Dilemma – Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk and its characters do not, in any way, belong to me.

**************

The game ended at 101-97, favouring Maki's side.

Sakuragi was making lots of noise as usual and along the way, he earned himself another 'Gori punch' from Akagi. Akagi then shouted at him to get ready faster so that they could get back to his home. Akagi's parents had invited Sakuragi over for dinner and Haruko was already at home waiting for them. Being reminded of that, Sakuragi got himself ready in 2 minutes flat, including showering.

With a blue towel wrapped around his slim waist, Rukawa stepped out of the shower and ran a hand over his hair like the way he always did. But because his hair had yet to dry, his usual unruly albeit silky hair was pushed back from his face and a pair of striking blue eyes was revealed in full sight. His eyes were deep and yet unfathomable, any emotions were well-concealed under a cold surface. Water trickled down from his beautifully sculptured face to his body, leaving a soft trace on his perfect, lean body wrapped in flawless skin before evaporating into the air.

He was still fuming over the way they had lost the match. Sendoh had managed to elude him quite a number of times today and it annoyed him like hell. As much as he disliked losing, he enjoyed playing against Sendoh. Sendoh's superior skills and intelligent way of playing served as a constant push for him to improve.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Rukawa found himself staring at the ever smiling Sendoh.

Sometimes Rukawa wondered what made Sendoh smiled like that all the time? Wouldn't he get tired from all that smiling?

Sendoh too had just gotten out of the shower and his wet hair was covering his chiseled face, his golden body glistening under the lights, enhancing the contours of his well-toned muscles.

Looking at Sendoh, Rukawa wondered why he always jelled his hair up like a porcupine, he looked better without the spiky hairdo. But then that hair style had been there since the first time he saw him. And knowing Sendoh, most probably he kept that hair style because he wanted to be different.

Even though both of them had been hanging around pretty often for the past couple of months. Today was one of those rare instances where Sendoh could look fully into Rukawa's eyes without his black bangs getting into the way. Though both of them had the same similar sapphire blue eyes, the mystifying eyes of Rukawa never ceased to amaze Sendoh. His eyes seemed cold and yet at the same time, there seemed to be an abundance of emotions waiting to be unlocked. And with his hair out of the way, the mesmerizing magic in his eyes was all the more captivating.

Realizing that he was still staring into his eyes, Sendoh turned his gaze away, slightly embarrassed at his own actions.

Just then, a small growl escaped from his stomach. Remembering that both of them had not had dinner, Sendoh turned to ask.

"Ru……..I am hungry. Want to go for dinner together?"

Realizing that he too, was hungry and that he had finished all the food in his fridge yesterday night. Rukawa nodded and started to get dressed.

Anxious to satisfy his growling stomach fast, Sendoh quickly got dressed, styled his hair back to his typical spiky hairdo and threw his towel and sweat-drenched jersey into his sports bag.

"I go get my car first, I will wait for you at the school gates, k?" It was more a statement than a question.

Slinging his bag over his shoulders, Sendoh smiled at the younger boy before walking out the changing room.

*************

Rukawa watched Sendoh leave the room in silence.

His thoughts drifted back to the early days when they started hanging out together. Initially, the only reason he came into contact with Sendoh was because of basketball but as time passed, he found himself accepting Sendoh's invitation for other non-basketball activities as well. Now, aside from playing basketball, they also often dined and shopped together. Sometimes, they would even just laze around, doing nothing in particular but just enjoying each other's company.

As much as Rukawa hated to admit, he truly enjoyed and looked forward to Sendoh's company. His ever-smiling face and outspoken personality which were a direct contrast to his own seemed to make his world more colourful and tolerable. His companionship was a refreshing change to the solitary lifestyle he used to lead.

But as to why Sendoh chose to hang out with him remained a baffling mystery to him. Sendoh was out-going and very popular, in fact he was immensely popular. Males and females all flocked to him like bees to honey, all eager to play a part in his life. But yet Sendoh opted to hang around with a boring, dead and quiet guy like him. It was indeed hard to comprehend.

Shaking his head, as if to get rid of his current thoughts, Rukawa picked up his neatly-packed Nike bag and headed out the room.

Then sun was already setting when he stepped out of the building, colouring the clear sky in deep red. The environment was peaceful and serene without the morning crowd of students, the serendipity occasionally broken only by the sounds of retreating birds flying in the sky. Making his way across the school grounds to collect his bicycle, Rukawa could not help but to look up into the sky, taking in beauty of the sight and storing it in memory. A gentle wind started to blow, rustling the fallen leaves on the floor and the trees swayed in harmony. Rukawa closed his eyes against the caress of the wind and indulged himself in the simple pleasures in life.

**************

Coming out from the school, Sendoh was relieved to see that the compound was empty and strode over to his car. Unlocking his car using his remote control, he dumped his bag into the back seat and got himself into the driving seat. Knowing that Rukawa had ridden to school today, he opened the top of his convertible so that Rukawa can leave his bicycle in the back seat.

Going for dinner with Rukawa after their personal one-one practices was a common routine for them. But with Rukawa being in the same school as him now, dinners together would become much more frequent and Sendoh was glad. After his best friend, Koshino left for Shoyo University, Sendoh had spent much of his time alone. Though he knew many people, there was none that he regarded as more than acquaintances or teammates till Rukawa came along.

Over the last few months, he had grown increasingly fond of the younger boy. Through playing with Rukawa, he realized what determination and ambition were all about. Rukawa's ambition is to be the Number One player in Japan and then to pursue a career in America after he graduated, Sendoh had never seen anyone as single-minded and determined as him in achieving his dream and at times like those, he felt guilty for his care-free outlook in life. The hard work Rukawa put in towards realizing his dream was an inspiration to him and he respected Rukawa for that.

Driving his car to the school gates, he saw Rukawa waiting for him in the distance, with his bicycle at his side.

Stopping his car in front of Rukawa, Sendoh pushed opened the passenger door while Rukawa heaved his bicycle onto the back seat. He then slid himself onto the front passenger seat.

"Let's eat at Pop's?"

Rukawa paused for a moment before nodding.

**************

Night had fallen by the time they reached Pop's Café. It was a small cozy American restaurant by the roadside. Pulling his black Porsche at the walkway amidst the humble surroundings, much attention was drawn to them. People strolling on the walkway could not help but stare at the luxurious wheels and the two occupants in it.

This was also one of the reasons Rukawa hated riding in Sendoh's car, it attracted too much unnecessary attention.

"You should consider changing your car to something more ordinary, it would make your life easier." Rukawa suggested stoically as he got out of the car and closed the door, waiting by the sidewalk for Sendoh with his hands tucked in the pockets.

Sendoh laughed upon hearing Rukawa's suggestion, earning himself a trademark glare from the younger boy. He knew Rukawa hated unwanted attention and his car was indeed eye-catching. His flashy car was another reason why girls flirted with him shamelessly, especially the older ones.

"Well, it was after all a present from my parents. You can't expect me to reject them right?" Sendoh locked his car and walked over to join Rukawa at the sideway and both of them made their way into the restaurant.

"Good evening" A lady greeted them from behind the counter, her eyes visibly lighting up at the sight of her two gorgeous regular customers. Because of their presence, her female customers had doubled.

"Good evening, Obasan. How's business today?" Sendoh returned her greetings along with a generous smile.

Rukawa just nodded in acknowledgement. He was used to letting Sendoh do all the small talk.

"Been busy the entire day, running around. Will be hiring a new help soon." The lady boss complained good-heartedly while leading them to their favourite booth seats, which was situated at the corner of the restaurant beside the window overlooking the streets outside, away from prying eyes.

"So what would both of you like for dinner today?" The lady boss asked as both of them slid into their respective seats opposite each other.

"Hmm..…well……What would you like, Ru?" Sendoh looked to Rukawa as he could not decide at the moment.

"The usual." Rukawa paused for a while before replying.

"Okie, me too. So Obasan, it will be two Jumbo Meals please. Thank you." Sendoh instinctively knew what 'the usual' meant.

"No problem. Coming right up, boys. In the meantime, please do not give my female customers any heart attacks, especially you." The lady boss teased, reserving the last bit of her sentence for Sendoh.

Sendoh grinned mischievously but said nothing and the lady boss left them at that.

Rukawa looked out the window. The lamps along the street cast a soft yellow light on its surroundings, making everything that were caught under looked so mellow and subtle. What Rukawa loved about this particular seat other than its privacy was that he could look at the world passed by him without them being aware of his presence, it was like looking at a silent moving picture, with the sounds muffled by the thick window glass. The picture framed by the window now was relatively still, occasionally punctuated by people strolling down the streets. Across the other side of the street, something caught Rukawa's eyes.

A family of three was coming out of a toyshop. A little boy with rosy cheeks was holding onto a hero figurine on one hand while his other hand was clinging onto his mother's. The little boy's father was walking beside his wife and had his arms around her shoulders. It was a simple scene of family bliss.

Rukawa suddenly felt alone and lost.

As if reading his thoughts, Sendoh asked softly "Ru…will you be visiting your father this year end?"

"No." Rukawa answered curtly, hoping his reply would stop Sendoh from poaching the subject further.

Sendoh, although slightly shocked at the harsh tone, caught the hint and decided not to press further.

Sendoh knew that Rukawa lost his mother at a very young age and his relationship with his father had been strained ever since then. His father had left him in the care of a nanny and left for London to work when he was only twelve years old. In the initial years, his father would come back a few times a year to check on him. But as the years passed, the visits became less and less frequent and eventually dwindled down to zero. Right now, all his father did to fulfill his duty as a parent was to send a generous sum of monthly allowance to keep him fed, clothed and educated. The money was only enough to cover material needs, not the emotional needs in which Rukawa so badly needed. Though Rukawa never exactly told Sendoh his feelings, Sendoh was perspective enough to know how he really felt.

He knew Rukawa felt betrayed and abandoned.

"Boys, here are your food. Now, enjoy your dinner while I busy myself with the other customers." The lady boss had arrived with their food.

Taking this chance to disperse the tension, Sendoh tried to get Rukawa out of his present depression by bringing their attention to the food.

"Wow, this smells great! I am absolutely famished." Sendoh bit into his Jumbo-sized hotdog and started chewing, hoping his sudden enthusiasm in food would rub onto Rukawa and made him forget his earlier thoughts.

But Rukawa was clearly still affected by the earlier question when he only picked at his own hotdog, despite being hungry.

Worried that Rukawa might end up neglecting his dinner, Sendoh came up with an idea.

"Ru…....I have a challenge for you. You up for it?

Rukawa looked up at the mention of 'a challenge'.

//This guy's really into nothing but challenges.//

"Okie, it's more of an intellectual question. You ready?"

Rukawa's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected challenge and nodded. As long as it was a challenge, he was gamed for it.

"Okie. As you know, Doraemon wins nearly every challenge posed to him by using gadgets taken out from his front pocket to help him. But there is this particular game that you can challenge him, knowing you will surely come out as the victor. What game is it?"

"Basketball. He is short." Rukawa gave his answer immediately.

"No!" Sendoh laughed and rolled his eyes, amazed at how everything in the younger boy's life seemed to revolve around basketball. He wondered if that was all Rukawa ever had in his mind. Basketball seemed to form the core of his brain.

//How would I know? There are so many possible answers.//

"There is only one game in which you will definitely be the winner" Sendoh repeated, as if reading his thoughts.

Rukawa frowned slightly, thinking hard. He did not want to give up so easily, it was never his style.

Sendoh snickered at the clueless face in front of him. Rukawa looked extremely adorable like this, with his face in a slight frown but without the usual coldness. He looked like a small kid thinking hard at a tough question.

"Give up?" Sendoh couldn't help but smirked at the younger boy.

Reluctantly, Rukawa nodded. He knew he was not getting anywhere near the answer.

"Hahaa…..It's the game 'Scissors, Paper, Stone'! Because Doraemon has no fingers and so his hands are round and resembled 'Stone'. So all u have to do to win is to show 'Paper' all the time and then you will win!"

Sendoh couldn't help but laughed hysterically when he tried to envision Rukawa and Doraemon playing the game. A fox and a doraemon.

Rukawa looked at the laughing boy in front of him and a small smile crept into his face.

"That was a stupid question."

"And you are dumb enough not to know the answer, you even said basketball!"

This time, Sendoh really laughed, finding the whole thing hilarious.

A handful of fries flew across the table and landed on Sendoh.

"H….Hey....do…..don't waste food!" Sendoh chided while trying to muffle his laughs. He put a couple into his mouth and placed the rest on a napkin on the table.

"Only a guy with your intelligence level can come up with such a 'smart' question."

Rukawa hit back sarcastically but he was still smiling. He liked the joke.

Sendoh loved making the younger boy happy and watching him smile. It could be just a twitch at the corners of his lips for all he cared. As long as it was some indication of a smile, Sendoh would be elated.

It was instances like these when the barricades in those cold eyes were let down and looking into those eyes so similar to his, Sendoh could feel himself drowning in the depths of emotion.

"Stop staring at me." Rukawa was starting to feel uneasy under the intense scrutiny and began to dig into his hotdog, his appetite returning.

"Ohh……I was just thinking how good and different you looked when you smile." Sendoh was slightly embarrassed and too, began attacking his food.

Suddenly remembering something, Sendoh spoke between bites of food.

"It's time to go grocery-shopping, I bet you had already finished all your food, right?"

Rukawa nodded.

He was amazed at the pin-point accuracy Sendoh would choose to go grocery-shopping every time. It was as if Sendoh kept a mental dairy on when he would finish his last bit of food. And he liked that feeling.

"Okie, let's finish our food quickly so that we have enough time to get the stuff."

With that, both of them finished the rest of their dinner in companionable silence.

**************

"Bye, Obasan!" Sendoh called out as he closed the restaurant door behind him.

The nearest supermarket was just down further down the street and having just devoured a Jumbo Meal, along with half of Rukawa's fries and the last quarter of his hotdog, Sendoh was glad that they were walking there. He needed to digest all the food inside him.

"Ru….you want to lock your bike?" Sendoh was worried that someone might steal his bicycle.

Lazy to get his bicycle lock from his bag which was in Sendoh's car, he shook his head.

"Who will take notice of the bike when it's in your PORSCHE?"

"Well, at least my car is insured." Sendoh said, laughing at the sarcasm in Rukawa's voice.

Rukawa shook his head once again and started walking down the street, towards the supermarket.

Slipping his hands into the pockets of his track pants, Sendoh followed behind Rukawa and soon fell into steps with the younger boy. He knew that once Rukawa made up his mind, nothing could change it.

They walked side by side in silence all the way to the supermarket, attracting loads of admiring stares along the way. It was hard not to notice them. Both were exceptionally tall and handsome.

Reaching the supermarket, Sendoh went over to the corner and grabbed a shopping cart. Pushing his way through the crowd, he made his way towards Rukawa who was browsing through magazines near the entrance.

"Let's go get the basics first, shall we?"

Rukawa nodded and walked alongside Sendoh, placing one hand on the cart.

They got the basic necessities such as bread, eggs and milk first after which they started to shop around the supermarket, getting whatever they felt that they would need.

Throughout the shopping trip, Sendoh would push the shopping cart with both hands on the handle while Rukawa would walk slightly up front with one hand on the cart, giving it direction. Every now and then, Sendoh would be gesturing at certain items and Rukawa would help him get the items from the shelves while the older boy stayed at the cart. Occasionally, they would bicker over which brands of certain food were better.

By the end their shopping trip, the trolley was filled to the brim with all sorts of food stuff, ranging from basic necessities to junk food such as chocolates and chips.

Satisfied that they had got most of their stuff, both of them made their way to the cashiers, queuing behind the shortest line.

When it was finally their turn to pay, the female cashier behind the counter kept blushing and making mistakes, so they took a longer time than the other customers would prefer. The cashier was obviously stunned by the two gorgeous hunks and it did not help that Sendoh was constantly smiling at her.

The total of the groceries came up to 11,512 yen.

"I will pay this time. You paid the last time, remember?" Sendoh said to Rukawa as he shoved the money to the cashier who was by now as red as a beetroot.

The last thing Rukawa wanted at that moment was to stay any longer at the counter, even a few more seconds in front of the blushing cashier was hard to bear. So he just nodded and started picking up his own bags of groceries.

Sendoh collected his change from the still love-struck girl and picked up his own bags of groceries and walked out the supermarket behind Rukawa.

"Ru…why don't wait for me here while I go get my car. It's kinda heavy to lug them all the way back."

Rukawa nodded. He was beginning to feel tired and certainly don't look forward to carrying the bags up the street.

"Ok, will be here in five minutes. In the meantime, please do look after the stuff and DON'T fall asleep." Sendoh had been together with Rukawa long enough to know of his sleeping habit.

Without waiting for any response from the younger boy, he turned and started jogging up the street.

Leaning against the wall with the groceries beside him, Rukawa stared into space, thinking about nothing in particular. He was starting to get sleepy.

"Kitsune! What are you doing here?"

Rukawa jolted out his sleepiness upon hearing the familiar voice. He turned in the direction of the voice and saw Sakuragi and Youhei walking his way.

"Hi…….Rukawa. Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?" Youhei asked.

"Ok"

Rukawa liked Youhei much better than Sakuragi. Unlike that redhead, Youhei was much more sensible and cool-headed and had always been a great pal to Sakuragi, even though that redhead was a complete idiot at times. Although Sakurgi was short-changed in terms of character and intelligence, he was blessed with great friends like Youhei and the rest of the guntam.

//Well, I guess God is fair.//

"Kitsune, who are you waiting for? Wow! So much grocery! I didn't know you eat at all!" Sakuragi laughed.

"D'aho."

"Nani!! You want a…….."

"Sakuragi and Youhei!! What a coincidence!" Sendoh interrupted just in time to prevent a possible fight from erupting between the two.

"Sendoh? You are with kitsune? Since when have you all been best of friends?" Sakuragi was genuinely surprised to think that Rukawa actually socialized and of all people, Sendoh, the guy whom that fox had been rivals with since high school.

"Yeah, we just had dinner together and did some shopping." Sendoh replied casually as he started picking up the bags.

"Got to go. See you in school tomorrow, Sakuragi! And nice seeing you again, Youhei!"

With that, both Sendoh and Rukawa left the puzzling pair behind and walked towards Sendoh's car which had been parked across the street. Placing their groceries in the back seat, both of them got into the car.

Waving goodbye to the two figures still staring at them, Sendoh drove off.

"Wow! Cool car!! I didn't know Sendoh was that rich! Damn!! That kid has got everything………. looks, fame, talent and money." Youhei looked on unbelievably.

"Hahaa…….but he is not a Tensai!"

Youhei just rolled his eyes, thinking that sometimes ignorance was indeed bliss.

****************

Sendoh pulled up in front of Rukawa's house and helped him heaved his bicycle out of the car and into his garden while Rukawa carried his bag and the groceries.

"Tomorrow has got no practice, how about a game of one-one at the usual place? I meet you at the school gate at around 1pm?"

The 'usual place' referring to the basketball court just a few blocks away from Rukawa's house.

"I am finishing class at 11am. I will meet you directly at the court." Rukawa mumbled sleepily.

"Sure. Have a good night's rest, you looked really tired." Sendoh said as he got into his car. He was visibly concerned.

"Yeah. You too."

"Ok, see you tomorrow." Sendoh gave the younger boy one last smile before he drove off into the night.

*****************

TBC