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Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Slam Dunk is not mine.


Smiles

He felt him before he saw or heard him. Felt the strong, cheerful presence that was gradually becoming familiar, although he never liked to admit it. A slant of the blue eyes towards the left proved him right, as he glimpsed a tall head of spikes closing the gate to the court, then a muscled arm setting down a bag next to his own on the bench. Still, he pretended not to notice, affecting intense concentration on the ball in his hands.

"Hey, sunshine," came the breezy greeting, as Sendoh flashed Rukawa a cheeky beam. You're early, again.

Rukawa ignored him. Knuckles clenched tightly around the orange ball; suddenly, he sprang into action, dribbling furiously down the court, towards the basket. Just outside the three-point line, the boy stopped his advance, dribbling the ball behind him as if facing a defender. A fake to the right, then he shot. The ball went in cleanly as Rukawa finally turned to face Sendoh.

"You're late," he told the older boy with a scowl. Don't call me sunshine, baka. Just c'mon and play already. First to... "20," Rukawa said over his shoulder as he bent to retrieve his basketball.

Sendoh nodded, smile still intact. So intense, Rukawa-kun... "You start. After all, I was late," he grinned, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. His consideration merely earned him a snort, as his rival nodded and took his place at the centre line, facing the basket again and dribbling slowly. He picked up the pace. The real game began.

"Why do you play with him, anyway?" Sendoh could hear Koshino's indignant voice at the back of his mind, as the taller player stole the ball and tried to shoot, only to have the shot blocked by a certain other boy. "You know that will only help him improve! Don't you want to beat him to the next IH, /Captain/?" Fake left, fake right, fake shot, dribble past, shoot. Two points for Sendoh Akira.

Rukawa was not to be outdone. A neat three-pointer, almost before Sendoh could blink. The Ryonan player grinned again, to himself this time.

"By challenging me, he's telling me he wants to talk to me." He remembered what his response to Koshino had been; the words, the sound of his own voice was imprinted in his brain, to re-surface every time he thought about Rukawa. "And I intend to stick around till I find out what it's all about."

Point after point. Both played on, passionately aware only of the game, of winning. Or so it would seem.

"Good game, Rukawa-kun," Sendoh smiled, wiping sweat off his face with a towel. Legs lowered body till he was comfortably resting on the ground, back leaning on the fence. Reaching for his water-bottle, he smirked inwardly as dark eyes watched his silent companion copy his movements, slouching against the thick metal wire, long fingers grasping a towel, patting a sweat-drenched face dry.

It was dark. Sendoh had won again. Night time, when your feelings are supposed to be at their most raw and sincere. City lights shone faintly in the distance. The time when people speak their hearts and not their minds.

What is it, Rukawa? What is it that you want to tell me, that makes you agree to meet me, time after time? Does beating me, becoming the best player in Japan, really all that you want? No, I don't dare to hope... that you like me too. But, have you ever thought about...

"What you're going to do after that?" The older boy spoke the last of his thoughts out loud. Glare met with amused smile as the Shohoku ace turned to regard him. "What are you talking about, Sendoh."

"I mean... you want to beat me so you can be the best player in Japan, right?"

"Hn."

"And when you do, what next?"

A short silence ensued. Then Rukawa fixed his deep gaze on Sendoh's, causing the taller boy to flinch involuntarily, before forcing himself to relax and grin encouragingly. Mentally locking his mind so that Rukawa could not read it. "America."

America? Is that what you want? I thought you were happy here. I thought by challenging you, I could make you content to play on with me. Now I'm playing with you, helping you to improve your skills on court... just so you can leave me?

Abruptly, Sendoh stood up, the smile wiped away along with the beads of perspiration on his forehead. As Rukawa watched, he flung his towel, his bottle, and his heart into the large sports bag, zipping it quickly, holding the zip down tightly so that nothing could escape out of it. He hefted the bag onto his shoulder, feeling the ominous weight of it banging against his strong back. Knuckles showed white, showed how hard he was trying to keep his feelings inside.

"Goodbye, Rukawa-kun. Ganbatte." The ace player of Ryonan High School turned on his heel and left the court, leaving his rival staring blankly after him. Leaving his smile behind him.