Author's notes:

I don't really know what got to me for making this fanfic. I just saw a hot picture of Rukawa on photobucket so I decided to dedicate this fanfic to him… please enjoy!

Chapter 1: Old Routine and the Cat

Three shots… Man! That black haired guy had already shot three balls at the hoop and he only shot one?! Man, he needs practice.

The red head sighed, sat on the bench and wiped his sweat off with his towel. It took him a minute to catch his breath back to him. He then watched the man with the glasses clap his hands and showed a great smile.

"Hey team! Good work!" Kogure smiled as the other players of Shohoku began refreshing themselves.

"That was a good practice. Made lots of improvements. Even Sakuragi here." Ayako smiled as she pointed the pen towards the redhead that was sitting on the bench.

"HAHAH! OF COURSE!!" as usual, Hanamichi's bluff.

"Well, that wraps it up for today's practice. We'll just have to call it a day."

After a few minutes, everyone was busying themselves infront of their lockers, fixing their things.

"Oi, Mitsui! Great job! You shot three 3-pointers today! Hahha that was awesome!" Miyagi complimented the guy as he pat him kind of hard on his back.

"Haha! Thanks a lot! Man, I'm soooo tired! I will have to sleep early today!" Mitsui sighed as he finally closed his locker.

"Well, gotta go guys. See ya on Monday." He bid farewell to the other guys and left the court.

"Hanamichi! How about ya? Any plans?" Ryota asked the redhead as he turned to his left. Hanamichi laughed.

"Do you think I still have the time to be goofing off in some snack resto or arcade? I have to practice basketball! Hahha!" Sakuragi laughed himself out finally closing his locker.

"Wow… you're really working hard for the team aren't ya? I'm happy for you man! See ya on Monday!" Ryota bid farewell and left the locker room.

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"So you told them that you have no time for restos and arcades? Yeah right?" Yohei Mito laughed himself out as he took a sip of the softdrink.

"Yeaaahhh… I really wanted to practice today but I don't have anyone to play with." Sakuragi answered as he took a fry of his plate and ate it.

"You can always ask Rukawa to play with you." Nozomi said, biting a huge part of his burger.

"In your freakin' ugly nightmare." Sakuragi answered and turned to the window.

"Speaking of." Yohei said as he saw number eleven walk past the window of the fastfood resto they were hanging out in.

"Damn it…" Hanamichi cursed inwardly. He really, really hates seeing Rukawa top him.

"I know how you feel man, and it suuuucks." Yuji said as he pat his friend, hopefully comforting him.

It somewhat feels weird, everytime he walks on the streets, he always feel eyes watching him, then he would hear soft murmurs as he passes by. Kaede brushes his black hair up, feeling the heat get to him. Feeling the weight of his back strains his shoulder muscle a bit, since walking to his house which is kind of far seems kind of helpful for his daily exercise. Reason? He forgot his bicycle.

Just walking, he heard the sound of a plane and its shadow pass through his feet. He looked up to find a huge plane with its wings covering the blue sky. It seemed cool for a while, then after the plane passed, the hurtful rays of the sun pierced his eyes. While looking up, he stepped forward, only to hear a little…

"Meow…"

He shifted his attention to the ground. A black cat was staring up at him. Bad luck, maybe.

He squatted down to pet the cat. He stroked it, feeling its soft fur. It must be someone's cat. It's neatly pampered and taken care of. He wanted to take the cat home with him but due to circumstances, he can't.

"DYLANN!!"

Then came a girl's voice.

Rukawa looked straight to see the knees of a high school student.

"Anou… excuse me…?"

He stood up.

TO BE CONTINUED…