Chapter One

Why are we having this match?

Sendoh had first asked him that question after their first one-on-one on a street basketball court near Ryonan, when both were so exhausted they could barely see the rim of the hoop any longer.

You're still not as good as Sendoh. It wasn't that he needed to prove anything to his coach, but Rukawa had been curious. If their official matches were anything to go by, Rukawa thought he had matched up well against the Ryonan ace.

Now, though, Rukawa wasn't sure why he was here. It was a Saturday after the nationals, and instead of practicing in the gym like usual he had rode the train, walked to the street basketball court nearest to Ryonan high school to play. And had bumped into the Ryonan captain in a leisurely jog around the school premises.

Recognition registered on the Ryonan's ace face as he spotted Rukawa. "Hey."

Rukawa passed him, ignoring the greeting.

"Hey! Rukawa!"

He sighed imperceptibly, turning around to find Sendoh waving and grinning at him like an idiot before the boy came forward, so close that he was now staring directly at Rukawa's face, his spiky hair and ridiculous good looks taking up the whole of Rukawa's vision. Rukawa didn't know why that made him feel uncomfortable. He looked away fixedly, out the corner of his eye he could make out a playground with children running in groups that just seemed to be the most interesting thing in the world. He could still feel Sendoh's scrutinizing gaze on him, travelling from his forehead to his nose to his lips... Damn it. Rukawa coughed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, finally lifting his gaze to meet Sendoh's, and then noticed that the other boy looked confused. "What," He snapped irritably.

"You're Rukawa from Shohoku, right?"

Rukawa spun on his heel.

Sendoh yelped. "Ah, wait, wait! Rukawa! Hey."

And then Sendoh said the magic words. "One-on-one?"

He spun around again.

#####

Rukawa crouched, waist low and feet apart, watching Sendoh's dribbling form intently as he waited for an indication of the other man's attack. Sendoh handled the ball with surprising grace for someone of his frame, not in the furiously energetic way Sakuragi did, but with a natural finesse that came with years of practice until it seemed almost careless, yet left no weakness to be exploited.

"So you played Kitasawa," He said.

"Sawakita."

Sendoh looked confused. Rukawa took advantage of his surprise to steal the ball, dribbling once, twice and driving his way towards the basket to deliver a lay-up. Swoosh.

"His name is Sawakita, " Idiot, he almost said, before he remembered that he owed Sendoh a favour for that. Be nice, he reminded himself, and scowled his displeasure instead.

Sendoh retrieved the ball, scratching his head apologetically, before sending the ball flying in the air. He turned to look just as the ball fell neatly into the hoop, and turned back to realize that Sendoh was standing, arms-raised, at the edge of the three-point line.

Screw being nice.

"Bastard." He said before he could stop himself.

Sendoh just looked at him and burst out laughing. "You really are a sore loser."

Rukawa shrugged and made his way to the end of the court to retrieve the ball. The days were getting shorter, he realized, the sun setting on the horizon in splendid hues of orange and crimson. From the center, Sendoh called out to him. "What's the score? I lost count."

He felt a surge of irritation. "98-98, first one to a hundred wins." This guy really needed to put in more effort. "My turn," He added as a reminder.

Sendoh just flashed him another of his smiles. "Aa." Rukawa frowned slightly. There was something off-putting about his smiles - they were friendly enough, but there was also something else in them that lit a competitive fire in him. Rukawa dribbled lightly as Sendoh guarded, changing his pace quickly and surging forward, faking a shoot and taking advantage of the split second confusion to drive his way towards the hoop, sending the ball into the basket with a resounding dunk.

100-98.

#####

They sprawled out on the court. Sendoh took a satisfyingly long drink from his bottle, staring at nothing in particular. Beside him, Rukawa was wiping the sweat out of his eyes on his armband.

"How's Sakuragi?"

Rukawa looked thoughtful for a moment. "Busy with rehab. He hurt his back during the Sannoh match, so he's getting time off to get better."

Sendoh regarded the news with surprise. Sakuragi was the type of guy who defied expectations. He could slam his head into the backboard and still bounce back up right away with a kind of energy that made everyone else sit up and pay attention. It was hard to imagine that self-proclaimed genius sustaining any kind of severe injury that required external help to get better, but then again, this was basketball and none of them were new to injuries.

"Well, send my regards to him."

Rukawa nodded.

"Tell him this tensai is waiting for him."

Rukawa snorted. He laughed. Dark clouds had started to gather in the sky and there was a loud rumble of thunder.

"Well, that's it then. We better go before it starts raining." Sendoh hoisted himself up, dusting his hands on the back of his jersey. Rukawa drew the strings on his bag and stood up, handing Sendoh his duffel wordlessly. "Ah, thanks." Sendoh replied absent-mindedly, eyes still fixed on the sky to scan for any indication of he impending shower. It didn't look encouraging. The dark clouds had given way to large raindrops, pattering around them with a rhythm. Sendoh pulled his jacket over himself and broke into a light jog. "Come on. We can make it to the station if we run."

They made it to the station just as another loud rumble of thunder sent the rain falling in unbridled cascades. "Phew," Sendoh exclaimed, his handsome features lighting into an easy smile, making Rukawa's heart skip a beat. "Just in time!"

Rukawa really needed to sleep. He had just thought of Sendoh as handsome. Rukawa was not bothered by appearances, although the growing membership of the Rukawa Brigade had given him an idea of his physical attractiveness in the eyes of the opposite gender, but Sendoh? He… had never thought much about Sendoh, not in that way at least.

He sighed, bid his goodbye and headed for the platform, noticing only several moments later that Sendoh remained at his side. Now he was hallucinating. Rukawa had heard somewhere that people started to hallucinate if they didn't get enough sleep. Maybe that was what it was, he told himself. After all, he needed more sleep than the average person.

"Um, Rukawa?" The hallucination spoke, tapping him on his shoulder.

No, this couldn't be real. Breathe, he told himself, breathe. It was going to be okay.

"Yes," He replied dazedly, shaking his head slightly as if he expected it to go away.

"It's pouring. I don't think you'll make it home without getting drenched. Should we grab dinner? There's a good place for ramen just around the corner, we could make it there without getting caught in the rain."

"I'm… uh," He stammered, but Sendoh's hand was already on his elbow, dragging them forward insistently through the rush hour crowd at the station.

#####

They entered the shop. It was a tiny place, with a single counter and barely enough space for the kitchen, and people sidled up against one another to move in and out of the shop. "Ah, Sendoh-kun, good to see you!" A man in his mid-thirties, presumably the owner, greeted Sendoh warmly, ushering the towards the seats at the corner. "You'll have the usual tonkotsu, up-sized, I assume, and your friend…" He trailed off, regarding Rukawa good-naturedly with a smile.

"Ah, I almost forgot." Sendoh hung their bags on the rack against the wall and settled into his seat. "Oita-san, this is Rukawa from Shohoku, the ace player. My biggest rival." He added, winking at Rukawa. "Wow, that is surprising! Sendoh openly admitting that he has a rival." The owner exclaimed. "You must be really good at basketball, then." He regarded Rukawa, then the beaming Sendoh, his arms continued in practiced motions the whole time until two steaming bowls of ramen were set on the counter.

"Dig in, then." He said, and then to Rukawa - "I made you Sendoh's favourite. I hope you like it." Rukawa felt like Sendoh's girlfriend.

"Thank you," He said, all the same.

The ramen was good, Rukawa decided. He even had seconds and a plate of gyoza. Sendoh clearly was a regular, chatting alternately with Rukawa and the owner as he shoved food into his mouth with gusto. Rukawa ate quietly, listening. "-and then it started raining, so we had to run to the station. It's raining so much these days."

"Yeah, and soon it will be autumn." Oita-san said, between delivering another customer's ramen on the counter and wiping the vacated table next to them. "Time really does fly. You guys are preparing for the winter matches, right? Oh, Rukawa-kun. How about a plate of gyoza? Don't be polite, it's on me. Sendoh-kun, you too, go ahead."

By the time they exited the shop, satiated, the rain had let up considerably. Sendoh borrowed an umbrella from the shopowner, insisting on walking with Rukawa to the station. "My house in on the other side of the station, so it's on the way. You know Denny's? It's right above. Seventh floor."

"Hn."

The earlier shower had made the air feel colder, and Rukawa felt a sudden chill as a gentle breeze passed them. He zipped up his jacket and felt a sense of relief wash over him as the train station came into view.

"Thanks for the game today."

Sendoh brushed it off easily. "No worries, it was fun."

"See you, then." He gave a last nod in the older boy's direction and bounded up the platform.

Sendoh watched Rukawa as he boarded the train, and remained there for a long time after.

#####

Rukawa awoke with a start. Blinking once, twice, he surveyed his surroundings and the train handrails came into review. Had he fallen asleep on the train? He looked outside. The buildings looked familiar, so he hadn't yet missed his stop. He sighed again, feeling strangely lethargic. Maybe he was coming down with something. That would certainly explain why he felt so odd. He felt his forehead, but there were no signs of a fever. He would drop by the pharmacy on his way home, he decided. Perhaps a painkiller or two would help. And then he could sleep the whole thing off.

The train pulled to a stop. "Shohoku Station."

"Shohoku Station."

He exited the station and turned a corner. On the other side of the road, he glimpsed Miyagi Ryota, the new Shohoku captain, twirling a ball in his fingers, presumably having finished a workout.

The captain seemed to have spotted him as well, but instead of a friendly acknowledgement, his eyes narrowed in what seemed to be a challenging gaze.

Rukawa was confused. He knew he wasn't well-liked, but he wasn't used to having someone that wasn't Sakuragi on their team look at him with such animosity.

He crossed the road quickly and noticed that the other did not follow suit. "Hi," He managed a quick greeting, bowing his head slightly.

"Hi," Miyagi said. "Fancy bumping into you here."

I live here. He wanted to say, even more confused. He shook his head again, feeling a nagging heaviness on his skull. "I, uh, was practicing. I'm heading home now."

Miyagi was regarding him with something between suspicion and confusion. "The station is that way," he jerked a thumb in the opposite direction where Rukawa had come from.

"I… know." His head ached. He needed those painkillers and some sleep, desperately.

"Well, then." Miyagi said eventually, giving a slight nod in his direction before turning to leave. Rukawa watched him take a few steps, before spinning around again.

"We'll beat Ryonan even without Akagi. You'll see, Sendoh."

Rukawa froze.

Sendoh?

Had their captain lost his mind? Which part of him looked even remotely like Sendoh?

Wait. He hesistantly looked down as his hands. They felt normal, callused. Then a glimpse of black basketball shoes caught his eye. Wait, these aren't mine… He thought suddenly. His head ached warningly when he tried to recall anything about the earlier events of the day. Sleep, he finally decided. He needed some medication and sleep. He would figure this out later.

No one else was around when Rukawa arrived home. He downed some painkillers with a swig of water and headed for a quick shower before collapsing on the bed, exhausted.

#####

The throbbing headache was gone when he awoke. It was bright outside, so he must have slept through the night.

He rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Releasing the tap, he threw water over his face, leaving a cooling sensation against his slightly flushed face. Then he looked up in the mirror and stilled, suddenly.

Rukawa's heart pounded hard in his chest, like he had just done twenty laps around the court. He closed his eyes and shook his head, once, twice, before opening them again unsurely.

Fancy bumping into you here.

The station is that way.

We'll beat Ryonan even without Akagi. You'll see, Sendoh.

Sendoh…

In the mirror, the familiar reflection of Sendoh Akira stared back at him unsmilingly.

Rukawa swore aloud.

Author notes: This was born out of boredom and procrastination, heavily influenced by every single body switch story you have ever read in your life. I'm intending for this to be a multi-chaptered fic, though I hope it will not go longer than 5 chapters (we'll see about that). It really depends on how much fun I have writing Rukawa and Sendoh with switched bodies. Not much of it has been addressed here, but hopefully the next chapter should be funnier, and more fun.

This is entirely work-in-progress, so feel free to ask questions and give me ideas. I have a vague idea of how I want this to go, but as it is with writing things rarely go according to plan. Reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated! Where's the Senru, you ask? Well... we'll get there, I promise.