~~ MVP's Cheerleader~~ (Mitsui x OC x Maki)

#Where it all began#

●NATSUI'S POV●

I watched Mitsui's first basketball practice in his third year of high school from the sidelines. After his explanatory three-pointer, Mitsui had asked me to stay and watch. I couldn't find any reason not to, so I happily complied.

I sat quietly with Ayako, who managed the team. She was a fiery but friendly person who initiated conversations and asked me about my 'relationship' with Mitsui.

"How did you get to know him?" she queried.

"Um," I said. "Tough question. I'm not sure. His first words to me were, -Sorry I thought this is my shoe rack' And..," I trailed off as I thought of the incident at the basketball court. I shrugged.

"I don't know, really."

Ayako shot me a curious glance but she didn't pursue it any further.

"So what do you think of the team?"

"They're good," I answered. "NBA-good. Who coaches them?"

Ayako smiled, obviously pleased with my positive assessment of the team.

I looked at Mitsui again. He was taking a break, drinking from the water cooler and wiping his sweaty face with his towel. He was panting rather heavily, like he'd collapse from exhaustion any minute.

I excused myself and went over to him. To my surprise, he was actually wheezing.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Mitsui started at the sound of my voice. "Oh, Natsui-kun! I didn't see you coming." *Pant*, *pant*. Yeah, I'm fine. *Pant* *pant*... I just *pant* have a really bad stamina."

A stupid remark, "But you're an athlete!" almost shout out of my mouth, but I forced it back in time,

I started to reply, but a collective gasp from the players caught my attention. I whirled around just in time to see Rukawa Kaede grab the basketball in mid-air, do a hundred-and-eighty degrees spin, and slam the ball into the hoop.

The ring rattled noisily. His teammates started to cheer, but Rukawa paid them no attention and muttered something under his breath, apparently directed at that red-head Hanamichi, who'd scowled and yelled something that sounded like, "Baka kitsune!" after Rukawa made his dunk.

Beside me, Mitsui grunted.
"That's Rukawa for you," he muttered. "Super rookie."

"Yeah..." I said slowly. He sounded resentful, and even looked slightly resentful.

"He's really good."

"Sure," Mitsui replied curtly. Taking one last sip of water, he walked back to the court without a word. I felt bad about from what I had said and I wanted to take it back from what I said about Kaede Rukawa being a really good basketball player, I fixed up my glasses and went to sit down again next to Ayako who's cheering the team with whole heart, after their practice, Mitsui was taking a break, wiping his sweaty face with his towel, Ayako knew me that I had some 'feelings' for the MVP himself but I simply deny it rather than knowing it by others, "Go and talk to him..." she whispered, nudging my arm and pushing me towards the resting MVP player, I felt my hands shaking, legs trembling as if I wanna get out from this situation.

"A-Ah.. Mitsui-san.."

"Yes, Natsui-kun....?"

"Let me help you wiped off your sweat at the neck and back.. So you can be dry and away from sickness.." I said with a tomato face all over as he just stared at me and gave me a grin.
Sitting down on the bench as he took off his jersey, making everyone stopped from what they were doing as if we were like in a movie, I wiped off his back, arms, biceps, neck and jawline.... ~~~kyaaaaaa~~~ I can't take this and why the hell am I blushing as an apple?!

Take note to myself, Natsui, you're still a little sappling, wait, just a sprout, you're still a fragile girl that mom and brother takes care of... Mitsui can wait for you to bloom, he can wait for me... Maybe? I guess??

While wiping his sweat it made me mutter underneath my breath as he looks at me, I swear ro myself not to look at his killer eyes which is making tremble upon, how come only few girls falls for this player? Ayako told me also that he was once a gangster, skipping class, involving into fights, smokes and hangs out with other thugs like Tetsuo, Ryu and the others, he was once a gangster who wanted to destroy basketball he promised to Coach Anzai not to fight again and sworn to himself he'll never do it again.
"Natsui, do you remember the time that you and I had crossed paths when I'm still a gangster?" Mitsui said as he recalled the same thought I had, I nodded and I clearly remembered that when he was still suspended from school, I often see him at the same baywalk where I use to walk alone often, he was different that time.

FLASHBACK....

Walking on my way home from school as I saw a group of guys hanging around as one of them was familiar but maybe it's an illusion, however one of them noticed me looking at the guy wearing a shirt, with his jacket wrapped around his waist and his pants was like from Shohoku, his eyes gazed before me and one of them ask if he knew me.

"Do you know that girl, Mitsui?" One of them asked as he threw the cigarette away from him as that Mitsui guy looks at me with his long hair swaying by the wind, I knew that he was the famous MVP player, but how did it happen, he faced me but I had no business with him, instead I threw him a stray ball before he approaches me and might do something bad at me.

Not until one day, he started to follow me whenever I get home late but that's life school hours are sometimes overtime rather than just a regular dismissal of class, he wasn't so bad after all, he walks me home and never lets me go outside alone whenever I'm gonna meet him up at the street near the vending machine and often talk random things about life or whatsoever that he wanted to talk about.

END OF FLASHBACK. . .

"We always talk near the vending machine every night and walk you home after spending the night talking to you that time.." Mitsui replied with a grin and looks at me as I nodded. "Can we meet there again?" He suddenly added while looking at me, waiting for my answer.
"Well.. It's not so bad at all to meet you there again.." I replied him. He grins and wore back his jersey as he stood up, facing me with those smile again.
"I'll wait there.." he lastly replied and went to the locker room to change.

EVENING CAME. . .