After Sendoh had sent Hanamichi home, he directed the cab driver to take him to his own house. After he alighted, it was near dark, and he strode briskly to the front door. However, a dark figure suddenly appeared from nowhere, and implanted himself firmly between the door and its occupant.

Rukawa Kaede's blazing gaze pinned Sendoh for a moment, then the other boy smiled coolly, easily, at his basketball rival. Cold nonchalance battled against surprised, then easy-going personality.

"What do you want, Rukawa?"

"Answers."

"Oh, that is helpful," Sendoh raised an eyebrow and made use of his superior height to look down on the other boy. Rukawa didn't even budge. With a sigh, Sendoh shifted his bag to his other shoulder. "What do you want to know?"

"Why are you and Hanamichi always together after school?"

The question was completely unexpected, and threw Sendoh into a shock. So, someone had noticed! He changed his approach, and glanced warily at the shorter boy.

"That's none of your business."

Rukawa glared at him. "I'm not leaving till you tell me."

Sendoh shook his head, reached out, and with more strength than he thought he would need, he slammed the other boy away onto the ground and opened his front door. "There's no reason for me to tell you."

@@@

"Hanamichi!" his mother called from below. "Someone's here to see you!"

"Wha-?" Hanamichi looked up from his books in surprise. "Now?"

He tossed his books on the shelf messily, then opened his door and locked it securely behind him. It wouldn't do to have his mother come in and notice the boxes of pills that lay scattered on his floor and table. He had told her he was working on a project of sorts. Then he made his way downstairs.

Rukawa waited in the doorway despite Mrs. Sakuragi's insistence that he come in. After that incident with Sendoh, pure rage had broken its way to the surface. I'm not giving up. I'm going to find out what's been going on around here.

He stared as a pair of pale feet appeared on the stairwell, then thin muscular legs clothed in loose blue jeans, then a bare chest and strong neck, and finally the rugged jaw and tousle of red hair. Those honey-brown eyes took the sight of the figure in the doorway with stunning shock.

@@@

He's here, Hanamichi thought in panic, I have to get away.

"Hurry, Hanamichi! Your friend has been waiting for you the past ten minutes!"

Where was his tongue? He couldn't speak, his eyes could not turn away from the solitary shadow leaning against one side of the doorway. It was Rukawa! His enemy! Why was he suddenly afraid? I don't want to explain anything to that fox…

His legs had turned to rubber, and yet somehow, he made it across the living room, and stood before the expressionless boy. "Talk outside," he managed. He could feel his mother's curious gaze on his back even as he shut the door behind him and breathed a sigh of relief, until he looked directly into seething crystal eyes.

End of part 5