" So, what do you want to do?"  His question was met by silence.  Utter and complete.  " Oi!  Rukawa.  What do you want to do?"

It took a while for him to answer.  " I don't know."

" You have to so something!  You can't just leave it like this!"  Sendo Akira pointed out, leaning across the table towards his companion.  " You have to tell him the truth."

" Not yet."

" What do you mean not yet?" As usual, Sendo was amazed by the utter lack of expression on Rukawa's face.  How could he just sit there like that? " You're just hurting him and hurting yourself..."  Still no reaction, not that he had really expected any.  " Look, if you're not going to do anything, I will then."  He declared finally.

Rukawa shrugged. " Whatever."

" Good afternoon, ma'am!  Is Hanamichi Sakuragi in, by any chance?"

She couldn't help herself.  Mrs.  Hanamichi found herself returning the boy's smile.  " Yes he is.  Are you one of his friends?"  She was rather surprised.  This boy didn't seem like the type of kid that her son ran around with.

Sendoh's smile faltered slightly.  " Uh...We know each other, ma'am."

" Well, all right, then!" Mrs. Hanamichi opened the door wider and let Sendo into the house.  " Just go right up to his room, follow the music.  He always plays his stereo so loud!  Maybe you can cheer him up.  He hasn't been himself lately.  Some trouble with Rukawa."

It wasn't hard to find Hanamichi's room.  The sound of the music could be heard even from downstairs!  Sendo found the door where the music seemed to be at its loudest and gave it a few sharp raps.

" Go away!"

" I have to talk to you."

" Dammit!  Who is it?"

" It's Sendo.  Sendo Akira."

The music was turned off abruptly.  After a few seconds, the door flew open and Hanamichi emerged.  He let out a sound of rage and grabbed the front of Sendo's shirt.  " How dare you show your face in here?  After what you've done I wouldn't have thought that you'd have the nerve!"

" Calm down."

" Calm down?"  Hanamichi spluttered, giving him a few good shakes.  " Have you come here to gloat or something?  Well, the stupid Kitsune is yours already, all right.  I don't care anymore!"

Sendo carefully extricated himself from the furious red head's grasp.  " The thing is that I think you still do, actually." He said softly.    Though the boy's dark eyes smoldered in anger, there was an underlying hint of sorrow and longing in them that Sendo didn't miss.  He had always been perceptive about other people's feelings.  It was one of the things that had helped him become the incredible Captain that he was.  " Look.  Can we go in your room?  Just let me explain."

Grudgingly, Hanamichi allowed him to enter his private sanctuary.  He swept a pile of clothes off a chair and gestured for Sendo to seat himself.  " This better be good."

" Oh.  It is."  His smile had returned.  " This was all a stupid misunderstanding.  I'm sorry for the part that I played in it, really."

" Misunderstanding?  I don't think so!  I saw you with Rukawa with my very own eyes!" Hanamichi snapped.

" You know that video store, Hanamichi?  The Video Ezy store?"

" I don't see what that has to do with it."

" My parents own it." He told him.

" Well, good for you!"

" Just let me finish, will you?" Sendo asked, shaking his head and slightly exasperated.  Why was the guy making things so hard?  " My parents own that store and Rukawa works for them.  The late shift.  That's it.  That time that your team mate saw us in that Restaurant, it was supposed to be his day off and one of the others fell sick so we had to call him in.  We were just taking a break.  We're nothing more than friends."

Hanamichi's eyes narrowed.  " Are you serious?"

" Yes.  And do you want to know why he took the job?"

" Why?"

" It was for you, Hanamichi.  All for you." Sendo paused for a few seconds to let this announcement sink in.  " He knew how much you loved Linkin Park.  He wanted to give you something special for your One Year Anniversary.  Something really special, and he thought that you'd really like to be at the concert so he decided right then and there that the two of you were going.  Only problem was that he had no money, so he took a job with us."

A stupid smile had formed on Hanamichi's face.   " Rukawa.  It was Rukawa that left those tickets for me?  Even after everything?"

Sendo nodded, smiling happily.  He gave himself a mental pat on the back for having fixed everything.  "Do you see now how much that guy loves you?  Do you see how ridiculous this whole thing about me and Rukawa is?  As far as he's concerned, there's only one guy in the world for him and that's you."  Sendo shook his head, " Can you even begin to imagine how much he loves you?  I mean, here he is, working till two o' clock in the morning and he's still willing to give up his sleep for you!  That's a major sacrifice, especially on Rukawa's part!    You know how the guy is!"

" I've been a jerk." Hanamichi muttered, his shoulders slumped when he remembered what he had done to Rukawa at this afternoon's practice.

" Nah.  Both of you have been jerks!  I mean, why the hell did I have to get dragged into this, huh?" Sendo gave Hanamichi's shoulder a friendly pat, " Now, you go and fix this.  You and Rukawa belong to each other.  By now you should know that."

Hanamichi thought his face would crack from smiling so much.  He had never been so happy in his life.  " I guess I do."  He agreed.  He had never thought the day would come when he would agree with Sendo Akira about something but now it finally had...

" Hey."

" Have you come to beat up on me some more?"

" Nah." Hanamichi replied as he plunked himself down onto the bench besides Rukawa.  " Listen, Sendo Akira came by yesterday and he told me something very interesting."

" Oh."

" He told me the truth."

" Oh."

" You've done it, Rukawa." Hanamichi mumbled.  The only thing that mattered to him right now was the raven haired boy beside him.  He took no notice of his team mates in the locker room with them.  " You've finally done it..."

Rukawa looked up with interest.  " What have I done?"

" You've finally proven your love to me... I...I just can't believe..." His words trailed off.  He didn't know what to say.  How could he possibly find the words to tell him about the overwhelming love that he felt for him right then?

But it seemed as though he didn't need words...Rukawa smiled at him, the smile was made even more meaningful because of the fact that he saw this so rarely, and slipped his hand into Hanamichi's.  " So you're convinced then?"

Hanamichi tipped his head to one side and pretended to be mulling this over.  " No. Not yet.  One more thing you have to do..."

Rukawa eyed him warily.  " All the things I had to go through isn't enough yet?

" No."  Hanamichi leaned in towards him.  " You have to give me a kiss before I'm fully convinced."

The dark haired boy wrinkled his nose, feigning disgust and Hanamichi was struck by how cute he was.  " Do I really have to do something that drastic?"

" Yes."  Hanamichi insisted.

Rukawa let out a heavy sigh, before leaning over to do just that...And just before their lips met in a sweet kiss, taking no notice of their ogling team mates, Rukawa whispered softly, so that only Hanamichi could hear, " I love you..."
 

The End!