Sakuragi Hanamichi is having a terrible day, which is not helped by the fact that it's his birthday. Oh, he does celebrate it, but the happiness, the fun stuff, the utter lack of misery never occurs until the day after.

What the hell were his parents thinking, conceiving him to eventually be born on a day that would cause him so much grief?

We speak, of course, of April Fools' Day, that day of pranks and japes and laughter and tomfoolery, where it's always more pleasant to give than to receive. Already Sakuragi Hanamichi has been on the receiving end of ten such pranks; seven are the result of either his gundan or the basketball team. He is inadvertently involved in the remaining when he firstly stumbles into a cafeteria food fight, secondly is sprayed by water when entering the bathroom, and thirdly is splatted by a cake when entering his classroom. In each instance, the perpetrators hop to attention and babble apologies that he doesn't listen to and end up with aching and bruised heads for their troubles. (Actually, the gundan suffered this fate too. The basketball team escaped only due to the fact that Miyagi threatened to bench him if he tried to revenge himself on them via violence.)

It's late in the day now, evening, basketball practice over, and he bids a cheery farewell to Haruko-chan (his teammates a distant second thought) and heads on home (pausing only to retrieve his uniform from where it has been flung all over the school compound with the rest of the team's; the gundan are severely headbutted by Sakuragi Hanamichi, and punched by Rukawa Kaede, and the rest of the team consider themselves well revenged by their two tensai players). The prank count goes up to eleven, and his buoyant joy at Haruko-chan's smile is dampened.

Along the way he is distracted by what appears to be a sale on chocolate doughnuts, which taste very good to his mind; he is enraged to discover that it's merely a scam, and hence beats up the offending crook.

He's still stewing from the lack of promised chocolate doughnuts when a cheery voice hails him from behind, and he turns round to find a bright smile from a perpetually smiling opponent of his.

He glares, and in defense Sendoh puts up his hands, a peace gesture, and insists that he doesn't do April Fools' Day, it's too much work and anyway he has enough trouble trying not to fall for anything. Sakuragi Hanamichi eyes his rival distrustfully, but falls into step beside him, and they natter on, wandering hither and thither, and he thinks in the back of his mind that it's good that his mother is in Kyoto visiting her sister, because it looks like he'll be late home.

And then Sendoh mentions his birthday, and without thinking he says that his own is today, so Sendoh stops in his tracks and then grabs him by the arm and drags him to the nearest fast food restaurant. When Sakuragi protests and tries to pull away, Sendoh says that his birthday ought to be celebrated even if it is April Fools' Day as well, so will he just stop whining and come and eat a birthday dinner with him?

(a faint colour in his cheeks as he speaks, which Sakuragi doesn't notice, because Sendoh is someone he must defeat.)

So Sakuragi agrees, and he orders almost half the menu, while Sendoh orders half of the remaining, and they get down to eating. While they eat they go on nattering as before, about basketball and girls and nothing at all.

(Sendoh talks flippantly about girls, and he says they're overrated, and Sakuragi wonders what does that mean anyway, if girls are overrated to a guy reputed for being a hentai? But he forgets about it as the unagi-don arrives.)

And then Sendoh mentions Valentine's Day, and Sakuragi remembers the stupid burnt chocolates wrapped in the stupid red paper with the stupid monkeys and asks why the hell Sendoh thought it was a good idea to give them to him when he could have saved Haruko-chan the trouble and thrown it away.

(a brief flicker in Sendoh's eyes- hurt? sadness?- but Sakuragi doesn't notice.)

Sendoh shrugs and says that the wrapping reminded him of him, and surely the chocolates weren't that bad anyway? But Sakuragi retorts that no, the others were muchbetter and anyway, what kind of idiot would give burnt stuff to somebody, and it's lucky that he decided to eat it anyway after the way Sendoh tried to palm it off on him. Sendoh chuckles and proclaims that Sakuragi will eat anything.

Sakuragi rolls his eyes and says that of course not, even he draws the line somewhere, and they're off on another tangent. It takes a while for the subject to come round to Haruko-chan, and when it does they're midway through dessert with bowls of different ice cream sundaes melting slowly around them and Sakuragi's cheeks are bulging with chocolate cake when Sendoh voices his opinion that Haruko-chan is a very sweet girl.

Sakuragi's eyes bulge, and he makes a sound like he's almost choking, and then he swallows and he levels a glare at Sendoh again. Yes, he agrees that Haruko-chan is a very sweet girl, and it's hard not to like her. But Sendoh shouldn't even think about trying to date her, he says, because (his voice cracks a bit) she only has eyes for Rukawa.

(in the back of his mind he subconsciously recalls how she has grown subtly less unresisting to Rukawa's face and voice and plays, but he doesn't and won't register it consciously.)

Sendoh nods his head, says he isn't interested in her that way, but it was obvious when he met her and they talked about Rukawa. Sakuragi eats without tasting what he eats, after Sendoh says this. He churns Sendoh's words over and over in his head, and his expression becomes more morose.

(Sendoh wants to ask why, if he likes Haruko-chan so much, he doesn't confess to her, but he knows the answer would be the same answer to the question why he doesn't confess to Sakuragi.)

Sakuragi says, very softly, so that Sendoh has to strain to hear him, that he wishes Rukawa would acknowledge Haruko-chan, at least. That at least he would say that he knows how she feels, and he's sorry, but he doesn't return her feelings. Then maybe, just maybe, he would have a chance.

Sendoh says loudly that he thinks they've had enough, and he fumbles for the money to pay while Sakuragi murmurs a subdued thanks and leaves, as he walks out the door and tries not to think about how sad Haruko-chan looks when Rukawa doesn't say anything in return to her cheery greetings. His birthday, as it has always been, has been terrible this year.

(Sendoh leaves after managing to fish out enough money, and he too goes home without a smile on his face.)

-

I am reading WAY TOO MUCH JU. It's kind of scary how much her (I think) writing style is leaking into my fic.

Anyturtles, Quadrangle is complete. Two pairs of characters, Sakuragi and Haruko, and Sendoh and Rukawa, will not be written about unless I get it in my head to write a sequel.

Happy April Fools' Day, y'all.