Title: Ace's Pride
Part: 1/1 [yay! I made a one-shot!]
Author: KangLi
Email: kangli_sama@hotmail.com
Genre: no yaoi, yuri, hentai, shounen- ai, whatever
Pairing: Ru/OC [you've met her before.]
Warning: so cheesy, you can dip your nachos in it
Author's notes: if you've read my first fic [A Blast from Kogure's Past]
You should be familiar with my OC. I use the same OC for ALL my wuvstory
fics. This is just to give you a little more background on her. Enjoy! R&r
please!
// - what the chara is thinking
""- what the chara is saying
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk belongs to Takehiko Inoue.
~*~*~
"Tell me why I'm here again." Rukawa grumbled. He leaned against the railing of Shoyo's gym balcony, sighing as he did. Miyagi & Mitsui looked at each other, then the shorter boy replied, "You're so unbelievable. The game hasn't even started & you're already complaining!"
Rukawa grumbled again. Mitsui laughed. "Akagi asked us to watch the game so we can observe Takezato & Shoyo's plays while they go & observe Ryonan & Takezono's. That's why we're here." The shooting guard rested his arms on the railing as the players of Shoyo & Takezato came into view. "Good, it's starting."
"Nah, they have to warm up first."
Rukawa sighed. His eyelids felt heavy. Why on earth did their captain ask him to do this kind of thing? Rukawa knew he served his team in lots of ways but analyzing plays was something he could do without. It wasn't that he didn't know how, it was just tiresome.
He studied Takezato's players one by one. No one looked special to him. No one seemed unusual at all. Then he fixed his gaze on the Shoyo players. Rukawa noticed that they were exceptionally tall. Even their shortest player was taller than Miyagi by 10 cm or so. But one of Shoyo's players definitely caught his attention.
"Who's that girl?" he asked his sempais. They looked at him, and then focused on Shoyo's side of the gym. There she was: a brunette in twin braids, tall, slender, quite pretty. And in a Shoyo varsity jacket?
Mitsui turned to Miyagi, whose confused expression mirrored his own. Rukawa was just as surprised as they were. Still staring at the girl, they all asked the same question: who's that girl & why is she with the team?
Miyagi was the one who broke the silence. "Nah, she's probably the team manager. Aya-chan wears the varsity jacket too, remember?" Mitsui & Rukawa nodded. "Logical enough. After all, I'm sure Shoyo wouldn't let a girl play for their team now, would they?" Mitsui chuckled.
"As logical as it sounds, I'm afraid you're all wrong."
The three Shohoku players turned around to see who it was. It was a girl, who they assumed was a Shoyo student. She had ebony black hair up to her waist held back by a headband & small brown eyes. With her was another girl, this time with very light brown hair held in a half ponytail & with blue eyes. The two girls smiled at them.
"Oh sorry, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I'm Yuri Sakaguchi & this is Hiromi Misenagi. We're from Shoyo High.", the girl called Yuri said. Hiromi smiled. The three players introduced themselves. "We play basketball for the Shohoku basketball club." Miyagi explained.
Hiromi tugged the sleeve of Yuri's uniform. "Didn't Takiko say they'll be having a game against Shohoku in two weeks?"
/Takiko./ Rukawa continued to stare at the girl, who was having a serious conversation with captain Kenji Fujima. /So that's your name./
"Takiko? You mean the girl in the varsity jacket?" Mitsui asked. Yuri nodded. "When I said you were wrong, I meant the stuff you assumed about Takiko. She's not the team manager. Their manager is the old guy sitting on the bench right now." They looked down & there on Shoyo's bench was a grumpy looking old man sitting with his arms crossed at his chest.
"So that's their manager." Miyagi chuckled. "So that would make Takiko.." Mitsui & Miyagi looked nervously at Yuri. With a serious expression, she replied "Vice Captain of the Shoyo Basketball Club."
Rukawa had an astonished look on his face. He had figured that she was a player but vice captain? How could a girl be so good at what the female population considers a boys-only sport? Not even the captain's sister Haruko was good enough to be a varsity player, much less vice captain. Most girls who could play decent basketball could never be on the team if you consider Shoyo's standards.
"Takiko must be a decent player if she was voted vice-captain." Miyagi guessed. Hiromi's eyes lit up. "She's not just a decent player, she's an awesome player! Takiko is the ace of Shoyo!"
Mitsui was impressed. "Shoyo's ace? That girl is definitely something." Then the referee blew his whistle signalling the start of the game. The Takezato & Shoyo players lined up on court. Takiko, wearing jersey number 5, was among Shoyo's starting members.
The teams' centers jumped as the ball was thrown into the air. Shoyo's center (Toru Hanagata, according to Yuri) was a superb jumper & swatted the ball that was immediately caught by Takiko. The crowd cheered as she dashed for the ring. Rukawa grumbled when he noticed that most of those who were cheering for Takiko were male.
Back to the game, a Takezato guard suddenly blocked Takiko's path. Takiko was heavily guarded but she eventually eluded. She raced towards the hoop only to be blocked by Takezato's center guarded by Hanagata. She seemed ready to shoot but she faked & passed to Nagano. Nagano raced for the hoop & slammed the ball in it, giving Shoyo the first 2 points.
The crowd went wild. Rukawa could only stare at Takiko, who was being congratulated by her teammates. "Nice pass, Miragami." Nagano said. Takiko smiled. "No problem." Rukawa froze. She was so pretty, her cheeks all flushed & her smile so humble. Takiko Miragami. He had the feeling that that name would be stuck in his head for a long time.
The game proved to be an exciting one. Takiko had scored most of Shoyo's points so far. Shoyo took the lead with a score of 65-45 in the first half. Fujima entered the game during the second half substituting for Takiko & Shoyo continued to take the lead. Fujima turned out to be a great point guard & was the main point-getter for the second half. Miyagi was burned up to challenge him, being a good point guard himself.
At the end of the game, Shoyo won as everyone had predicted. Mitsui had to admit that 125-87 was impressive. Thirty- eight points difference was no joke. Fujima & Takiko were unstoppable. Both were quick, both in moving & in thinking. No wonder they were considered aces. Takiko had scored most of the points in the first half & so did Fujima in the second. If they had entered at the same time, the gap would've been a lot bigger. Mitsui shuddered at the thought.
Miyagi stared at the gym clock & noticed that it was getting late. They said goodbye to Yuri & Hiromi, who headed for Shoyo's side of the court. "Hey, Rukawa. Let's go."
Rukawa didn't feel like going yet. He wanted to stay longer. Takiko was still there on the side of the gym talking to Fujima. He didn't want to leave until he talked to her.
"Rukawa! You coming or not?" "Go ahead without me. I feel like staying here."
Mitsui & Miyagi exchanged glances. "Sure. Don't forget the team meeting at Akagi's place. You know how to get there?" Mitsui asked the pale boy. Rukawa nodded even though he didn't have the slightest idea where the captain's house was. "Akagi's house, seven pm sharp. Be there." With that, they headed for the exits.
As for Rukawa, he continued to stare at Takiko a bit longer. Examining her from head to foot, she was truly a beautiful woman who had the attraction & knew how to use it. She had long limbs, which worked to her advantage. Takiko was taller than most girls. She was probably as tall as 178 cm, which was not very common for girls her age. Since she was vice captain, Rukawa guessed that she was a senior. Not too big for an age gap, so there was definitely a chance.
The gym was nearly empty of people. The sidelines have been evacuated 5 minutes ago. The Shoyo players headed for the locker rooms, leaving only four people in the gym. Rukawa, Yuri, Hiromi & of course, Takiko. He figured that the two girls he had just met were Takiko's close friends.
Rukawa walked to the exit & headed straight for the gym door. He stood there, watching Takiko practice her shooting. Shohoku's rookie stood in awe as he paid close attention to her every move. She was quite graceful for a basketball player. Takiko didn't even seem to notice that Yuri & Hiromi were cheering for her. /Skill & concentration. She has it all./ Rukawa thought.
Suddenly, Hiromi caught sight of him at the door. "Hey! Rukawa-kun!" Yuri turned around & smiled. "Nice to see you again. Want to watch Takiko practice?" Rukawa shrugged but came inside the gym anyway. The view was definitely much better. With his hands in the pocket of his shorts, he lost himself in watching Takiko. In fact, he was too dazed to realize that the ball had just rolled to his feet.
Rukawa snapped out & picked up the ball. "You there!" Rukawa looked up & saw that Takiko was calling him. She was smiling. Rukawa thought he would melt. "Pass the ball.", she said.
Then Yuri stepped in. "Takiko, this is Kaede Rukawa. He plays basketball for Shohoku High." Takiko smiled again. "Rukawa- kun, this is Takiko Miragami. She's the ace of Shoyo & also.."
Takiko cut off Yuri. "Don't listen to her. She doesn't know what she's saying. I just play for Shoyo." She laughed & soon her friends joined in. "You play for Shohoku?" Rukawa nodded. "Do you mind playing one-on-one with me?"
The rookie grinned. "Not at all." He dribbled the ball as he walked towards Takiko. "So Rukawa, what position do you play?" she asked. When he said that he played small forward, Takiko was ecstatic. "I play small forward too, so this should be good."
Then the game began.
Takiko guarded Rukawa. Then Rukawa eluded Takiko after he changed the pace of his dribbling. He ran for the basket, Takiko close behind him. Amazingly, she caught up with him just as he was going for a dunk. She tried to fly flap it but Takiko was a split second too late. Rukawa had scored the first point.
But Rukawa barely made it. Though Takiko reached only up to his shoulders, her jump equaled his own. She could have easily swatted the ball off his hands but she failed to do so. Rukawa could have sworn he saw Takiko's nails touch the ball. She was truly no ordinary girl.
"Hey, you're good." Takiko said breathlessly. "You gave me a hard time there." Rukawa chuckled. "Something tells me you're not what I expected you to be, so I guess I'll have to unleash everything I have to beat you, don't you think so?" She picked up the ball & dribbled. Rukawa ran towards her, blocking her path to the goal. With her back to Rukawa, she pushed her way to get a chance to elude him. Rukawa got spunky with his defense but Takiko managed to get past him. She raced for the hoop. The rookie caught up with her just as she was preparing to make a shot. He jumped in preparation for a fly flap, anticipating a shot under the basket but Rukawa was mistaken. Takiko made a fade away jump shot that gave her two points.
"Amazing." Rukawa muttered. He knew that only few could get away with that technique. That was what Hanagata was known for. It takes balance & coordination for one to do so, making it quite difficult & a bit dangerous. "How did you..?"
"The fade away jump shot?" Takiko shrugged. "I don't know. Balance, I guess." But Rukawa was not convinced. This girl had to be holding out on what she can do. She just had to be. "But it takes years to perfect that technique."
Takiko chuckled. "I was a gymnast a couple of years back so balance isn't much of a problem to me." Rukawa nodded. So she was a gymnast. That explains everything. Her jumps, her speed & the refinement of her plays were all because of her gymnastics background. This girl was truly interesting.
Takiko glanced at the gym clock. "The guys must be done in the locker room." She turned to Rukawa. The rookie felt his face grow warm. "I'd better get going. It's getting late & mom will kill me if I get home late again." She approached Rukawa, took his hand & smiled. "It was nice meeting you, Kaede Rukawa."
A million volts shot up his arm as his hand came in contact with Takiko's. Her hand was warm. His heart was beating like crazy. Was he falling in love with a girl he just met?
Suddenly, she let go of his hand & ran to the benches. Takiko was rummaging in her gym bag for something. After a few seconds of digging around, she pulled out a notebook & a pen. She scribbled something on the notebook, tore out the page she wrote on & ran towards Rukawa.
Takiko handed the scrap of paper to him & said, "Call me if you want to come over sometime. To play basketball, I mean. We still have a score to settle." Rukawa blushed. "Uh.. okay." Takiko reminded him to call only after 8:30, since their practices were Mondays to Fridays, 3:30- 7:00 pm. "I get home 8:15, I eat dinner & I study after that. But I usually get done at 8:30 so that's when people can call me."
Rukawa asked if she was an honor student. Takiko blushed. "Well, yeah but I don't like bragging about it."
"How do you manage? I mean, basketball & all your other stuff?" Rukawa asked. Was this girl for real? Takiko Miragami, ace of Shoyo & also an honor student. Don't girls usually ditch anything that was physical, fearing the damage it would bring to their nails or something? Don't they prefer shopping over school? How different could this girl get?
Takiko shrugged. "Time management? Nah. I just don't like taking things for granted. And besides," she picked the ball up from the floor & started spinning it on one finger "I would get cut from the team if I don't study. I don't want that to happen. It's everything to me."
"Like I said, I was a gymnast before. My father wanted me to play basketball but I chose my dancing over it. It was his dying wish for me to give basketball a chance. I was only nine. Two years ago, I did & I found out that I was good at it. Fujima knew about it & took me under his wing. He molded me to become what I am today. I couldn't thank him enough for that."
Takiko's eyes glistened. Rukawa could only stare at her. Suddenly, she chuckled. "Sorry. I just got sentimental again." Rukawa patted her gently on the back. "It's okay. I don't mind." Takiko looked at him. "You're a great guy, you know that?" Rukawa blushed at the compliment. Then Takiko said goodbye to Rukawa as she dashed to the locker room. Yuri & Hiromi said goodbye as well, then followed Takiko's trail.
Rukawa sighed as he left Shoyo's gym. Images of Takiko filled his head as he walked to the station. On his way home, he suddenly remembered the meeting at the captain's house. He was already fifteen minutes late! And to top it all off, he didn't know where Akagi's house was! But half an hour later, Rukawa found himself in the front steps of the Akagi residence. The door was answered by the captain's sister, Haruko.
"Rukawa- kun! I thought you'd never get here! I mean.. um.. onichan & the others are waiting for you at the living room. Come in!" Haruko smiled happily at the sight of the rookie. Rukawa came in (practically ignoring Haruko the whole time) & headed for the living room after taking off his sneakers & putting on slippers instead.
He opened the living room door. Akagi was seated on the armchair. Kogure, Mitsui & Miyagi were seated on the couch. The armchair opposite Akagi was occupied by Ayako. Sakuragi sat on the couch parallel to where the three were sitting. Rukawa came in & sat on the farthest end of the couch where Sakuragi sat. He didn't want to sit near the red headed do'aho, thank you very much.
"You're late." Mitsui said "What kept you?" But before Rukawa could answer, Akagi cleared his throat, which clearly meant that the question be saved for later. "So we've been discussing Ryonan & Takezono. We'll continue with that later after we hear from the Shoyo & Takezato party." Mitsui started to describe what kind of plays both teams had been doing. Miyagi also shared what he thought of the two teams that battled that afternoon. When they had finished, Ayako asked "Rukawa, anything you'd like to add to the report?"
"Takiko Miragami." Rukawa said plainly. The group looked interested. Kogure looked squirmish all of a sudden. "Watch out for her. She's good." Akagi looked serious. Everyone looked ready to beat Shoyo. Kogure looked sick.
"So when you say she's good, in whose league is she in?" "Sendoh's. Pretty much."
Gasps filled the room. They were probably thinking the same thing. A girl in Sendoh's level of skill? Such a thing was unbelievable.
Mitsui broke the silence. "He's not kidding. She scored most of Shoyo's points in the first half. And she's vice captain, too." Miyagi chipped in. "But her stamina isn't so well, so she has a weak point at least."
Everybody's faces seemed to light up at that. They have found the weak point in one of Shoyo's aces! All they had to do was figure out how to strike.
"So she has low stamina. The ticket is to wear her out, but how?" Akagi asked. The room fell silent. Suddenly, Rukawa spoke up. "Match me up with her."
The team stared at Rukawa. "I can take her.", he said.
Sakuragi stood up, obviously enraged. "Nani?! Who do you think you are you baka kitsune?!" Akagi whacked the red head smack on the head. Sakuragi was forced to sit down. "Let's hear him out. He obviously knows more about Takiko than any of us do." The captain turned to Rukawa & asked, "What else do you know about her?"
"She doesn't foul. She thinks it's not worth it. We can't force her to foul." Rukawa began. "But yes, her stamina is weak. That's why she played in the first half alone."
"So you're saying that Shoyo enters a point getter in each half but they never put in two at the same time?" Ayako guessed. Kogure's face suddenly lit up. "That's it!" The rest of the team looked at the vice captain. "What if we trample on them in the first half & force Shoyo to draw out both aces?"
"And if we wear out one of them, that would be a load off our shoulders!" Mitsui added.
The others were ecsatic. They started planning plays that would work to their advantage. They even started marking each player. Rukawa fell silent the whole time. He didn't know why, but he felt as though he betrayed Takiko. It was like he pretended to befriend her just to gather data Shohoku could utilize.
"And we match up Rukawa with Miragami.."
Rukawa sighed. Things could not get any worse. He felt like a scum bag selling out on Takiko. He didn't feel like winning against Shoyo all of a sudden. Thoughts of losing on purpose lingered in his mind. But then Rukawa remembered that they needed the ticket to the interhigh & winning against Shoyo would be the only way to get it. Losing on purpose isn't such a good idea after all.
/Wait a minute../ he thought. There was this creeping feeling inside of him, slowly taking over his whole system. It felt weird yet.. beautiful.
/She's the one.. The one I'll risk everything for../ He smiled. /Even my pride as an ace./
~*~owari~*~
~*~*~
"Tell me why I'm here again." Rukawa grumbled. He leaned against the railing of Shoyo's gym balcony, sighing as he did. Miyagi & Mitsui looked at each other, then the shorter boy replied, "You're so unbelievable. The game hasn't even started & you're already complaining!"
Rukawa grumbled again. Mitsui laughed. "Akagi asked us to watch the game so we can observe Takezato & Shoyo's plays while they go & observe Ryonan & Takezono's. That's why we're here." The shooting guard rested his arms on the railing as the players of Shoyo & Takezato came into view. "Good, it's starting."
"Nah, they have to warm up first."
Rukawa sighed. His eyelids felt heavy. Why on earth did their captain ask him to do this kind of thing? Rukawa knew he served his team in lots of ways but analyzing plays was something he could do without. It wasn't that he didn't know how, it was just tiresome.
He studied Takezato's players one by one. No one looked special to him. No one seemed unusual at all. Then he fixed his gaze on the Shoyo players. Rukawa noticed that they were exceptionally tall. Even their shortest player was taller than Miyagi by 10 cm or so. But one of Shoyo's players definitely caught his attention.
"Who's that girl?" he asked his sempais. They looked at him, and then focused on Shoyo's side of the gym. There she was: a brunette in twin braids, tall, slender, quite pretty. And in a Shoyo varsity jacket?
Mitsui turned to Miyagi, whose confused expression mirrored his own. Rukawa was just as surprised as they were. Still staring at the girl, they all asked the same question: who's that girl & why is she with the team?
Miyagi was the one who broke the silence. "Nah, she's probably the team manager. Aya-chan wears the varsity jacket too, remember?" Mitsui & Rukawa nodded. "Logical enough. After all, I'm sure Shoyo wouldn't let a girl play for their team now, would they?" Mitsui chuckled.
"As logical as it sounds, I'm afraid you're all wrong."
The three Shohoku players turned around to see who it was. It was a girl, who they assumed was a Shoyo student. She had ebony black hair up to her waist held back by a headband & small brown eyes. With her was another girl, this time with very light brown hair held in a half ponytail & with blue eyes. The two girls smiled at them.
"Oh sorry, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I'm Yuri Sakaguchi & this is Hiromi Misenagi. We're from Shoyo High.", the girl called Yuri said. Hiromi smiled. The three players introduced themselves. "We play basketball for the Shohoku basketball club." Miyagi explained.
Hiromi tugged the sleeve of Yuri's uniform. "Didn't Takiko say they'll be having a game against Shohoku in two weeks?"
/Takiko./ Rukawa continued to stare at the girl, who was having a serious conversation with captain Kenji Fujima. /So that's your name./
"Takiko? You mean the girl in the varsity jacket?" Mitsui asked. Yuri nodded. "When I said you were wrong, I meant the stuff you assumed about Takiko. She's not the team manager. Their manager is the old guy sitting on the bench right now." They looked down & there on Shoyo's bench was a grumpy looking old man sitting with his arms crossed at his chest.
"So that's their manager." Miyagi chuckled. "So that would make Takiko.." Mitsui & Miyagi looked nervously at Yuri. With a serious expression, she replied "Vice Captain of the Shoyo Basketball Club."
Rukawa had an astonished look on his face. He had figured that she was a player but vice captain? How could a girl be so good at what the female population considers a boys-only sport? Not even the captain's sister Haruko was good enough to be a varsity player, much less vice captain. Most girls who could play decent basketball could never be on the team if you consider Shoyo's standards.
"Takiko must be a decent player if she was voted vice-captain." Miyagi guessed. Hiromi's eyes lit up. "She's not just a decent player, she's an awesome player! Takiko is the ace of Shoyo!"
Mitsui was impressed. "Shoyo's ace? That girl is definitely something." Then the referee blew his whistle signalling the start of the game. The Takezato & Shoyo players lined up on court. Takiko, wearing jersey number 5, was among Shoyo's starting members.
The teams' centers jumped as the ball was thrown into the air. Shoyo's center (Toru Hanagata, according to Yuri) was a superb jumper & swatted the ball that was immediately caught by Takiko. The crowd cheered as she dashed for the ring. Rukawa grumbled when he noticed that most of those who were cheering for Takiko were male.
Back to the game, a Takezato guard suddenly blocked Takiko's path. Takiko was heavily guarded but she eventually eluded. She raced towards the hoop only to be blocked by Takezato's center guarded by Hanagata. She seemed ready to shoot but she faked & passed to Nagano. Nagano raced for the hoop & slammed the ball in it, giving Shoyo the first 2 points.
The crowd went wild. Rukawa could only stare at Takiko, who was being congratulated by her teammates. "Nice pass, Miragami." Nagano said. Takiko smiled. "No problem." Rukawa froze. She was so pretty, her cheeks all flushed & her smile so humble. Takiko Miragami. He had the feeling that that name would be stuck in his head for a long time.
The game proved to be an exciting one. Takiko had scored most of Shoyo's points so far. Shoyo took the lead with a score of 65-45 in the first half. Fujima entered the game during the second half substituting for Takiko & Shoyo continued to take the lead. Fujima turned out to be a great point guard & was the main point-getter for the second half. Miyagi was burned up to challenge him, being a good point guard himself.
At the end of the game, Shoyo won as everyone had predicted. Mitsui had to admit that 125-87 was impressive. Thirty- eight points difference was no joke. Fujima & Takiko were unstoppable. Both were quick, both in moving & in thinking. No wonder they were considered aces. Takiko had scored most of the points in the first half & so did Fujima in the second. If they had entered at the same time, the gap would've been a lot bigger. Mitsui shuddered at the thought.
Miyagi stared at the gym clock & noticed that it was getting late. They said goodbye to Yuri & Hiromi, who headed for Shoyo's side of the court. "Hey, Rukawa. Let's go."
Rukawa didn't feel like going yet. He wanted to stay longer. Takiko was still there on the side of the gym talking to Fujima. He didn't want to leave until he talked to her.
"Rukawa! You coming or not?" "Go ahead without me. I feel like staying here."
Mitsui & Miyagi exchanged glances. "Sure. Don't forget the team meeting at Akagi's place. You know how to get there?" Mitsui asked the pale boy. Rukawa nodded even though he didn't have the slightest idea where the captain's house was. "Akagi's house, seven pm sharp. Be there." With that, they headed for the exits.
As for Rukawa, he continued to stare at Takiko a bit longer. Examining her from head to foot, she was truly a beautiful woman who had the attraction & knew how to use it. She had long limbs, which worked to her advantage. Takiko was taller than most girls. She was probably as tall as 178 cm, which was not very common for girls her age. Since she was vice captain, Rukawa guessed that she was a senior. Not too big for an age gap, so there was definitely a chance.
The gym was nearly empty of people. The sidelines have been evacuated 5 minutes ago. The Shoyo players headed for the locker rooms, leaving only four people in the gym. Rukawa, Yuri, Hiromi & of course, Takiko. He figured that the two girls he had just met were Takiko's close friends.
Rukawa walked to the exit & headed straight for the gym door. He stood there, watching Takiko practice her shooting. Shohoku's rookie stood in awe as he paid close attention to her every move. She was quite graceful for a basketball player. Takiko didn't even seem to notice that Yuri & Hiromi were cheering for her. /Skill & concentration. She has it all./ Rukawa thought.
Suddenly, Hiromi caught sight of him at the door. "Hey! Rukawa-kun!" Yuri turned around & smiled. "Nice to see you again. Want to watch Takiko practice?" Rukawa shrugged but came inside the gym anyway. The view was definitely much better. With his hands in the pocket of his shorts, he lost himself in watching Takiko. In fact, he was too dazed to realize that the ball had just rolled to his feet.
Rukawa snapped out & picked up the ball. "You there!" Rukawa looked up & saw that Takiko was calling him. She was smiling. Rukawa thought he would melt. "Pass the ball.", she said.
Then Yuri stepped in. "Takiko, this is Kaede Rukawa. He plays basketball for Shohoku High." Takiko smiled again. "Rukawa- kun, this is Takiko Miragami. She's the ace of Shoyo & also.."
Takiko cut off Yuri. "Don't listen to her. She doesn't know what she's saying. I just play for Shoyo." She laughed & soon her friends joined in. "You play for Shohoku?" Rukawa nodded. "Do you mind playing one-on-one with me?"
The rookie grinned. "Not at all." He dribbled the ball as he walked towards Takiko. "So Rukawa, what position do you play?" she asked. When he said that he played small forward, Takiko was ecstatic. "I play small forward too, so this should be good."
Then the game began.
Takiko guarded Rukawa. Then Rukawa eluded Takiko after he changed the pace of his dribbling. He ran for the basket, Takiko close behind him. Amazingly, she caught up with him just as he was going for a dunk. She tried to fly flap it but Takiko was a split second too late. Rukawa had scored the first point.
But Rukawa barely made it. Though Takiko reached only up to his shoulders, her jump equaled his own. She could have easily swatted the ball off his hands but she failed to do so. Rukawa could have sworn he saw Takiko's nails touch the ball. She was truly no ordinary girl.
"Hey, you're good." Takiko said breathlessly. "You gave me a hard time there." Rukawa chuckled. "Something tells me you're not what I expected you to be, so I guess I'll have to unleash everything I have to beat you, don't you think so?" She picked up the ball & dribbled. Rukawa ran towards her, blocking her path to the goal. With her back to Rukawa, she pushed her way to get a chance to elude him. Rukawa got spunky with his defense but Takiko managed to get past him. She raced for the hoop. The rookie caught up with her just as she was preparing to make a shot. He jumped in preparation for a fly flap, anticipating a shot under the basket but Rukawa was mistaken. Takiko made a fade away jump shot that gave her two points.
"Amazing." Rukawa muttered. He knew that only few could get away with that technique. That was what Hanagata was known for. It takes balance & coordination for one to do so, making it quite difficult & a bit dangerous. "How did you..?"
"The fade away jump shot?" Takiko shrugged. "I don't know. Balance, I guess." But Rukawa was not convinced. This girl had to be holding out on what she can do. She just had to be. "But it takes years to perfect that technique."
Takiko chuckled. "I was a gymnast a couple of years back so balance isn't much of a problem to me." Rukawa nodded. So she was a gymnast. That explains everything. Her jumps, her speed & the refinement of her plays were all because of her gymnastics background. This girl was truly interesting.
Takiko glanced at the gym clock. "The guys must be done in the locker room." She turned to Rukawa. The rookie felt his face grow warm. "I'd better get going. It's getting late & mom will kill me if I get home late again." She approached Rukawa, took his hand & smiled. "It was nice meeting you, Kaede Rukawa."
A million volts shot up his arm as his hand came in contact with Takiko's. Her hand was warm. His heart was beating like crazy. Was he falling in love with a girl he just met?
Suddenly, she let go of his hand & ran to the benches. Takiko was rummaging in her gym bag for something. After a few seconds of digging around, she pulled out a notebook & a pen. She scribbled something on the notebook, tore out the page she wrote on & ran towards Rukawa.
Takiko handed the scrap of paper to him & said, "Call me if you want to come over sometime. To play basketball, I mean. We still have a score to settle." Rukawa blushed. "Uh.. okay." Takiko reminded him to call only after 8:30, since their practices were Mondays to Fridays, 3:30- 7:00 pm. "I get home 8:15, I eat dinner & I study after that. But I usually get done at 8:30 so that's when people can call me."
Rukawa asked if she was an honor student. Takiko blushed. "Well, yeah but I don't like bragging about it."
"How do you manage? I mean, basketball & all your other stuff?" Rukawa asked. Was this girl for real? Takiko Miragami, ace of Shoyo & also an honor student. Don't girls usually ditch anything that was physical, fearing the damage it would bring to their nails or something? Don't they prefer shopping over school? How different could this girl get?
Takiko shrugged. "Time management? Nah. I just don't like taking things for granted. And besides," she picked the ball up from the floor & started spinning it on one finger "I would get cut from the team if I don't study. I don't want that to happen. It's everything to me."
"Like I said, I was a gymnast before. My father wanted me to play basketball but I chose my dancing over it. It was his dying wish for me to give basketball a chance. I was only nine. Two years ago, I did & I found out that I was good at it. Fujima knew about it & took me under his wing. He molded me to become what I am today. I couldn't thank him enough for that."
Takiko's eyes glistened. Rukawa could only stare at her. Suddenly, she chuckled. "Sorry. I just got sentimental again." Rukawa patted her gently on the back. "It's okay. I don't mind." Takiko looked at him. "You're a great guy, you know that?" Rukawa blushed at the compliment. Then Takiko said goodbye to Rukawa as she dashed to the locker room. Yuri & Hiromi said goodbye as well, then followed Takiko's trail.
Rukawa sighed as he left Shoyo's gym. Images of Takiko filled his head as he walked to the station. On his way home, he suddenly remembered the meeting at the captain's house. He was already fifteen minutes late! And to top it all off, he didn't know where Akagi's house was! But half an hour later, Rukawa found himself in the front steps of the Akagi residence. The door was answered by the captain's sister, Haruko.
"Rukawa- kun! I thought you'd never get here! I mean.. um.. onichan & the others are waiting for you at the living room. Come in!" Haruko smiled happily at the sight of the rookie. Rukawa came in (practically ignoring Haruko the whole time) & headed for the living room after taking off his sneakers & putting on slippers instead.
He opened the living room door. Akagi was seated on the armchair. Kogure, Mitsui & Miyagi were seated on the couch. The armchair opposite Akagi was occupied by Ayako. Sakuragi sat on the couch parallel to where the three were sitting. Rukawa came in & sat on the farthest end of the couch where Sakuragi sat. He didn't want to sit near the red headed do'aho, thank you very much.
"You're late." Mitsui said "What kept you?" But before Rukawa could answer, Akagi cleared his throat, which clearly meant that the question be saved for later. "So we've been discussing Ryonan & Takezono. We'll continue with that later after we hear from the Shoyo & Takezato party." Mitsui started to describe what kind of plays both teams had been doing. Miyagi also shared what he thought of the two teams that battled that afternoon. When they had finished, Ayako asked "Rukawa, anything you'd like to add to the report?"
"Takiko Miragami." Rukawa said plainly. The group looked interested. Kogure looked squirmish all of a sudden. "Watch out for her. She's good." Akagi looked serious. Everyone looked ready to beat Shoyo. Kogure looked sick.
"So when you say she's good, in whose league is she in?" "Sendoh's. Pretty much."
Gasps filled the room. They were probably thinking the same thing. A girl in Sendoh's level of skill? Such a thing was unbelievable.
Mitsui broke the silence. "He's not kidding. She scored most of Shoyo's points in the first half. And she's vice captain, too." Miyagi chipped in. "But her stamina isn't so well, so she has a weak point at least."
Everybody's faces seemed to light up at that. They have found the weak point in one of Shoyo's aces! All they had to do was figure out how to strike.
"So she has low stamina. The ticket is to wear her out, but how?" Akagi asked. The room fell silent. Suddenly, Rukawa spoke up. "Match me up with her."
The team stared at Rukawa. "I can take her.", he said.
Sakuragi stood up, obviously enraged. "Nani?! Who do you think you are you baka kitsune?!" Akagi whacked the red head smack on the head. Sakuragi was forced to sit down. "Let's hear him out. He obviously knows more about Takiko than any of us do." The captain turned to Rukawa & asked, "What else do you know about her?"
"She doesn't foul. She thinks it's not worth it. We can't force her to foul." Rukawa began. "But yes, her stamina is weak. That's why she played in the first half alone."
"So you're saying that Shoyo enters a point getter in each half but they never put in two at the same time?" Ayako guessed. Kogure's face suddenly lit up. "That's it!" The rest of the team looked at the vice captain. "What if we trample on them in the first half & force Shoyo to draw out both aces?"
"And if we wear out one of them, that would be a load off our shoulders!" Mitsui added.
The others were ecsatic. They started planning plays that would work to their advantage. They even started marking each player. Rukawa fell silent the whole time. He didn't know why, but he felt as though he betrayed Takiko. It was like he pretended to befriend her just to gather data Shohoku could utilize.
"And we match up Rukawa with Miragami.."
Rukawa sighed. Things could not get any worse. He felt like a scum bag selling out on Takiko. He didn't feel like winning against Shoyo all of a sudden. Thoughts of losing on purpose lingered in his mind. But then Rukawa remembered that they needed the ticket to the interhigh & winning against Shoyo would be the only way to get it. Losing on purpose isn't such a good idea after all.
/Wait a minute../ he thought. There was this creeping feeling inside of him, slowly taking over his whole system. It felt weird yet.. beautiful.
/She's the one.. The one I'll risk everything for../ He smiled. /Even my pride as an ace./
~*~owari~*~