Hi!! This is my first ever fan fic that's published here... constructive comments please.. don't be too harsh on me..hahaha! I know I still have a lot to work on.. nonetheless, I do hope you appreciate my work! Thank you!!!

Chapter 1: The Two Encounters

It was a bright, sunny morning at Kanagawa Prefecture, and most people in the neighborhood are preparing for the day. Meanwhile, a girl in ponytail is already outside, doing her jog, not because she needs to be fit, she just feels like doing this routine every time she finds she has nothing to do in the morning, or whenever she gets up earlier than she expected.

She's been going for about half an hour already, and every now and then she takes a rest to catch her breath. She would always make sure she passes by that particular basketball practice court near her house, hoping to find someone using it. Unfortunately, she hasn't been very lucky.

She said in between gasps, "Not again…" bending her arms, "It's been forever since I saw Rukawa-kun practicing here. I'm hopeless."

The girl then reminisced the time she saw him, at the court, alone and practicing real hard. Her heart started pounding again as she pictured his face in her mind.

She shook her head, dismissing the thought. "Darn it, all I did was just stare at him… how could I be so stupid, I didn't even approach him and start a conversation!!" she said, full of regret. "Hmm.. well, it's not my fault his shots were so cool to watch, it's like I want to freeze time whenever he shoots the ball…"

She let out a big sigh and continued her jogging. Her breaths became deeper as she trudged an uphill street. But not far away was someone fast approaching, in the opposite direction and she wasn't able to see the person until the person came to the horizon of her view. Upon seeing the figure, she easily recognized him and her heart skipped a beat. She wanted to stop but her body didn't respond. Instead, she ended up bumping on him which made her fall on her back. On the other hand, the guy didn't notice her at first, and it took him about a second before he could respond to what happened. He helped her get up. The girl turned red in embarrassment.

"Rukawa-kun! It's you!" she said nervously, "I see… you're not on your bicycle today."

"It's broken," Rukawa replied, his face very indifferent.

"So you're gonna practice there?" she asked, her head turning to the basketball court nearby.

"Yeah."

"Okay," she beamed. "Do your best, Rukawa-kun! For the Inter-High Games!" raising her arms in excitement. Rukawa simply nodded.

There was a slight moment of silence. Then Rukawa gestured, telling the cheerful girl he should be going already. She simply smiled and waved him goodbye. As she turned to go her own way, Rukawa called her.

"Hey."

She looked back.

"See you around… Akagi." Rukawa awkwardly said, then gone to practice.

Haruko froze, her brain trying to process what he just said. But as everything started to sink in, she let out a giggle. Before she even got over it, something lying on the ground caught her eye. It was a towel that belonged to Rukawa. She immediately picked it up and removed the dust it caught.

"Should I give this to him now? I guess I should just give this to him tomorrow at school, I'm sure he doesn't want anyone bothering him right now…"

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"I lost it again."

Kaede Rukawa is at the basketball court, doing his daily practice. It's been two days after the regional games and now he's warming himself up for the national competition. The road will be tougher from now on, he thought. He made a couple of jump and lay-up shots. Afterwards, he decided to call it a day, finishing his practice with a magnificent dunk. With his towel gone, again, he wiped his face with his shirt.

He sat on a bench nearby, contemplating. At last, he'll be able to play on the nationals, though he didn't expect to participate in it this early. He remembered Akagi and Kogure who even waited until their senior year the ticket to their dreams. He felt very confident about the Shohoku team, since they also have Mitsui and Miyagi with them. Irritation came to him when Sakuragi crossed his mind.

It was almost noon. And he is tired. Maybe some more sleep will do the trick.

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The next day, the students are starting to arrive at Shohoku High School as classes are about to start. Haruko ran as fast as she could to make it in time for her first class.

"I made it," Haruko said, her hands gripping the door. "That was close."

Her friends looked at her. "You're almost late, Haruko."

"Yeah I know, I just forgot something," she replied.

"Forgot what?"

"Oh, it's nothing… nothing at all!" she told them, explaining things to them would be even more troublesome, and besides, she didn't feel like telling them her "Rukawa Encounter" at this minute.

Haruko had a hard time concentrating, her mind was pre-occupied with thoughts of Rukawa, and she already began composing what she would say when she approaches him. Lunch break came and she thought this will be her chance to look for Rukawa. But to her disappointment, he was nowhere to be found.

"I guess I just have to give this to him later, I'm sure he'll be at the gym this afternoon."

Time passed by swiftly. Haruko's friends went home ahead of her and she told them she had to excuse herself because she still had to return Rukawa's towel.

When she arrived at the gym, it was really quiet. There she remembered, "Shoot! I forgot there's no practice for the team today!!! Kyaaaaaahh!!"

Just as she was about to go home, someone turned on the lights of the gymnasium. Curious, she went back to see who's in there. Maybe one of big brother's team mates, she thought.

She walked slowly towards the gym's entrance, trying hard not to make any noise. Before she reached the doors, she could hear the bounce of a basketball, echoing throughout the place.

Someone's practicing at this time, eh?

The moment the basketball court came into view, her jaw dropped when she saw a man make a jump shot that seemed so surreal.

"That was just awesome!" she said to herself.

The man heard her and looked at her direction.