Hanamichi whirled around, his heart thumping loudly as two figures detached themselves from the darkness, then breathed a sigh of relief as he saw who it was, before surprise and then glee replaced shock.
"Substitute!"
Fujima chuckled at the nickname Hanamichi had given to him during their game together. "Sakuragi Hanamichi," he answered jovially, nodding at the redhead, "What are you doing here?"
"Mm! Gori is having a Valentine's Day party!"
Fujima's eyebrows rose. "For the basketball team?" He was answered by a series of enthusiastic nods. Right, he likes the captain's sister, if I recall correctly…
It took a few more moments before Hanamichi took in the sight of the taller boy, who peered down at him through black-rimmed glasses. "Hanagata! What are you doing here? Wha-" his question was cut short as his gaze lowered to the arm so casually slung around the shorter boy's slim shoulders. A slow, dark flush spread over Fujima's pale cheek, but his bottle-green eyes sparkled as Hanamichi threw back his head and guffawed uncontrollably. "Teme! I never knew you two were that way!"
Hanagata frowned at Hanamichi, but the shorter boy restrained him quietly, before turning to Hanamichi with a smile. "So, who else is at your party?"
"Everyone!" came the boisterous answer. Then, like an afterthought, "Would you like to join us?"
The two boys glanced at each other, then Fujima nodded, "Sure, why not?" The three of them walked across the grass to the campfire, where the smell of honey-coated hotdogs and fried marshmallows was beginning to waft in the air.
[Half an hour later]
Rukawa sat dozing slightly on the bench, then shifted uncomfortably at the seemingly growing proximity of the brown-haired girl beside him. He could feel the concerned gaze upon his back as he turned pointedly and ignored the quiet coughs behind him.
They were all gathered around the campfire, where they had been telling jokes and stories for the past half-hour and absorbed in their own private conversation. Mitsui was sitting quietly besides Kogure while the latter chatted to Akagi, Miyagi was blushing all too openly as he fielded questions about his studies from Ayako, Fujima and Hanagata clearly lost in their own private universe, Rukawa half-asleep, Haruko looking longingly at him, and a certain redhead glaring jealously at the attention the dozing blue-eyed boy commanded from his chief love interest. Then a loud cough, and Kogure rose slowly, smiling in the firelight.
"I've got an announcement for you all," he said slowly in his soft voice, one hand reaching up to push his glasses firmly back onto the bridge of his nose.
"Eh?" almost everyone managed to stop their private conversations, and turned to face the bespectacled young vice-captain of Shohoku basketball. Kogure smiled.
"I won a scholarship to England. I'll be leaving the end of this school term."
Dead silence reigned for a few moments.
"Wow, glasses-boy! You're that smart?" Kogure grinned in embarrassment and sat down amidst the scattered clapping and cheering which surrounded him. "Of course he is, baka!" Ayako's stern voice could be heard over the general din.
No one noticed as another dark-haired boy tensed.
End of part 2