Disclaimer: I do not own Slam Dunk (the whole lot, even though I adore the series)

Warnings: This is a chaptered slash fic (I'm sure you know what that means) purely out of imagination. There will be some OOC-ness and a clichéd plot thingie but don't mind. As long as you like it, it doesn't matter, right? Anyway, enjoy.



Chapter One: Rukawa's Brooding


Rukawa sighed and leaned back against the cushions of his leather settee as he closed the book he was reading. Using his index finger as a temporary bookmark, the book dangled loosely in his hand. The now-popular young Japanese basketball star was living in the lap of luxury in his penthouse. He had many fan girls at his tail and his talent for playing basketball remained superior and unsurpassed to the other players in his league. Yet his heart felt empty and this caused the raven-haired and blue-eyed man to think.
The sapphire orbs that were his eyes fixed on the book cover, then on the gold printed letters that were spelling out the author's name, Sakuragi Hanamichi, his redheaded nemesis.


'Nemesis?' Rukawa mentally shook his head with a sad frown, 'It's too strong a word.'


Somewhere along the line, the hatred he was supposed to feel for the redhead dwindled and developed to feelings of longing for companionship and most surprisingly and shockingly...love. He had expressed them to the redheaded other. It happened seven years ago when he and the rest of the Shohoku team members saw him off at the airport. At that time, Sakuragi had received a scholarship to study overseas in the UK and he showed an interest in writing. Rukawa had shocked the redhead and the rest of the team but hugging him in an iron grip. Sakuragi had pushed him away with a blushing face and ran away without saying goodbye to him. The sight had made the black-haired man's heart ache and shatter but it was hell when the redheaded man disappeared in a plane flying to the setting sun.

Rukawa got over his heartache by reading Sakuragi's books when they were published and read editorials concerning about him. He also kept with his dream of playing basketball to his full potential and became a popular basketball star. The scar of rejection had healed but he still kept on wishing and hoping that he would be allowed to see Sakuragi again.


'Do'aho...' his blue eyes lost its icy shine and replaced with a sad look. He looked outside the large window to see the sun setting. The ball of fire coloured in scarlet, matching Sakuragi's own hair, 'It's been seven years...do you still hate me because of what I did...'


Suddenly Rukawa's reminiscing was interrupted by the phone ringing incessantly. Feeling disgruntled, he picked up the receiver and listened, expecting to be a call from the coach. Probably for these so-called photo shoots or those last-minute training sessions. However after a while, the gruff look was replaced with a glowing look of warm brown eyes and a smile on the thin lips as he recognised the voice at the other end. As soon as he finished listening, he quickly placed down the receiver, grabbed his team jersey and left the penthouse.


**tzuzuku**