Switching Places
by Garnet Alexandria

One fair morning, Rukawa and Sendoh played a one-on-one game in Basketball. And, as usual, Rukawa lost. "Heh, heh... better train more Kaede!" Sendoh said.
So far, Sendoh and Rukawa had been best friends for about... since kindergarten. Suddenly it started to rain. "Let's just stay in my house. It's the nearest." Rukawa suggested.
"Okay." Sendoh agreed.
So, they ran all the way to Rukawa's house. "Master Kaede, what happened to you?! You're soaking wet!" Rukawa's care-taker exclaimed.
"It's not my fault that I got wet." Rukawa retorted.
"Go to the bathroom and take a bath or you'll get sick. You too, Akira." Rukawa's care-taker ordered.
"Akira, come on." Rukawa called.
Rukawa and Sendoh went in the bathroom. "I hate my care-taker. She's always bossing me around." Rukawa informed.
Sendoh just ignored Rukawa and stared at their reflection in the mirror. "We look alike a lot, don't you think? If only I cut my hair, no one could tell us apart!" Sendoh said.
Rukawa looked at the mirror as well. "Sendoh, will you switch places with me?" Rukawa asked.
"Huh?" Sendoh asked back, raising an eyebrow.
"If we look alike a lot, no one could tell who's who. I really want to get out of this house. Your house's more peaceful." Rukawa explained.
"Hmm... sounds good! Good thing I brought my beloved hair gel with me. You just need to cut my hair like yours."
Rukawa immediately got scissors then trimmed Sendoh's hair. After a while, Sendoh looked like Rukawa (it's just that he's smiling, and Rukawa's not). "Don't smile, will you? It's creepy."
"Yes, yes. Now, how do we explain your short hair?" Sendoh asked.
"Let's just say... I had a haircut."
"As if your caretaker would fall for that. Anyway, you have to smile Kaede, I mean it. Everyone would be suspicious of a Sendoh with a blank expression." Sendoh told Rukawa.
"You, make your voice soft and NEVER talk before someone else does. Just talk if someone talks to you. One more thing, don't be friendly... especially with those annoying girls. Just ignore them."
After taking a bath, Sendoh made Rukawa's hair stand. After a few attempts, Rukawa's hair finally stood and the two looked like twins (a/n: Siamese twins, to be exact.. Joke!). Then, they put on their clothes. Rukawa got Sendoh's bag then went out of his room. "Kaede, don't forget to do my assignment, okay?"
"Got that." Rukawa said then walked to the main door.
When Sendoh heard Rukawa's care-taker's voice, he went down to see what happened. "Did Master Kaede cut your hair, Akira?" Rukawa's care-taker asked.
"What made you ask that?" Rukawa managed to ask, sounding like Sendoh.
"I know very well how Master Kaede cuts things, and I know that you still have a shoulder-length hair a while ago." Rukawa's care-taker replied.
"Okay, I'm going." Rukawa informed, still sounding like Sendoh.
"Kae—I mean Akira, I'm going with you." Sendoh called.
When, Sendoh approached Rukawa, Rukawa elbowed him. "You're loud." Rukawa muttered as they were about to go out of the house.
"Wait there you two."
Rukawa and Sendoh froze. "Uh-oh." Sendoh whispered, thinking that Kaede's care-taker must've seen through their disguise already.
"It's still raining, bring umbrellas with you." Kaede's care-taker said. Yes, the care-taker have seen through their disguise but she decided that it wouldn't hurt to play along with their game.
Rukawa and Sendoh sighed in relief. "I thought it was the end of switching places" Rukawa whispered back.
So, the two went to Sendoh's house. "Okay Kaede, I'll leave you here. We'll change places again tomorrow. By the way, don't sleep during classes, okay?"
"I'll try."
"Okay, see you!"
"See you."
Rukawa went in Sendoh's room and put down Sendoh's bag. "I better do his assignments." Rukawa told hiself as he grabbed a pencil from Sendoh's desk.

~*~

Back to Sendoh, he walked back to Rukawa's house then stared at it for a while. "His house is so big." Sendoh told himself.
"Master Kaede!" Rukawa's care-taker called, her eyes twinkling.
"What?"
"What do you want for dinner?"
"Anything nice to eat."
"Beef stew or curry?"
"Beef stew."
Then, Rukawa's care-taker walked away. Sendoh went inside the bathroom then saw his beloved hair gel. "I forgot to give this to Kaede!" Sendoh exclaimed.
Sendoh grabbed the bottle of gel then raced to the main door. "Where are you going Master Kaede?" Rukawa's care-taker asked.
'Why does she just pop out of nowhere? Now I understand why Kaede can't take this place anymore.' Sendoh thought. "To Akira's house. He forgot his gel." Sendoh replied, making his voice really soft.
"That would have to wait. You'll see each other tomorrow, right?"
Sendoh panicked. "But, his hair—"
"No buts. Be ready for dinner at 7."

~*~

The next day, In Sendoh's house, Rukawa tried to wake up early. He tried to look for Sendoh's hair gel but couldn't find it. "I forgot to bring it!" Rukawa exclaimed.
Rukawa knocked on Sendoh's parents room. "What is it?" Sendoh's mother asked.
"Um... do you have a gel?" Rukawa asked back.
"Your dad has one but it's unlike the gel you use."
"That's fine."
"Where's your gel, Akira?" Sendoh's father asked as he handed his gel to Rukawa.
"I left it in Kaede's."
"When did you have a haircut? You almost look like Kaede."
"Yesterday. Thanks for the gel."
Then, Kaede ran back to Sendoh's room then tried to fix his hair. It took him an hour to make his hair stand, but even a soft breeze would blow most of his hair down. "Dad, do you mind if I bring your gel with me to school? My hair keeps on falling down."
"No problem, son."
Rukawa wore Sendoh's school uniform, grabbed Sendoh's basketball uniform then stuffed it in Sendoh's bag. As Rukawa was walking to school, one of Sendoh's friends, Koshino, approached him. "Akira, you had a haircut?" Koshino asked.
"Yeah."
Suddenly, a breeze came and blew most of Rukawa's hair down. "What happened to your spiky hair? It became soft." Koshino said, touching Rukawa's hair.
"I left my.. uh.. beloved hair gel in Kaede's." Rukawa explained.
"Irresponsible." Koshino muttered.

~*~

Back to Sendoh, he woke up a bit late so he immediately grabbed his gel and Rukawa's basketball uniform then stuffed it inside Rukawa's bag then he wore Rukawa's school uniform. He immediately rode Rukawa's bike to Shohoku school. "It's nice to live near a school... you don't need to wake up early."
During class, the teachers were surprised because Sendoh was participating in class. "Rukawa, what happened to you that you're participating in class?" one of the teachers asked.
"I just like to." Sendoh replied.
During basketball practice, Sendoh took it seriously and Captain Akagi was amazed. "Rukawa, if you keep that up, you'll beat Sendoh." Akagi commented.
Suddenly, the Rukawa fanclub girls came and cheered Sendoh. Sendoh was about to smile at them but he remembered that Rukawa's not supposed to smile so he just ignored.

~*~

Rukawa, on the other hand, tried not to sleep in class. Thank goodness Koshino was there to poke his back whenever he was about to fall asleep. During basketball practice, he kept on arranging his hair because it kept on falling down. "Sendoh, will you stop arranging your hair and be serious?!" Coach Taoka scolded.
"Sorry, coach!" Rukawa apologized, cheerfully.

~*~

So, Sendoh and Rukawa's day was that. After school, they met in a basketball court. "Time to switch places again." Sendoh informed.
"Sendoh, never forget your gel cause a normal gel won't hold your hair even if it's this short." Rukawa said.
Sendoh smiled. "You know, my hairstyle looks good on you. Plus, you look really, really nice when you're smiling." Sendoh commented.
Rukawa grinned. "Better smile from now on..." Rukawa said.

~END~

**DISCLAIMER** I do not own Slam Dunk or any Slam Dunk characters in this fanfiction. They are property of Inoue Takehiko.

Author's Notes: How was it? *sigh* Yes, I know the story's stupid. But, please, I really want to know what you think about this story... Anyway, I edited a few wrong grammars I've spotted in this fic... but, if you find some more, kindly tell me. (Here's my email: silvertears89@yahoo.com) And, oh yeah! Please review! Thank you..