Disclaimer: As usual, the characters in Slam Dunk do not belong to me and belong to their respective owner(s). Aside from the characters I create, I do not mean to infringe on any current copyrights on the series and this fan fiction is merely a means of promoting Slam Dunk and to serve as a creative outlet for my writing. Thank you.

Authors Note: I'd just like to thank all the readers and writers on FanFiction. Also, thanks to Inoue Takehiko for creating the wonderful series and I hope he knows we are all still expecting that sequel someday.

Reviews:

Cal Reflector – Hey man! It's been a while since I heard from you.

Yep, Shohoku is starting to fight back… we'll just have to see if it's enough. Thanks for the review!

Yun Fei- Wow, I think that's the longest review you ever gave me. Thank you. XD

You summed up Rukawa's situation nicely, and yeah, Sakuragi is talented and has a lot of potential in basketball, sometimes so much so he doesn't even recognize it, in my opinion. And yes, Rukawa and Sakuragi are going to have to learn to work together, as does the rest of the team.

Thanks a lot for your comments about my story, I don't deserve it since there are lots of better writers than me—including you. XD So there.

Yoka- Hi! Yes, let's hope Rukawa kicks some butt and learns from his mistakes. Thanks for the review!

Adjustment- All right, I'll try to churn out those chapters whenever I can. Thanks for the review!

LackykaDz- Erm… I update as fast as I can, dear. I can't force the story. XD

And thanks for the review.


Chapter 49 – Aces

Keita gave the ball up to Eiji again, and as soon as Eiji touched the ball a figure loomed over him. Eiji glanced up and saw Rukawa, looking much more relaxed… but also alert, ready for anything.

"You just have to understand one thing: my team is going to win today."

Cocky bastard, Eiji snorted. However… he couldn't deny he felt a bit of nervousness at such a bold statement. No one in America or Japan had ever made a statement like that: only this guy, Kanagawa's seed, had ever had the nerve to exclaim that he would have the ability to beat Eiji.

No… not even in America… Eiji thought, putting the ball on the floor.

Eiji had attended a private high school in America, and played competitive basketball whenever he had the chance. Things had been good there; Eiji finally found his niche in life, and he moved from bench warmer, to sixth man, to starter in about a month despite the language barrier. Of course, he had learned enough English to get by, and now he would say he was proficient at it. There weren't too many odd looks at his being a starter in America, although there were racist murmuring around that Eiji ignored. Eiji knew he had to prove himself on the court, and nowhere else.

Competition had always been fierce. Eiji had outstanding athleticism, but it paled to some of the other players on other high school teams. Everything had definitely taken a step up, and American basketball was truly difficult; Eiji had bitterly noted that most American high school teams could probably take on Japanese college teams… and maybe even win.

"Japanese basketball is weak," Eiji muttered acrimoniously to Rukawa. Rukawa seemed hardly fazed at Eiji confiding in him, and instead made a very brief challenge.

"Beat me."

Eiji looked up. "What?"

Rukawa jabbed a hand forward and almost got a steal off Eiji. "Japanese basketball is not weak. If you can beat me…"

Eiji stared at Rukawa, then genuinely smiled for the first time in the whole game. If his father had been here to watch his son smile, he would know what it meant: Eiji felt a challenge worth his time.

"I accept."

Eiji rushed forward as Rukawa guarded him. Rukawa was pushing his body to match that of Eiji's newfound athleticism, and found he was still a step short. As Eiji lifted into the air to shoot, Rukawa quickly moved away, which surprised Eiji enough to shoot the shot a bit unfocused. The ball rimmed out, and the first to the rebound this time was none other than Rukawa.

"Ah! Rukawa! That was mine!" Sakuragi yelled, but Rukawa ignored him.

If my shot is off, I must do other things… Rukawa thought, passing the ball to Miyagi. Miyagi nodded, and motioned for an isolation play for Rukawa. Rukawa moved to the right side of the basket, and took the pass from Miyagi when Miyagi had crossed the half-court line.

Rukawa didn't hestitate this time and quickly spun around Eiji, racing for the basket. As soon as he had enter Mikio's area, he faked and smoothly turned the fake into a no-look pass out towards Mitsui, who was once again open from the three-point corner. Mitsui shot the ball carefully, and the snap of the net made the scores 67-64.

"Nice pass, Rukawa!" Miyagi called. Rukawa definitely has great court vision…

Kogure smiled. We're getting very, very close…

Keita glanced at Eiji, who made sure to avoid his teammates looks. He knew what they were thinking: Did a player from America just get faked by someone from Japan?

Looks like we're right back to last year, Eiji mused. Maybe you'll be worth playing, after all…

Despite what the players may have been thinking, Keita passed the ball to their ace, once again. Eiji didn't hesitate either as he lifted into the air, shooting his explosive jumper… and was promptly blocked by Rukawa.

"Rukawa! Amazing!" Haruko cheered from the benches in delight as Mitsui scooped the loose ball up first. Rukawa shook his hand a bit, as it was already beginning to sting from the sheer force of Eiji's jumper.

Eiji, on the other hand, was confused. Where did he suddenly get that agility?

Anzai chuckled to himself at the benches. Ayako and Kogure were smiling happily, as was the rest of the Shohoku bench.

"I knew it…" Kogure grinned. "If Rukawa really sets his mind to something, who knows what his limit is?"

Hiroshi slowly inched away from Sato, watching Rukawa carefully. That block… he really is a great defensive player, if he puts his mind to it…

Miyagi threw the ball down into the post, where Sakuragi was waiting. Sakuragi faked against Mikio, then dribbled in a few feet before Mikio forced him to stop. Sakuragi lifted into the air and shot a short jumper that bounced off the rim.

"Damn!" Sakuragi moved to take the offensive rebound, but another Shohoku jersey raced in from the weak side and snatched the ball out of midair. In the blink of an eye, the ball was passed back out and into Rukawa's hands.

Hiroshi landed, not stopping to wait for Sato to catch up from his stealing the offensive rebound as Rukawa threw the ball right back to Hiroshi. Hiroshi, using Sakuragi as a screen, shot an unguarded jump shot of his own and swished it neatly through the basket.

"All right! One more point!" Miyagi yelled at his players, smacking the gym floor with his hands. "Let's get this!"

The crowd was beginning to get antsy, seeing their beloved team once again struggling to close Shohoku out. Doumoto grimaced. What does it take to beat this team? They were down by so much, and looked to be at their limits… and suddenly they're past that, and playing at a different level…

Keita, ever playing the role of a sage point guard, passed down to Mikio on Sannoh's possesion.

Maki nodded. Brilliant move… truly, you are an expert point guard, Keita… trying to pressure Sakuragi with his four fouls to guard the physical Mikio is the wisest choice to make…

Mikio backed in to Sakuragi, and Sakuragi was forced to play him a little lighter than he would as soon as he saw the referee watching the match-up carefully.

"Dou ahou."

A voice.

Sakuragi glanced at Rukawa from the corner of his eye. Rukawa made a gesture with his hand to the scoreboard as he subtly challenged the redhead. "I don't see four fouls being a challenge for you."

That punk Rukawa… Sakuragi thought menacingly. But he's right… when has foul trouble stopped this Tensai!

Sakuragi redoubled his force against Mikio, lowering his center of gravity and using his monstrous leg strength to hold back a monstrous center. Mikio stopped, then turned to lay the ball up.

"What'd I say, meatball!" Sakuragi growled as he boxed Mikio out. "You made your last shot of the game a while ago, remember!"

The ball bounced out, and Sakuragi stole the rebound with one hand, swinging it back to his other to get a better grip.

Maki smiled and leaned back into his seat. But then again… playing against Sakuragi… what is the right move to make against an unpredictable guy like that?

"Ryo-chin!" Sakuragi looked up and passed to Shohoku's captain. Miyagi gave Sakuragi a thumbs-up with one hand, resulting in a grin of pride from the redhead.

"All right! Come on, Shohoku!" Miyagi called, hoping the fatigue he was feeling wasn't evident in his voice. Just a couple more minutes… then I can rest…

Miyagi passed over to Mitsui, who gave Yoshito a sharp look.

"You've been quiet. Feeling some pressure?"

"Shut up. What you did last year won't happen again."

"Really. And what makes you think you can stop us? Especially since I'm ahead of you?"

Yoshito glanced at Mitsui. "What?"

"You're not keeping score anymore? Huh. I think the score is…"

Mitsui stopped in mid-sentence, throwing the ball to Sakuragi. Sakuragi was about to go against Mikio again when he saw Mitsui grin at him, then mouth a single word.

Sakuragi returned Mitsui's grin, then quickly dribbled out of the paint before pausing inside the three-point arc. Mitsui raced by, and plucked the ball from Sakuragi's hands as Sakuragi's screen stopped Yoshito and Mikio momentarily.

Mitsui lifted into the air, and shot another three-pointer that swished through the net brilliantly. 67-69, Shohoku's lead.

Mitsui pointed at himself. "That shot counts as a hundred. I think I just won our little matchup, don't you think?

"Shohoku! Great, great job!" Kogure clapped from the sidelines, cheering the team on. Ayako was giggling in glee, watching Shohoku suddenly fight back with vengence.

"Hanamichi! Doing some useful things for once!" The Sakuragi Army called from the bleachers.

"Micchi! Breathtaking! Beautiful!" Nori was in tears as he swung his flag from behind the other spectators, ignoring the looks he was getting. "Only the Man of Fire can do something like make three three-pointers in a row!"

Doumoto rose from his kneeling spot, and angrily stabbed his hands together as he moved to the scorekeeper's table to request his timeout that was instantly granted. The crowd had a few sparse cheers for some Shohoku supporters, but otherwise the audience was relatively silent.

However, as soon as Shohoku's starters reached the bench, Anzai stopped their celebration immediately.

"It's not over."

Miyagi and the others clamped their mouths shut. Anzai looked at all his players, then chuckled.

"…Although I must say, I am very impressed with your desire to win. Rukawa-kun, do you think you can beat #9 now?"

Rukawa nodded confidentially. "Yes."

"Stupid fox! And you tell me not to be arrogant!" Sakuragi threateningly moved up to Rukawa, but Miyagi grabbed Sakuragi's jersey and pulled him right back.

"Then, Miyagi-kun, continue our plans as before."

"All right, Sensei."

Ayako stepped up to Miyagi, and placed a cool hand against Miyagi's cheek that instantly drew a crimson blush. "Ryota, is your jaw all right? I saw you get hit pretty hard."

Miyagi ignored Sakuragi elbowing Mitsui in the ribs with a smirk as they laughed at his expense. "Don't worry, Aya-chan. I'll manage."

Kogure watched the two with some mild interest, but didn't dwell on it as he nodded at Sakuragi.

"Sakuragi, you sure learned a lot since I was gone."

"Of course! This Tensai will master all of basketball!" Sakuragi then laughed in self-bravado as Rukawa sighed, wiping more sweat from his face. Hiroshi sat apart from the others as he drank Pocari Sweat, thinking his own thoughts.

"Guess it had to happen… Shohoku won't ever take a loss easily with the type of players they have," Takeshi smiled, as the rest of the players in the bleachers relaxed a bit for the timeout. "Although I must admit, Keita is a very good point guard. Even Miyagi is having some trouble, huh?"

Fujima nodded. "Yes, but I think Miyagi should be able to hold his own against Keita. He has done a fair job against him so far, and he's certainly playing with much more experience than last year."

"You're being nice as always, Fujima."

Hanagata smiled kindly as Fujima glanced up at the tall center, who was standing in the aisle. Fujima pointed at his watch, not looking surprised at Hangata's sudden appearance.

"Excuse me? You waltz in here this late and expect to make everything better with one compliment?"

Hanagata pushed up his glasses. "Didn't hurt to try."

Fujima stood, then held out his hand, his mock anger dissolving. "…It's good to see you again, my friend."

"Likewise," Hanagata shook Fujima's hand strongly. The tall bespectacled center of Shoyo seemed a lot more relaxed than his years in high school basketball, and he had gained a fair amount of muscle. Otherwise, his relatively handsome face still remained the same. Once regarded as among the premier centers in Kanagawa with his blend of agility and finesse rather than the brute force of most centers, Hanagata still brought his aura of maturity and calm wherever he went.

Maki, Jin, and Sendoh stood, and Hanagata started. "You're all here?"

Maki nodded in greeting at Hanagata. "Good to see you doing well."

Hanagata shook hands with Jin, Maki, and Sendoh professionally. "Same to all of you."

Sendoh gave Hanagata his trademark carefree smile as Fujima chuckled. "I'm starting to feel old. All the old generation players gathered here to watch you young guys play."

Kiyota, Takeshi, and Takuma laughed at Fujima's words. Sendoh flashed another smile.

"I suppose I'm the bridge between the two generations," Sendoh chuckled. Hanagata nodded at Sendoh.

"I heard Ryonan is doing well from Fujima. Congratulations. Did you win today?"

"Thank you. Yes, we did," Sendoh replied, sitting back down. "It was a good match."

"I see. Although since you are the Genius of Basketball, I wasn't too surprised to hear that you were doing well. You're becoming a legend, you know. I see you in magazines and newspapers all the time."

Sendoh waved it off. "They over exaggerate my skills. I still have a lot to learn."

Maki and Fujima smiled at Sendoh's modesty as well as his genuine attitude. Sendoh truly didn't care about his reputation, as long as he was playing the sport he loved.

Hanagata nodded, as he took a seat of his own. "How is Shohoku doing?"

Fujima motioned to the floor. "See for yourself."

As Fujima said his words, Shohoku and Sannoh took the floor once again. Sannoh looked mildly concerned, but they still had the confidence of former champions. The referee handed the ball off to Sato, who was to inbound the ball.

Miyagi knelt into defensive position as the clock, frozen at 8:12, started up again once the ball was inbounded to Keita.

Miyagi slapped the ball away from Keita, but as soon as Miyagi had gotten his hand on the ball, Keita stole it right back expertly. Keita then threw a lightning-quick pass to Eiji, who immediately shot over Rukawa and drained a three-pointer to give Sannoh the lead again.

Eiji didn't gloat over his shot, as it hadn't been easy under Rukawa's renewed defensive pressure. Mitsui inbounded the ball to Miyagi, and as soon as the Shohoku offense had set up, Miyagi passed over to Rukawa.

Rukawa judged his distance carefully, and as soon as there was an opening in the congestion under the basket, Rukawa drove forward. Rukawa's eyes never deviated from his target as Eiji matched Rukawa's speed before Rukawa jumped into the air, making the reverse layup just barely before stumbling back onto the floor.

Sendoh smiled in appreciation. Good, you figured it out… if your shooting isn't doing well, you have to start attacking the basket…

"Those two are really going at it…" Kogure observed as Rukawa watched Eiji the whole trip down the floor. And for once, they seem to be a bit more evenly matched…

Never failing to trust their ace, Keita again ran a play for Eiji. Eiji dribbled without thinking, but in a matter of seconds he realized that it wasn't an ideal situation for him to drive. Eiji did anyway, and Rukawa was able to lead him to both Hiroshi and Sakuragi's area. Eiji jumped into the air and shot despite the triple-team, and the ball bounced out of the inner part of the cylinder. Rukawa caught the rebound over Sakuragi, and waved Miyagi off, insisting he would run this possession.

"Shooting under triple teams isn't always smart."

Eiji looked at Rukawa questioningly. Rukawa stared at him blankly.

"You're having trouble against me."

Eiji frowned. "You haven't won yet."

Rukawa cut towards the basket as soon as Eiji finished his sentence, and made a precise bounce pass right into Miyagi's hands as he raced around Sakuragi and made a gentle floater. 70-73.

Doumoto's hand tightened into a fist. Eiji… we have faith in you…

Keita was starting to falter under Miyagi's defense, since the whole Shohoku team had already caught on that Keita was planning to pass to Eiji. As a change of pace, Keita faked to Eiji then drove in on his own, catching Shohoku's defense off guard as he paused, shooting a controlled jumper over Miyagi that pushed the scores to 72-73.

"Ryota! Be careful!" Ayako warned from the benches. Miyagi nodded.

Right… everyone on Sannoh is dangerous… I started to slack off Keita, because he had been distributing the ball so much…

Miyagi gave the ball up to Mitsui this time, and Mitsui waited for a brief second before throwing the ball over to a streaking Rukawa. Rukawa jumped into the air, about to shoot the jumper as Eiji followed. In mid-air, Rukawa quickly shifted his position and laid the ball off to Hiroshi. Hiroshi shot as soon as he touched the ball, but Sato's reflexes were a bit too quick and he blocked the shot. Yoshito was the first to the ball, and he started to push it upcourt with Keita and Eiji close at his heels.

Mitsui managed to get in front of Yoshito, but Yoshito smoothly passed the ball off to Keita. Keita stopped at the three-point line, and amazingly, shot the ball.

Miyagi watched in shock as he slowed his run to a jog. A three-pointer during a fast break?

The ball fell through the air… and swished through the net. 75-73.

"Keita! Nice job!" The crowd cheered as Mitsui took the ball out, an eyebrow raised in amazement as he looked over at Miyagi, who returned the look.

Jin stroked his chin. "Keita has good form when he shoots as well… his shooting is always very calculated and precise…"

Doumoto nodded. Keita, you are definitely the most stable on this team… that's why you are our point guard…

Miyagi sighed. Is there anything that guy can't do?

Keita's attempt at a steal made Miyagi's attention snap back to the game. Miyagi quickly pulled the ball back and then ran past Keita, his speed still managing to get the better of the other point guard as Miyagi suddenly saw the perfect opportunity. Miyagi lobbed the ball up high, as Rukawa and Miyagi once again tried an alley-oop. However, just like last time, Eiji slapped the ball away, his athleticism far too much to handle.

Sakuragi picked up the loose ball and threw it back out to Hiroshi, who made brief eye contact with Rukawa. Hiroshi lifted into the air and shot the ball lazily, not minding that Sato was guarding him tightly… and as the shot air-balled, Rukawa took the "pass" and slammed it into the basket, catching Eiji and the rest of Sannoh off-guard.

"Whoa! An alley-oop!" The crowd was pleased at seeing more entertaining plays as Fujima, Sendoh, Jin, Kiyota, and Takeshi remembered that play between Hiroshi and Rukawa from the Kainan match just a while back.

Keita inbounded to Eiji, and Eiji gave Rukawa a look of defiance.

"Let's finish this."

Rukawa returned Eiji's look. "I don't think you can."

Eiji smiled again, as the two aces stared each other down. "Oh? If you think you can beat me this easily, you kid yourself."

Eiji then burst into a run, with Rukawa close at his heels.