, my last, my everything.

And the answer to all my dreams…"

The lights lit up the gym once again to reveal who the singer was.

"Kaede-kun?" Kogure gasped.

Rukawa smiled at Kogure from the stage as he continued on singing.

"You' re my sun, my moon, my guiding star…"

By that time, Mitsui and Akagi had both stood up in front of Rukawa, down the stage, dancing to it's tune (A/N: If you watch Ally McBeal, you'll remember this song as John Cage's theme song as he dances to the beat. Imagine the SD characters dancing like that, then you'll get the perfect picture of what this is all about.).

"My kind of wonderful, that's what you are!"

Mitsui and Akagi lip-synched the lyrics with Rukawa, pointing at Kogure at the last four words.

"I know there's only, only one like you.

There's no way, they could have made two…"

Rukawa remained still, singing his heart out to Kogure. The vice captain stared at the super rookie, amusement in his eyes. The others began to stand up and join Mitsui and Akagi in dancing.

"You're all I'm living for,

Your love I'll keep for evermore,

You're the first, you're the last, my everything."

"Shall we join them, Hiro-kun?"

"I do think it's going to be fun, Akira."

"In you I've found so many things

A love so new only you could bring

Can't you see if you,

You'll make me feel this way."

Soon, even the Sakuragi Gundan was dancing to the tune of the song and Mitsui had already pulled Rukawa down the stage, making him dance the same steps they were dancing as he sang. Kogure was left as their only audience.

"You're like a first morning dew on a brand new day."

Kogure sighed as tears began to form in his eyes once again. He was indeed touched once again as he remembered that the song Rukawa was singing was one of his favorites. He remembered telling the younger blue-eyed boy last night what his favorite songs were and he was sure he told him about Barry White's You're The First, The Last, My Everything.

He remembered.

"I see so many way that I can love you,

Till the day I die.

You're my reality, yet I'm lost in a dream.

You're the first, the last, my everything…"

The crowd dancing in front of Kogure, once again gestured their hands at the bespectacled boy. As the instrumental went on, Mitsui pulled Kogure to dance in between him and Rukawa. And so, they danced the Ally McBeal way.

"I know there's only, only one like you.

There's no way they could have made two…"

Rukawa blushed as he realized that Kogure was dancing beside him, his face beaming with laughter and amusement. A few tears glistened from the vice captain's eyes. Tears that expressed just how happy he was.

"Boy, you're my reality

But I'm lost in a dream

You're the first, you're the last, my everything…"

As Rukawa finished singing, Mitsui threw his arms up, purposely falling out of balance causing him to fall towards Kogure. Rukawa, seeing what might happen, immediately held out his hands to catch the senior small forward in his arms.

"Daijoubu?" he asked.

Kogure smiled at him. "Daijoubu," he replied, his voice laced with laughter.

Kogure and Rukawa just stared at each other like that for a few minutes, forgetting the people around them. The super rookie's sapphire blue eyes drowned into the vice captain's dancing cinnamon brown orbs. They held that gaze, with Rukawa trying to convey how strong his feelings are for the other small forward. Kogure's smile widened. His right hand reached for Rukawa's blushing cheek, caressing it gently.

"That was one of the most wonderful gifts I have ever received in my entire life," Kogure said softly before he kissed Rukawa's cheek.

Kogure slowly stood up and hugged Mitsui, whispering a soft "Arigato" in his ear before also placing a kiss on his cheek. Then, he turned to face all of his teammates and friends.

"Arigato Gozaimashita, tomodachi. This is the best birthday I've ever had."

And, yes, Kogure thought as he saw Rukawa stand up slowly, facing him, he was having the best birthday of his entire eighteen years of existence. The best yet.

Author's Notes: *jumps up and down for joy* WAIIIII!!!!!! I finished the birthday chapter only a day after Kiminobu's birthday! What a relief! So sorry for the very long chapter. I had to put all the details so that you'll enjoy every bit of it. Anyway, I had fun writing this and researching for yummy foods and beautiful songs to fit the story. And before I forget, Marie and Himeko are original characters and they are actually me *grins evilly*. I do speak only a little French so forgive me if it is grammatically incorrect. Our Mutual Friend is the last book Charles Dickens' last book and it is quite rare. The same goes for the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe. As for Sophie's World, it's the book that I'm reading now and I'm recommending it to you. I think that's all I need to say. Thank you once again to my readers and please continue to read and review!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIMI-CHAN!!! THIS ONE'S DEDICATED TO YOU! LOVE YAH, KOI!

Disclaimers: I still don't own Slam Dunk and I think I never will. Anyway, they belong to Inoue-sama… lucky guy.

~*~*~

A little preview of the next chappie:

Mitsui and Rukawa are gonna have a very long talk and Rukawa's has to tell Mitsui the truth or else. But will he? How would the senior react? Will the shooting guard get angry and jealous and beat the hell out off Rukawa (Mitsui:Oi! I promised Anzai-sensei I won't fight anymore, remember? Yumehime: Gomen, Hisashi-kun! Just got carried away!)? Or will he support the super rookie? Next chapter coming out soon! But please be patient. School stuffs are already piling up on me.

ADVANCE HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HISASHI-KUN!!!

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