Wish 3

Chapter 3

He was sitting on the locker room bench, slowly putting on his arm guard. It was just a few days ago when he had entered this school and now, finally, he had been accepted as a player to the basketball team. Around him, there were other players, most curious at him as he was the new one around. They spoke in silent whispers but he knew they were talking about him. Soon, he knew, they would learn to respect him. They would learn of his skill and his value. And after that, he would go on to reach his dream, so that his past would be completely buried behind him.

There came a sudden loud sound as the locker room door crashed onto the wall. A very tall and muscled white boy walked on in wearing gangster clothes. Trailing behind him were two other boys, both looking as menacing as the first one. But they were a bit shorter. Rukawa did not know any of them.

The first boy walked on in with confident steps. He was tall, perhaps 6'6" in height, and he was clearly muscled as he wore only a tank top with his jeans at the moment. Though he was white, his skin was obviously tanned, and his face... He was very handsome. A strong profile with a prominent nose, he looked elegant. His dark green eyes looked deep and mystifying and his short blond hair made him look as if he was a part of a regal family. On his lips was a smirk that Rukawa would never forget for the rest of his life.

Later on, Rukawa would find out that the older boy's name was Jake Blair...

Rukawa woke up with a jolt as he felt the dream ceasing suddenly. There was someone shaking his shoulder and he blinked his eyes quickly to clear them of sleep. It had been a long time since this happened - sleeping outside his room. And suddenly, he was caught doing this?

Rukawa looked up from the library counter and saw to his surprise, the familiar face of Sendoh. The sight was a welcome distraction from his recent dream. The memory of his former teammate from Gregory High was buried beneath the present warm gaze of Sendoh.

"You fell asleep?" Sendoh asked in amusement. Behind him were Hikoichi and another boy Rukawa didn't recognize.

Rukawa shrugged, sighing inaudibly at his seeming failure yet again. "Are you going to rent a book?"

It had been one week now since school started. After that day at the mall, Sendoh had indeed taken him to see his uncle. But his uncle was away so Sendoh just called him to ask him for a discount for him. His uncle agreed. But then, they found out later that they didn't really need the discount anymore since his new job as a part time librarian gave him free education from now on. His schedule was during 11 am to 1 pm everyday from Monday to Friday. So, he sometimes skipped lunch. But Sendoh...

"Idiot, I brought you lunch." Sendoh smirked, placing a bento box and a can of coke in front of Rukawa. "Since you keep insisting to forget about it."

"I told you not to bring me anymore." Rukawa complained a bit, though it was nearly said in a half-hearted manner. "Besides..."

"Besides what?" Sendoh snickered. "Nope. No loopholes, right? Lunch is allowed for you here, isn't that right? And if you insist on being shy to eat lunch here, we could go outside while Hikoichi does your job. Right, Hikoichi?"

Hikoichi frowned. "Hey! Sendoh-san, you never told me about - "

But Sendoh interrupted immediately. "By the way, I'm sure you haven't met my good friend here." He turned towards the stranger of the group before grinning at Rukawa. "He's Takeshi Shigure. He's my good friend from High School so he knows about you too. And Takeshi, of course you know Rukawa-kun, right?"

"Of course." Takeshi grinned with a nod. He was not so tall. Perhaps he was Kogure's height before. He was average looking too with normal black hair and brown eyes. But he was Sendoh's close friend so that had to be something. "I've watched you since your days in Tomigaoka. I'm Sendoh's age. I've known about you since Coach Taoka had taken interest in you, I was the one who watched your games to keep him updated. So, that's why Sendoh also found a way to beat you..."

"Hey, don't tell him my secret!" Sendoh chided though he was grinning.

"The first informant of Ryonan, unfortunately." Hikoichi muttered with a seemingly dramatic voice.

Rukawa could only look at them as they really did not give him any opportunity to speak - not like he had something to say. So, affter a small nod to Takeshi, he turned towards his bento box and took a peek inside. Inside, there was curry rice, sushi and siomai. He was actually hungry now as he saw the food in front of him. Feeling yet again as if he owed Sendoh, he fished inside his pocket for five thousand yen, enough to pay for the meal today. While Sendoh conversed with his friends, he stood non-discreetly and placed the bills in the pocket of Sendoh's shirt. He sat back down to begin his lunch.

Sendoh suddenly paused speaking to his friends as he felt the almost ghost like touch on his chest. When he looked down at his shirt, he saw that there were 5 one thousand yen bills in his pocket. He took them out immediately and placed them before Rukawa. "Hey, I told you everytime that I'm buying this for you so don't complain, don't pay. Just accept. Rukawa-kun..."

Rukawa looked up and saw the exasperated glance that Sendoh gave him. "I owe you enough. You've been bringing me lunch for the entire week now."

"Whoa... entire week?" Hikoichi said in surprise. "Wow, you're really determined in getting him to the team, huh Sendoh-san?"

Sendoh couldn't help but cringe at Hikoichi's words. No, it was not like that at all. It was not just the team, he knew. When he looked at Rukawa, the younger boy was just looking at him with curiosity, as if expecting that to be true. Well, it was not true! Sendoh shook his head at him.

Rukawa didn't say anything, not really one to trust in anyone's words, friend or not. He wasn't really sure what Sendoh meant when he wanted them to be friends. But Sendoh was, most often than not, welcomed to his everyday life.

"Anyway, that's all I came to do today. Eat your lunch, alright?" Sendoh smiled. "And by the way, I won't go to class for English later on - I have an excuse. It'll be a practice game of Yokaze. We're going to beat up an unknown team called Ryoka University. So, if there's anything important, you just find me in the gym after your Calculus class. We'll all be hanging there after our victory."

"Whatever..." Rukawa just nodded. He watched Sendoh's warm smile for one more moment before looking down at his food. When he looked back up, Sendoh and the others were already going away. Wondering why he was suddenly feeling thankful, he began to eat once more with actual fervor.

***

"Did you find out Rukawa-kun's problem, Sendoh-san? He would be a great asset to the team. I hope he changes his mind soon..."

Sendoh took one glance at Hikoichi as they moved towards the gym. Takeshi had already left for his class and now, they were set to go to meet the team before going to Tokyo Super Dome for the match. "I have yet to find out but I'm getting there..."

"I hope so." Hikoichi only said in a quiet tone, obviously mussing. "Tokyo University is unstoppable this year. Not only do they have Maki, Akagi, Fujima, Mitsui, Ryota... This year they have Sakuragi! And also Hiroshi from Meihou Kougyou! They are very unstoppable!"

"Our only draft this year is Yoruta Koijiro... and I guess he's just about average in terms of game play." Sendoh nodded.

"With Rukawa-kun, our team would be stronger!" Hikoichi suddenly began to imagine the possibilities. "He'll be Yokaze's secret weapon. You two will be the two great players of Japan. And both of you in one team, it would be unbelievable! Everyone would be afraid since both of you are aces. You could pass to him and he could pass to you. Yokaze University would be undefeatable!"

Sendoh could only laugh at Hikoichi's still hyper attitude when excited. He'd been that way since High School. He figured the younger boy would never really change. But still, listening to those words, he couldn't help but hope that those things would happen too. Imagine the possibilities... But he didn't want to push Rukawa. He wanted him to join out of his free will.

They entered the gym. His tall teammates greeted him with a few glances, smiles and waves. He grinned at them all before going to the locker room to change into his jersey. Outside, the school bus was waiting to bring them all to Tokyo Super Dome.

Inside the locker room...

"Hey, finally, Sendoh-san has arrived!" A few of them laughed. Sendoh found those to be Hidoki Shinji, Eikoji Touga and Akito Yuuto. Those were three of his teammates. Hidoki Shinji, a Senior, was a talented center who played like a pro. He was nearly 7 feet tall and was very good with rebounding, blocking and doing short range shots. He had come all the way from Fukuoka, only to be drafted by Yokaze. Eikoji Touga was a popular defender who was known for his blocking and stealing. He was just like Sendoh's former teammate Ikegami. Eikoji - a Junior - stood at 6'5" and was not so bulky. He was quick and resilient though he was not so known as a good scorer. Akito Yuuto - a Junior too - meanwhile was 6'4", just a bit smaller than Sendoh's current height. He was good at defending too but not as much as Eikoji. He was good enough to steal and to assist but his specific specialty was doing three pointers. Akito Yuuto always reminded Sendoh of Mitsui. The three of them plus Sendoh were four of the five star players of the team. The fifth one...

The locker room door opened. In came a serious-looking young man with beady black eyes and a hairstyle that Sendoh recalled Sakuragi calling as 'kalimero' - egg-shell head or something... That was Minami Tsuyoshi, the fifth star player. He - a Junior - was very good in shooting, especially on the outside, but during his years in college, he had grown a few more inches to now stand at 6'2" - Rukawa's height. So, he was sometimes strong offensively on the inside too. There was a problem with Minami however - and that was his well-known temper. It had been always like that ever since high school, Sendoh heard, but thankfully, he had enough effect on the older boy to calm him - and most everyone. That was why he was going to be the next captain after current captain Hidoki Shinji left to play for the professional league.

"Good morning, Minami-san. Nice to finally see you around."

Minami turned to Sendoh with a frown. "I was busy. But at least I'm here, right?"

"Of course, Minami-san." Sendoh just nodded, trying to be - as always - understanding of the older boy. Minami had always been one of their few weakness as a team for he was always going against everyone on court. Thankfully, he was beginning to change - somewhat.

"Is everyone here?" a calm voice cut through all the noise. They all turned to the unknown voice that came from the door. Sendoh immediately blinked in recognition. It was none other than Matsuhito-sensei, his' and Rukawa's Chemistry Professor. What was he doing here?

"In case you're all wondering where Coach Reiji is, he had left permanently because of some family matters in America. He will not be back. Since I have experience with coaching, I have been assigned as your new coach. You may all call me Matsuhito-sensei. I recognize Sendoh Akira here, my student in Chemistry. I also recognize a lot of other faces. But please introduce yourselves even with just your name and your positions. I need to know you guys before I can actually coach you."

More than a little surprised, they stared at him for awhile before someone started speaking. After all, though the new coach was very tall, he was wearing glasses and a suit. He was more of a professor than a coach. They all wondered about his worth. After all, their former coach Reiji had been really good even though he only stayed for a few months. Yokaze seemed to be always changing coaches for basketball...

Hidoki Shinji started to introduce himself. "I am Hidoki Shinji, Senior, playing Center and standing at 6'9"."

"I am Eikoji Touga, Junior, playing Power Forward and standing at 6'5"."

"I am Akito Yuuto, Junior too, playing Small Forward and standing at 6'4"."

"Minami Tsuyoshi... Junior, playing Small Forward or Off-guard and standing at 6'2"."

"I am Yoruta Koijiro, Freshman, playing back-up Center and standing at 6'7"."

"I am Youtaru Senshi, back-up Point Guard, Sophomore, and standing at 6'0"."

"And finally... I'm Sendoh Akira, Sophomore, standing at 6'5" and playing Point Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward, Off-guard and sometimes Center." Sendoh grinned.

Matsuhito-sensei grinned back. "Alright. Before we go though, I just want to make something clear to all of you. I am not particularly a kind coach most of the time. Sometimes, I can be hard to players. If this would bother you, I suggest that you quit right now."

There was silence as the team did not really know what to say to that. The mere appearance of the man was screaming that he looked so much a gentleman - the type that should be an office worker rather than a coach of a tough college basketball team. Finally, the team just nodded after looking at each other with meaning.

"Alright, let's go beat Ryoka University!"

"Alright!"

***

He did not really know why they had to face a team such as Ryoka for a practice match. Really, there was no contest. He was not even sweating as he sat down beside the other players who served as bench warmers. Minami, the newcomer Yoruta, the point guard Youtaru, Hidoki and Eikoji were the only ones in court right now, not even fighting hard. Sendoh was permitted to just sit down so as not to give away the improvement he had gotten during the off-season. He was Yokaze's number one ace now, after all, aside from being Japan's number one player.

Sitting down, he took one glance at their new coach. Matsuhito-sensei was definitely learned in terms of basketball. Though his appearance did not show it, the way he watched the players - his mere way of observing - was enough of a proof that he was already trying to search for their team's weakness. Sendoh would love to work with this new personality. He wondered how Matsuhito-sensei would react in matches that are actually big. Like those against such teams as Tokyo University, Shigeo University and many others.

For now though, the match was a bore. To Sendoh, he would have preffered to go fishing or to go bugging Rukawa to play just one game of basketball with him. Or shopping. Or even attending English class.

Sendoh grinned at that particular thought. He still recalled that day one week ago when he and Rukawa had entered English class a little late because they were working out Rukawa's intent to be a student assistant for the school. Their teacher, mad but surprised at how tall they were and the fact that he was the infamous Sendoh Akira, made them introduce themselves in front of class in straight english. Sendoh had managed to speak in his poor english saying the words. "Good afternoon, Sendoh Akira is my name...". But Rukawa...

Rukawa was a very fluent English speaker. There was no hint at all of Japanese, which shocked the entire class into silence, as he said, "Good day to all of you. My name is Rukawa Kaede. Pleased to meet you all." And he had even nodded his head as if for effect...

Sendoh nearly snickered at the memory. After introduction, they were just instructed to fill up classcards. Then, they were dismissed. Next meeting, the lady teacher had been absent, and the next after that, there was a lecture. Sendoh wondered absently what they were doing now.

"Sendoh-kun."

Sendoh looked up at his new coach's voice. Matsuhito-sensei was looking at somewhere in the audience. Sendoh tried to follow the older man's gaze.

"Are those your friends? They've been trying to call your attention for awhile now."

"Huh? Oh! Thanks, Matsuhito-sensei." Sendoh smirked as his sight caught familiar faces in the audience. It was none other than the Tokyo University basketball team, the rival of Yokaze University. He was supposed to be a part of that team too but he turned down the offer since his uncle owned Yokaze U. It was a family thing.

Amidst the crowd of people, Sendoh could make out his friends from Kanagawa. There was the ever-present Maki, the imposing Akagi, the grinning Mitsui, the now taller Fujima, the also taller Ryota... And yes, there was also the fiery Sakuragi with a big grin on his face, as well as the other newcomer Hiroshi who looked so tall and commanding with his height and bulk. They were all looking at him. Sendoh grinned at them all, knowing that they were discussing about his being number one in all of Japan. He also wondered if he should tell them about Rukawa...

"Tokyo University looks very imposing this year, don't you think so, Sendoh?"

Sendoh nodded at his coach's words. "Definitely, Matsuhito-sensei. But I know most of their moves since I've been playing with them all since High School. But still, I know enough not to underestimate. Hikoichi will take care of the scouting, right Hikoichi?"

Hikoichi, who sat nearby, nodded with fervor. "Definitely. I'll get all the scoop as soon as possible!"

"Speaking of which," Sendoh suddenly remembered. "I asked you to find some things about Rukawa-kun, didn't I?"

"Er, yeah..." Hikoichi nodded. "But I only managed to get his dorm room number. Though I think you already know that..."

"Followed him to his room one afternoon." Sendoh just shrugged. "What about info about America?"

"None yet, sorry..."

"Are you stalking your classmate, Sendoh?" Matsuhito-sensei turned his amused face to Sendoh.

"Huh?" Sendoh was a bit confused at the question.

"I meant that you want to find out things about your classmate. Why?"

"Oh..." Sendoh shrugged. "I want him to join the team."

"Huh? Why? Is he a good player? I've never really heard of him as a basketball player."

"One of these days, when he joins, everyone will realize his value. Really." Sendoh just grinned in promise.

"Intriguing..." Matsuhito-sensei smiled, turning back to the game.

Sendoh just shrugged. "Intriguing but real."

The match went on and on. Minami kept shooting his three pointers while Hidoki commanded the rebounds. The score was 123-34 in favor of Yokaze U as the game was reaching the final five minutes. Sendoh yawned in boredom before Matsuhito-sensei woke him by asking him to finally rejoin the match.

Thankful for the little distraction, Sendoh decided to show off a little - perhaps a simple dunk or two against a very penetratable defense by their opponent team. At three minutes, he got past a tall individual, plus a power forward and a small forward - he didn't recall their names from the start of the game. Twirling about in graceful steps, he rushed to make a perfect and powerful dunk to draw the crowd's attention. Hanging for awhile, he heard the loud response, the girls' screams, the shouts of amazement at another spectacular move. Then he got down from the rim finally and just smiled at the opponents. While the other team, in response, could only sigh in their obvious defeat. Sendoh sighed, finding no sense in fighting against dull players as he rushed back on defense.

In the last few minutes, he displayed one three pointer, an ally-oop pass to Akito for a two pointer dunk, a block and a steal. In the last five seconds, after a steal, he managed to rush back to their side of the court to make an exclamation dunk - powerful and beautifully maneuvered as he twirled about in the air just to give a good show to his fans.

While the fans, in return, screamed and cried at how great their Sendoh-san is...

"Well..." Sendoh sighed to himself as he turned to his teammates with a little grin. "I think we barely beat them, guys. But it's all good, huh?"

The others just laughed before going over to the center of the court to shake the other team's hands.

***

As expected, after the match, Tokyo University basketball team waited for Sendoh outside the dressing room. After showering and changing, Sendoh was prepared to see them yet again. His teammates meanwhile were taking their time, not really having anything to do after the game. It was odd perhaps that most of Sendoh's closer friends are in the rival team Tokyo U instead of his own team.

"You seeing them again, Sendoh?" the team captain Hidoki asked, his lips in a grin as if he found the fact funny.

"Yup. Old friends from my hometown so..." Sendoh just grinned.

"Well, see you later on. Don't be long since the bus may decide to leave early once we're all done."

"Alright."

Walking out of the dressing room, he saw them all standing there, all tall and proud as they grinned at him. All from Kanagawa... Well, except the newcomer Hiroshi from Meihou Kougyou. To this day, it still amazed Sendoh how they all had been drafted with the coincidence that most of them had come from the same Prefecture.

"You were showing off, weren't you?" Ryota asked, the smallest in the team. He had grown only about an inch or so since High School. It was obvious that he didn't look like he was going to grow taller soon. But he was a great point guard and that was what mattered. Ryota now had grown his hair a bit, losing that hair style he sported in High School. The back of his head was no longer shaved but his whole hairstyle was short so as not to look messy. The hairstyle was similar to Mitsui's.

"Of course. It isn't enough that their team just massacred poor... what was the name of your opponent?" Mitsui laughed from Ryota's side. He had grown about one more inch since High School. He had the same look though, but now, as Sendoh had heard, he was very free from any more gang trouble. Sendoh had learned about the gang thing personally from Mitsui once the Kanagawa kids started hanging out here in Tokyo.

"Are you ready to face us again this year, Sendoh?" Maki asked, looking quite happy today. He looked as menacing as ever, silently dangerous even with just a stance. Since entering college, he had been dubbed by the media as 'tank' since he was so unstoppable in his offense. At his side, Fujima said nothing as he only looked on at Sendoh with interest. Sendoh knew about those two. It had been an open secret that the two were an item.

"I don't think Yokaze has the same chances as last year! After all, this year, the tensai has arrived!"

Sendoh couldn't help but laughing at the words. He looked on at the now 6'6" redhead and felt so amused. Sakuragi had a new hairstyle again - something that reminded him of his first days in basketball. Beside him were the team managers Ayako and Akagi Haruko. They were as lovely as ever.

"You dare laugh at the Tensai?"

"How have you been, Sendoh?"

Sendoh finally spoke amidst all the banter and questions directed at him. "If you're thinking that Tokyo U would have a chance against Yokaze this year, I have a surprise for all of you. Once our teams meet, you'll find out that no team would stand a chance against us. You'll see."

"Hah, is that all you can say against the Tensai?"

"Sendoh-san..." Ayako grinned, looking at some notes. "You only drafted a guy named Yoruta Koijiro though. I have all his statistics and we've already evaluated him. He alone is no match against our drafts Sakuragi and Hiroshi."

"But you forget that you'll be facing the greatest player in Japan." Sendoh smiled. "And I always deliver. Plus, as I said, I have a surprise for all of you. Come our game, you'd be wishing you'd never have to face us again."

The secret, of course, would be Rukawa. Sendoh was going to work hard in getting Rukawa to join the team. He was already working hard on it but soon, he'd have to finally convince him to join. He could only imagine the reaction of the Kanagawa gang though. What would they have to say to a Sendoh/Rukawa attack where both would be great scorers? It would be like running in a fastbreak always with two possible threats. Rukawa could pass to him or he could pass to Rukawa. They could shoot from the outside or on the inside. A dunk, a three pointer, jumpshot, fade-away, or whatever. It was a great fantasy that would have the media drooling. And once he displayed Rukawa to the public, they'd be talking about him. Hopefully, by then, Rukawa would learn to be contented with the game again. It was a wish Sendoh vowed would actually happen. The two greatest players of Japan on the same team. Like Batman and Robin, Cyclops and Jean Grey, Tom and Jerry...

Okay, maybe not Tom and Jerry...

"Must be such a big secret." Akagi muttered as he watched the dazed look on Sendoh's face.

"Just to be sure, perhaps we must prepare." Maki only nodded with a smile as he too watched the excitement playing on Sendoh's face.

Sendoh just laughed at them all. "Yup, you all must prepare and train your hardest. Since this secret would rock the entire Japan."

"Give us a hint though." Hiroshi asked with interest in his voice. Sendoh looked over at him and found himself craning his neck up a bit. Hiroshi had been so tall already in High School but now, he was perhaps 7' tall. He had such an amazing height.

"A hint?" Sendoh smirked. "Well, I think I would just say that the sight of the person I would personally try to get to join the team would rock everyone's world - whether he plays or not. That's all I can say."

Everyone looked intrigued.

Maki had that smile of passion on his face as he spoke. "Even until this day, you would still surprise us, Sendoh? It is truly something worth waiting for though."

"Haha, whatever you may threaten us with, is nothing compared to the Tensai's power!"

"Stop dreaming, Hana." Ryota muttered from his side.

"And stop it already with the Tensai business." Mitsui rolled his eyes in mock anger. "It's been years. Better grow up soon, no?"

"What? You mean that the Tensai is immature?"

Everyone just tried not to laugh at that statement.

Finally though, as expected, the locker room that Yokaze team had used opened and out came the rest of the players. Hikoichi, the first to saunter out, saw immediately the familiar faces from Kanagawa.

"Maki-san! And Fujima-san! And Akagi-san! And everyone else!"

"So the rumors were true..." Ayako muttered silently to Ryota who only snickered in amusement.

"Huh? What do you mean rumors? That Aida Hikoichi was actually given scholarship by Yokaze University because they recognized his talent as part of the coaching staff?"

"That your big mouth couldn't really be completely ignored." Mitsui snickered playfully.

"Hey!"

Everyone laughed once more.

"The bus is leaving soon." Minami muttered with a serious face as he took one glance at the rival team. He looked so intense once again, as if angry at the mere presence of his opponents. When they all looked at him with recognition, he could only mutter in a near silent voice, "Too bad Rukawa-kun isn't part of your team. He'd be interesting to play against."

Sendoh's smile faltered quite a bit at that statement. Minami knew Rukawa? Wow, so this was a new development. He wanted to tell Minami about his intent to let Rukawa join but then their rival team were here to also hear of it. He'd tell him later on... Maybe Minami could awaken Rukawa's thirst to play once again. Maybe Minami could help...

Looking back at the Tokyo University team though, he was surprised to see everyone except Hiroshi have troubled faces. Even Sakuragi looked sad for about a moment. Sendoh wondered if that was because of Rukawa.

"What's wrong? Why the long faces?"

"Huh?" Ayako looked up. "Well, we were all always wondering about what happened to Rukawa-kun. Remember that he suddenly left for America? That was a low point in our team..."

Ryota nodded. "We were always thinking about what became of him. We never heard from him again, remember? I wonder where he is now..."

"Or if he's alive at least..." Mitsui mussed.

"Hey, let's not think of sad thoughts now!" Sendoh tried to cheer them all up since he already knew the truth.

"Aren't you concerned at least for your former rival?" Akagi looked shocked at his words.

"You two always had an understanding for each other even if it was just on court." Maki looked at Sendoh intensely as if he understood something that no one else did. "You never wonder about him?"

"You insensitive porcuppine head! Even the Tensai wonders about the kitsune sometimes!"

With surprise, Sendoh just blinked at their accusations - especially Sakuragi's. Rukawa and Sakuragi were never known as best friends. They were always fighting even during games before. But this was interesting to hear. And he smiled gently in understanding at their concerns. Even though he wanted to reassure them about Rukawa, he couldn't though since he intended to use Rukawa as Yokaze's secret weapon against Tokyo U. Later, they'd eventually find true relief.

"I'm sure there is nothing to worry about."

"Why do you say that? Even Anzai-sensei has become very worried. He has a sad look on his face sometimes when he thinks about Rukawa's fate..."

Sendoh shook his head at that perception. "Rukawa is stronger than you all may think. I'm sure he's doing great right now. And maybe he may even show this to all of you soon. I believe in him. You all should too."

Fujima couldn't help but be amazed at those words. "You sound as if you know him very well..."

"How could I not?" Sendoh just grinned, as if to reassure them all. "I understand him well. No matter how far we may be from each other. And besides, he has yet to defeat me, doesn't he? That's enough of a reason for my little rival to come back to me... to us..."

Maki shook his head though he was grinning. "There is truly a world that only the two of you would belong to. Only the two of you will understand..."

"Sendoh! Let's go!"

And grinning one last time at them all though Sendoh was perplexed at those words a bit, he waved at them all. "Hey, I gotta go now. Team's leaving. We'll meet again soon!"

"Alright and by then, prepare for the Tensai!"

"Goodbye Sendoh!"

Sendoh laughed before rushing to the door that lead to the parking lot. Maki's words were echoing in his mind...

And during the bus ride back to Yokaze University, he mulled over those words as he recalled how he had found out that Rukawa was now a part of Yokaze as his schoolmate...

He had just come back from Kanagawa by train. Winter break had just happend and now Spring came to signify that another school year would begin. Outside, as he had stepped off the cab that drove him from the train station to the university, he couldn't help but pause at the sight that greeted him.

Yokaze University was always known for its fabulous gardens. Stretched before his feet were rolling green fields of grass, well-cut and smelling fresh in the early day. Flowers of the sweetest scents drifted in the cool air as all across the yard, Sakura blossoms were in full bloom. Up high, the sun was already high and warm, only a few white clouds to drift lazily in the cerulean horizons. Sendoh couldn't help but breathe in the morning air with satisfaction as he slowly walked through the falling Sakura blossoms and into the building of his school.

One sight almost made him falter in his steps though. The sight of blackness in the cheery surroundings. The sight of mourning eyes that seemed so familiar. There was one boy sitting underneath a sakura tree on a stone bench. His face was sad, troubled. Sendoh thought he recognized him but...

When he looked back again, the boy was gone.

So, he walked towards the gym instead, wanting to see his teammates first after the break. He was mightily curious how they were doing now though he himself wasn't that interested in basketball except if he had a good challenger to perk his constant boredom. Lately, there was no player to be a match to him. He had become the best in Japan after all...

He didn't know why but that thought brought back memories of him smiling and being happy while in the presence of another player. His one and only rival - the only one who could match up against him.

Fox blue eyes...

As he entered the gym, he couldn't help but pause in surprise as his entire team was interrogating someone. That someone was wearing all black and Sendoh couldn't help but feel deja vu. He recalled that sad face from beneath the sakura blossoms...

When he focussed his eyes more on that person, he saw who it was. Not much taller than before, he still had the similar features that Sendoh had always known. That creamy skin like a girl's. His slender body. The serious face. The fine ebony hair that covered the pretty boy face and finally... Those fox blue eyes...

He wanted to shout out. To grab his attention. To let him be real in this seeming dream.

So he clapped his hands for him. He clapped because he always wanted to. Because back then, he had always been impressed by the younger boy's skill. Because this seemed to be the only opportunity to do so, despite the fact that it made no sense.

When Rukawa looked up at him, he smiled warmly and approached him, causing his teammates to stop their talk. As he moved towards Rukawa, the crowd parted to give him a path to walk in. And when he was right before Rukawa, he wanted so much to do something to confirm that Rukawa had indeed come back to Japan. At that moment, his heart was beating very fast. Because of the excitement, the ache and desire to play with the only player who made him happy...

But as he asked Rukawa to play by his side in the Yokaze basketball team...

Rukawa gave him the shock of his entire life.

The shock plus the intent to do anything to make Rukawa play again because by that, he too would find his own happiness in the game...

"I hate basketball."

Three words that shocked Sendoh beyond words.

Sendoh recalled those memories with a new light. And as he recalled those, the recent words of Maki came back to him.

So, now that Rukawa had come back to him, how would he make him understand?

How could he make Rukawa understand that he will forever be a part of basketball and that basketball would forever be a part of him?

What should he do?

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