:: With Eyes that See ::

[Chapter Five]

[For the Love of the Game]



Disclaimer: Slam Dunk and its characters do not belong to me…

Author's Notes: Tried to make it realistic, so don't kill me!!

Replies: Thanks for reviewing…love y'all!

Icko14: Shika X Rukawa seems possible (Sorry, Kogure-sempai!)

Nellie: Shika will show them!

Keax-XV: I love collies (esp border collies!), labs…





The game progressed, with the teams taking turns to score baskets. Rukawa was playing almost alone, for he never spoke. Mitsui was getting used to saying, "I'm here, I'm here!" and worked well with Shika.

Her passes were good, fast and solid. Most were directed to Mitsui, since she didn't know where Rukawa was half the time.

Once, though, she passed to Rukawa. She had heard him running up on the other side of the breadth of the court, as she dribbled toward the goal. Ryota was in front of her, trying to steal the ball, like he had done a few times before. She took a chance and threw the ball to Rukawa, and was pleasantly surprised when she heard that it was not bouncing along the floor, but had been caught.

Still, she chafed at the way Rukawa was not speaking, and deliberately making things difficult.



The game ended in favour of Akagi's team, naturally. They led by seven points when the ten minutes were up.

Immediately, Ryota was shaking Shika's hand. "Sugoi, sugoi…" he kept muttering. In his head, he was musing over the fact that the ball had been stolen from his hands, his more than capable hands, more than once. In fact, he had lost count. Not good for his dream of being nothing less than the best.



Mitsui pounded her back as he congratulated her on her playing. She was good. It was undeniable. She had been able to pass the ball to him successfully most of the time, and had even got the better of Ryota at times.



Akagi shook her hand warmly. "Great game," he said.



Sakuragi patted her shoulder, "It's okay to lose to the tensai. Mwahahaha…"



Rukawa just walked away.



She smiled as she packed up her things. It was good to play again.

She had gotten over the fear of not being able to see her opponents, and not knowing what was ahead of her. The fear factor was diminished.

Before she left, she practiced her shooting, to the dropped jaws of the Shohoku Basketball Team. She was good.

Kogure came up to her after her practice, after the team had gone to shower. "You're great! Now I can imagine crowds turning up at the gyms to see you play! I'm so honoured to meet you!"

"Don't be, but thanks anyway. I'm just a normal teenager," she replied. However, a big "but" hung in the air. The unspoken fact that she was not, in the sense, normal.

Kogure cut the awkward silence by saying, "But it doesn't change the fact that you're a great player. And a great person."

She flashed him a wide smile. "Thanks." In her heart she was thinking, 'For more than you know.'



As she was leaving, she heard someone coming up behind her. Rukawa. She half expected him to just walk pass her, but to her surprise, and to the amazement of the other members of the club, Rukawa fell into step beside her, his sports bag bumping against his right leg as he walked.

"You play well," he said softly.

"It's a whole lot of practice. I bet you can shoot with your eyes closed as well. You play well too," she returned the compliment.

He looked at her strangely, but of course, she couldn't see that. It was a long time since someone had praised him directly, face-to-face. Everyone had just taken for granted his skills.

He stared at the dog walking on her left. Then stared at her. Then blurted out, so soft it would have been inaudible to anyone else, "Can I walk you home?"