My Warnings: Now I obviously don't own Slam Dunk. Inoue-san does. It's copyrighted to a bunch of people that I can't remember off the top of my head, but I know I'm not one of them. So please don't sue. Also, this idea was inspired by Virgo-chan's character analysis of Sendoh Akira and Koshino Hiroaki. Domo arigato to her, this is for you girl!

~~~x~~~

Koshino flopped onto his bed, sighing deeply and resting his dark head on his pillow. What a day. No one ever said life would be easy, but lately it'd been kicking him in the butt harder than usual. By now the agony of waiting for college and scholarship acceptance was like a palpable pressure against his chest. Every day he went to the mailbox and hoped that there would be something there, anything that might ease the burden of waiting. He knew how disappointed his father would be if he didn't get into a good college. And with disappointment came the inevitable anger.

Koshino shuddered. Lately his father seemed angrier than usual. Perhaps it was the "second job" his mother had taken. Koshino-san was a very honorable man, known for his keen business sense and analytical mind. But his wife was young and frivolous. She married soon after she graduated high school. By then Koshino-san had established himself in the business world and they both jumped into the marriage headlong. Hiroaki was conceived on the wedding night. Growing up, he rarely remembered a day where they didn't fight. They were careful to keep their disputes private, not wanting other people to sympathize. Pity was the last thing that the prospering businessman wanted. He began spending less and less time at home, which didn't seem to bother Hiroaki's mother. She contented herself with spending Koshino-san's money and going out to parties with her friends. Hiroaki found himself left at home with a careless teenage babysitter many nights, and would crawl under the heavy covers of his bed and pray that he would wake up and find this whole life was a terrible dream. When his father was home, he was cranky, demanding to know where his wife was, often grabbing Hiroaki roughly by the arm and screaming at him. Hiroaki remembered staring at that one vein in his forehead, fear overcoming him. He had cried often then, begging his father to let him go because he didn't know where his mother was. Then Otosan would turn to the babysitter, calmer now, and ask if his wife had left a phone number where she could be reached. On the occasions that she did, he would pay the sitter and ask her to leave, then stomp into the kitchen and call Hiroaki's mother. By now Hiroaki had sought the comfort of his bed, disappearing beneath the covers and crying his eyes out. He could hear his father's yelling then the slam of the phone. Hiroaki would sink lower beneath the covers and tremble in fear as he strained to hear where his father was.

For as long as he could remember his father had struck fear in his heart. He was a tall man, with a lean frame and muscles that were defined beneath his skin. His hair was almost as dark as Hiroaki's, but his eyes were cold blue, flashing and decisive. They could judge you in three seconds flat or pin you to the floor in fear. Hiroaki had often heard his babysitters refer to him as a "cold, heartless man that hide behind his wealth and reputation." Hiroaki would never figure out what they meant until he was older, and by then he had formed his own opinion.

Koshino sat up, shaking the thoughts from his mind. There was no use thinking like that now. Things were different; Hiroaki was far from the sniffling child that had hid beneath his covers and feared his father. Koshino-san was a respectable man that had a temper, which Hiroaki obviously had inherited. So what if his father had almost no control over it? He was still honorable, and Hiroaki wanted nothing more than to make him happy. After all, his father had raised him, been there for him when his mother hadn't.

He stood, grabbing his jacket and house keys. He needed to go for a walk. Sitting in the house doing nothing was aimless, and Hiroaki found he had entirely too much energy to do nothing. Practically running down the steps and out the door, he barely paused long enough to slip on his shoes.

He set off down the sidewalk at an easy pace, jogging along and breathing deeply. The late-winter air was cool and refreshing, chasing away the skeletons that were stored in his closet. There was nothing wrong with his life. He was making good grades, and he was definitely improving his ball skills. Those late afternoon one-on-one practices with Sendoh really paid off, though it constantly pissed Koshino off that the spiky-haired boy never really tried.

Koshino sighed again, thinking of his best friend since middle school. He never really tried at anything, when one thought about it. Sendoh's skills as a basketball player were impressive, to say the least, but Koshino had known him long enough to understand when he was trying and when he wasn't. Even though basketball was the one thing that he took seriously, he never really applied himself unless he had to, and Koshino had no idea how to get him to play up to his skill level all the time. His schoolwork of course wasn't his best. Koshino knew he could make good grades.

"The problem with Sendoh is that he just doesn't apply himself."

"Nani, Koshino-kun? Talking to yourself?"

Koshino whirled around and stared at the taller boy, who grinned back at him easily.

Everything about Sendoh was easy; his easy grace on the basketball court, the easy, lazy grin of his that let you know that he knew what it would do to you; his entire being was totally controlled and self-confident. Half the time Hiroaki didn?t know how he could be that easy and survive the coach. It occasionally made Koshino sick how in control he always seemed. Other times it just made him admire the spiky-haired boy.

"Ohayo, Sendoh." He shook his head as they resumed walking, Sendoh spinning a basketball around on his index finger. "No, just thinking aloud."

Sendoh tilted his head and watched Koshino keenly, light blue eyes narrowed in his analysis. "There's something wrong, isn't there?"

Koshino cast a glance at him and scowled. "What makes you think that?"

Sendoh stopped the spinning and bounced the ball on the sidewalk a few times, passing between his hands as they continued walking. "Koshino-kun, I've known you since you had braces and pimples." Koshino's scowl deepened. "If anyone knows you, I do." He smiled.

"Nothing's wrong." Koshino gritted his teeth and walked faster.

Sendoh's long legs were easily able to keep up with him. "Kimi uso yo."

"No, I'm not." Koshino stopped and glared at Sendoh. "Besides, what does it matter? There's nothing you could do to help."

"Is this still about the college things?" They started walking again, the ball held under Sendoh's arm. "You're still upset that you haven't heard anything yet? Koshino-kun-"

"Don't call me that!"

Sendoh looked taken aback and hurt. His eyebrows knitted together and he held up a hand, palm facing his shorter comrade, a gesture of peace. "I'm sorry?"

Koshino could never stay mad at Sendoh. He always felt guilty about it. Akira had the hurt puppy look down pat, but he knew it wasn't just that. Sendoh's everyday expressions that he used on everyone else never got to Koshino; what got him was the raw emotion that he let flare through his eyes whenever it was just him and Hiroaki. Although Sendoh was popular and had many people to hang out with, Koshino had never met another person that could read the spiky-haired boy as well as he could. And Sendoh was always very guarded around other people; his eyes were always devoid of what he really felt. Around Koshino, however, he broke down the temporary walls and let himself shine through.

Hiroaki sighed. "I'm sorry, Akira. You're right...of course." He laughed, bitterly and with a tiredness that he was only then beginning to feel. "I suppose it's best this way, though; if I did get accepted into more than one college, I'd be stressed over which one to pick."

"Your problem, my dear Koshino-kun, is that you worry too much." Sendoh laid a hand on Koshino's back as he mimicked his earlier words. "You need a break."

Koshino cast a wary glance at his taller friend. " 'A break'?"

"Hai. How would a movie sound? On me. And then maybe something to eat, and an evening one-on-one?" A playful light was shinning in Sendoh's eyes, and he squeezed Koshino's shoulder, his excitement barely contained. Koshino could feel it well up in him, a flame that was steadily being fanned by the prospect of getting his study-hard, stressed-out best friend to take a day off. He tried not to show it, but Koshino knew him too well.

"I don't know, Sendoh. I have homework." Even as he said it, he remembered the pile of books on his desk. He had a test on the history section they'd been studying, and he was still fuzzy on the dates. Not to mention the killer math assignment he was not looking forward to. He opened his mouth to go on with his protest, but Sendoh was already steering him to the other side of the street, apparently leading him to the local movie theater.

"There's this great dubbed American movie, "Ai to Basketto. It's supposed to be a romantic comedy, or was it an action movie? Well, we'll find out. And then we'll go to this diner that Aida recommended. He said they make great food. And I know the middle school's outside court lights stay on until about midnight, so we should have no problem playing." Sendoh continued his monologue, his hand grasping Koshino's elbow gently, guiding him down the street. He cast a glance at his shorter friend, his eyes dancing playfully. Koshino's last resolve to turn around and go home melted at that grin and those eyes. How could he refuse such a playful, handsome guy?

Easily. You get him to let go of you and then calmly say you have to study to keep your grades up.

Because otherwise your dad will get mad.

Koshino shivered then, the entire tremble running from the top of his head to his shoes. Sendoh, who still had his iron-hard-yet-amazingly-gentle grip on Hiroaki's elbow, stopped and turned, studying his friend steadily.

Koshino felt uncomfortable at the scrutiny of his gaze.

"Nani?"

"Do shita no? Why'd you shiver?" Sendoh asked, eyebrows once more knitted together, this time concern radiating from his eyes.

"Oh..." Koshino said weakly, his eyes dropping, unable to hold the intense gaze. Now would be a good time to go home. He'd understand. He knows how much your schoolwork means to you.

Then again, he only wants what's best for you, Hiroaki. That's why he's taking you out; you're stretched to your limits. You can't continue to stress over all this and not take a few minutes to relax. You don't have to go to dinner or the match. Just go to the movie and relax for an hour and a half. The world won't stop turning, and then you can study tonight and still get to bed on time.

Koshino gave up then, beneath the gentle, concerned gaze of his friend, the convincing words ringing in his ears as he sighed.

"Nothing. Must have been a breeze." He zipped up his jacket to make it more convincing.

Sendoh watched him carefully, then nodded.

"Ok, let's go then. I know you'll like this movie. And then I can take you to this diner Aida told me about; it's got some killer milkshakes, or so he says. And the middle school's outside court should be lit until about midnight, so we can play a while..."

Even as Sendoh continued to adamantly talk about their evening plans, a new thought slipped into Koshino's mind. One that sent another shiver through his lean frame.

Otosan won't be happy...

~~~x~~~

Koshino quietly let himself in, checking his watch and knowing it was later than he was usually allowed to stay out. His father was sitting in the living room; papers scattered in a neat mess around him on the couch, chewing thoughtfully on the end of his pen.

He looked up and smiled at Koshino as he stood at the entrance of the living room. "Konban wa, Hiroaki." He glanced at the wall clock and his expression darkened slightly. "Isn't it a little late to be out...?" He looked back at his son, cold eyes flashing. "Where were you?"

"Oh...Sendoh and I were playing some one-on-one at the middle school park. We kind of lost track of time."

Koshino-san smiled at the mention of basketball. He had always been proud of his son's academic abilities, but knew that if he continued to play well that he would get a basketball scholarship. He nodded.

"Oh. Well, did you finish your homework? Studies always first, you know."

Koshino felt the blood drain from his face. He'd been having a good time with Sendoh; he hadn't completely forgotten his homework, but right now, the reality of all he had waiting for him crashed onto his shoulders, a heavy force that left him feeling drained and tired.

"Of course, otosan." He heard himself lie, smiling in what he felt was a totally fake way. He just hoped Koshino-san didn't notice that he was lying through his teeth.

His father was shaking his head, a wry grin on his face. "I should have known my son was much smarter than that." He looked up. "There's some food in the fridge, if you're hungry."

Koshino was already shaking his head and backing into the hall, towards the stairs and the safety of his bedroom. "Iie. We grabbed something to eat when we were playing. I'm ok." And with that he turned and headed for the stairs, shaking from the encounter. His father always seemed to see right through him, as if he knew exactly what his son was all about.

He shut the door and locked it, practically falling onto his desk chair and opening his history text. Dates and characters swam before his eyes, and no matter how he tried, he was just too tired from his workout to make the words form coherent sentences.

Koshino could have smacked himself, but instead just settled his chin on one fist, blinking and focusing his eyes, reading the paragraph again. After he was finished he realized that he had no clue what it meant. He flipped a few pages and tried again. He felt as if his brain was somewhere else, with some other person, and he was stuck trying to think without a mind. He groaned and touched his head to the book, closing his eyes briefly. So tired. If he just lay there for a second, he would be able to think straight.

He bolted up and rubbed his eyes, walking out to a bathroom and splashing cold water onto his face. That helped a little; at least it kept him awake. He pushed his history text aside and tried his math.

Oh, how could he have let Sendoh talk him into playing that one-on-one match? Or even going to eat? He'd be dead-set on leaving after the movie, but he was so relaxed, and right then it had seemed possible to hang out with Sendoh for a little while longer, then go home and study. Besides, he was a good student, right? He knew the material fairly well; he certainly wouldn't flunk history if he didn't do wonderfully on one test.

As for his math...well, he had math after lunch, right? So he could do some now, and finish it at lunch. He was going to be ok.

That thought running through his head continuously, he began attempting his math homework, weary eyes dropping closed every now and then.

~~~x~~~

TBC...