Hey what's up? This is the very first fanfiction I've ever written and posted; I know I still have some major work to do on written expression, but I just wanted to try for now! Pls R&R!

The Vision

Sakuragi could feel his blood pressure mounting as he watched Rukawa Kaede make an ever-so-perfect shot. His Haruko chan was so infused with admiration that she was ready to fall over any second, which just added fuel to his already sizzling temper. He was more than ready to vent out his frustrations to the fox-faced boy when they got to the locker room.

"Grrr...why did you have to come to Shohoku, you stupid fox? You must have been born just to ruin my happiness...!" His words trailed off as he caught a few seconds of surprise and some other unreadable yet clearly vulnerable expression in the raven head's eyes before they turned cold and emotionless again.

"Why don't you ask yourself why you weren't born competent?" Rukawa shot back at him tonelessly.

The protruding veins on Sakuragi's forehead looked ready to explode any minute. "What....!! Debasing the tensai's flawless talents! I ought to beat the crap out of you..."

"Only do'ahos like you don't realize how stupid you are." He said in a bored voice, and completely ignored the fuming redhead's diatribe as he left the locker room.

"Other than showing off his pitiful basketball skills, that stupid fox sure has a passion for making my day miserable." Sakuragi muttered to Youhei as they walked home from school.

Youhei chuckled. "He has sure gotten better than us when it comes to pissing you off," he noted. Then, a thoughtful looked surfaced on his best friend's face.

"What if...what if Rukawa and you never crossed paths? Where do you think life would be leading you now?"

A pang of unexpected guilt hit the redhead when he remembered what he had said to his rival and the reaction it drew from him. You must have been born just to ruin my happiness! But he shook off that feeling to maintain his pride. "Hmph. It would be all for the better. Oyajii and Gori would hold me much more importantly for the tensai I am, and I'd be the number one player in Kanagawa by now. And of course, Haruko—"

"Would you really have started and stayed in basketball if Rukawa were not there for you to challenge?" Youhei suddenly felt compelled to argue against the other boy.

The question peeved Sakuragi greatly. "Geez, are you forgetting that I met Haruko first?"

"Ah, but she probably would've gone to that all girls school down the block if it weren't for Rukawa, remember she told us?" Youhei countered again, and smiled in satisfaction when the redhead looked even more annoyed with his losing stance.

The redhead could not think of anything to argue against right then, unless he were to say he'd rather not ever have played basketball, and nothing can force him to say that now.

"FINE. Maybe Rukawa helped just a tiny bit, unintentionally, to get me into basketball, but that's all. We have no other purpose to see or have met each other." He muttered grudgingly, as they cut through their local park as a shortcut. Sighing, Youhei raked his brain to keep this debate going, but was suddenly interrupted by a young female voice.

"You needn't worry so much about that boy." The boys turned and found them facing a young woman in her 20's, wearing a traditional fortuneteller's black cloak.

"You seem to wish more than anything that Rukawa Kaede never entered your life, and there is no need to waste your energy on anger now. Instead, you should try pitying his fate, so the guilt won't haunt you later on."

Sakuragi frowned. "What do you know about the fate of the tensai or that stupid fox, miss? And what's with that stupid black blanket in midsummer?"

The woman smiled knowingly, ignoring that offending comment about her attire. "I have no need to confuse you with words. It will be so much easier and effective to show you." She stared straight into the tall boy's deep brown eyes, and for a brief moment, Sakuragi saw a strange glow filling her orbs. He felt his whole body weakening and control breaking down, but he was not able to break away eye contact. Then his vision started to swim, and his conscious mind sunk into a dream-like state.

He found himself back inside the basketball gym, with practice going as usual. At the moment, all eyes were glued on Rukawa, who was posing to make a perfect shot below the basket. Suddenly, a huge cracking sound was heard, and a huge chunk of the glass basket frame detached and plunged down, bashing the stunned boy right on the head. Blood spurted all over, onto Anzai sensei, the two manageresses sitting by him near the benches, and Miyagi, who was standing four feet away on court. Everyone was shocked into silence for five or ten seconds, eyes as wide with disbelief and horror; followed came the earsplitting screams of terror and franticness filled the gym.

Sakuragi, despite his half-conscious state, felt the blood rush from his face and his stomach twist at the sight, and vaguely saw Ayako, blood- stained and trying to control her distress, yell for the phone, so they could call an ambulance. Haruko had passed out then and there.

The whole scene dissolved to reveal a considerably tall middle-aged man, and an older woman beside him who looked remarkably like Rukawa. They were in the same hospital and exact waiting area outside the emergency room he was in when his father was in when he had a heart attack; the memory of his father's death was mercilessly vivid and spared him no minor details. The man had his slender arms around the woman, anxiety and grief clearly portrayed on their faces. The doctor, still in his surgery attire, emerged slowly from the emergency room, his head bent.

"He may not make it through the next hour," he said grimly. "Even if he did, part of his brain is so damaged that he may never be able to move his limbs again."

The woman broke down into huge sobs at these words; the older man just stood there, seemly paralyzed with grief...

"Yo Hanamichi! Snap out of it!!" he heard his best friend's voice full of anxiety, shaking his shoulders with all his strength...then Sakuragi was brought back to reality with a jolt.

"You see, there's no need to hate him anymore...he's going to be gone soon anyways, and in a painful way." The woman said with a sly smile.

"W-what did you do to me?" Sakuragi muttered, panting and his hand on his forehead, trying to get himself together.

"I have the ability to see and convey future visions. Don't worry, there aren't going to be any unwanted after effects..."

"You're just going to let him die like that? Since you know, why don't you warn that fox?" Sakuragi said with disbelief and dismay.

The girl raised her eyebrows in surprise. "There happens to be strife between me and the Rukawa family, so seeing their beloved son's fate is joyous news to me. I just wanted to share my joy with someone. Why are you concerned? Aren't you happy that he'll be out of your way and your life?"

Sakuragi was surprised and taken aback, realizing that it may very well have been his wish. But then he scowled. "Yeah, I would be, but not this way! The tensai himself needs to beat him and have him admit defeat, so he'll know better to show up and annoy me!"

The young fortune teller narrowed her eyes. "I thought I'd be able to make at least one person happy with this news; turns out you're not the one."

She gave out a deep sigh and was about to walk off, but not before looking Sakuragi right into his eyes with a dead serious glare. "Be sure you tell no one, especially Rukawa Kaede himself of this vision, otherwise misfortune will befall you as well." She warned.

"What! Why you...are you trying to threaten the tensai?!"

She turned away. "I have no control over anything. I just interpret certain rules of the supernatural and advise people for or against them." She said indifferently, and went on her way, leaving Sakuragi too dumbfounded to speak, and Youhei lost in confusion. He tugged on his friend's shirt.

"Hana, what's going on here, buddy? Help me out here, I'm totally lost. What did she do to you? Why were you standing there like you were sleeping?" He was surprised to see a hint of dread and helplessness in his best friend's normally lively and determined eyes.

"Youhei...I need some real advice on this."

Three hours later, Sakuragi was sprawled on his mattress, recalling all that had happened that day with wonder, when the phone rang.

"Hey Hana, it's me."

"Youhei..."

"Hanamichi," his friend said a little hesitantly, although his voice was all serious, "I've been thinking about that vision you were talking about, and...that weird lady's right, whether whatever she gave you was authentic or not. You have no reason to do anything for or against Rukawa. Unless you're doing this just because you don't want to see Haruko devastated, but she'll get over it. You guys have been teammates for a while, but it's his own personal fate and life, which you or anyone really shouldn't know about."

"Yeah...maybe it is about Haruko-Chan..." he murmured. Then he frowned. "Wait a minute—I can't believe this! You're the one who taught me to save the wimps and nerds from getting beaten to death by those senior creeps!"

"True, but were any of those situations involved in getting yourself hurt real badly or even killed? If you believe Rukawa's gonna die, you should also believe how you might too, if you interfere. Hana, it's not worth helping a guy who cares about no one but himself."

Sakuragi sat up. "You're underestimating the tensai's amazing ability to survive anything! But yeah...you sure are right about Rukawa."

"I don't want to be so blunt, but I doubt Rukawa would give a damn about you if you guys swapped shoes. And what would your parents think if you threw away your life so recklessly, the life they worked so hard to raise?"

"I get your point, Youhei. The tensai's well-being is not worth risking for that selfish fox." To Youhei's relief, Sakuragi's tone sounded much more sure and confident.

"Alright. Just forget about all of this and try to get some sleep, okay? 'Night."

The redhead tossed down the phone receiver. Youhei was absolutely right about that; he should not let his parents down, even if they aren't with him anymore.

"That stupid fox Rukawa would probably be thankless if I did something anyways, treating a sweet girl like Haruko as if she was non-existant. Maybe he deserves to die." He told himself out loud, confident that he had convinced himself of the right decision. However, as he drifted off to sleep, images of Rukawa earlier that day with that vulnerable look in his eye involuntarily flooded his mind, depriving him of any peaceful rest.

TBC (Hopefully)