Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Keitaro is mine!
Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.
ayu - heheh... glad you liked it. How do you like this chapter now? grins
Ginny W – Gomen. Currently, I am writing 3 fics and sometimes all I could do was just stare on my computer with no idea what to type. LOL I am so full of excuses, ain't I? sweatdrops Just click on my pen name to see my other stories.
hibari – Yep, I wanna give a good ending for Rukawa & Sakuragi. After all, there's no big reason for them to be enemies for life.
white soul – heheh….
bern – I'm glad you liked my fic though! Thanks!
Shinomori No Kami Daiji – Yep, I am very much aware that my English is not perfect. I wish, I wish I'll be able to learn. Uhmm….ok, I got your points. POV…ok…. I kinda banged my head on my keyboard for not getting it heheh… But hopefully, I should be a better writer after this. I'll post this on pinoyfanfiction as soon as I can. Medyo nailang kasi ako noong unang visit ko. Mukhang mga elite writers ang members eh! Salamat sa imbitasyon.
I have a fic where Kogure is one of the main characters but I don't know if you would like it because it has a female OC. The title is Madness. It's a romantic-comedy. Regarding guys with glasses, especially the likes of Kogure and Hanagata who looked so adorable and innocent, I don't know, I just have this urge to crawl up to 'em and molest 'em. Oh… my… God… did I really say that? diwata cowers in shame
Frozenfemale – I'm glad you're following my story. Sakuragi is married already.
lambie – Oh, I could kiss you for that! You want Rukawa to be single all his life? No! Ok, I will give up my vow of celibacy and marry him instead nyahahah!
Rook – I just love the idea of Rukawa & Sakuragi being friends. Glad you liked that 'accidentally touching hands' scene.
Nakkie – Yup! I hear you!
AjA – LOL You just keep me going!
zidane - you are such and angel! Here's the continuation. Gomen for the late update.
I Couldn't Ask For More
Chapter 10: The Reunion
After exchanging greetings, Ayako went to the hall to meet Haruko. Rukawa, on the other hand turned to the former team manageress' husband who was carrying a toddler.
"Your son?" Rukawa asked.
"Hai. You better marry soon, Rukawa, so you could have one too!" Miyagi teased him.
Rukawa just gave him a little smile and a light pat on his arm. He moved on to greet Kogure Kiminobu and Mitsui Hisashi who just came in, followed by Yasuda and the rest of the lesser-known members of the team.
Out of the blue, the Sakuragi gundan came too, much to Sakuragi's surprise.
"Mito! I didn't know you would come!" The redhead exclaimed.
"What?" Yohei Mito, his best friend answered. "You think we would miss this chance to see you play again?"
"And screw up," Takamiya added.
"It's been a long time since we saw you screw up," Noma butted in.
"Right, we can't miss this chance," Ookuzu said.
"Besides," Yohei continued. "We've been busy with the business we hardly had the time for pleasure. This is just one of those times when we could let loose and fool around." He actually made Sakuragi believe that they, the gundan would be doing business that day but in reality they were planning on showing up at the reunion.
"Nice place, Rukawa!" Takamiya greeted the host.
Soon, Rukawa's house was filled with the loud chattering of his former teammates. Some were fooling around. Some were eating and drinking. Meanwhile, Kogure and Mitsui were huddling in front of the computer talking to Akagi.
"So, what are you two doing?" Akagi's voice came out from the speakers. "Keeping busy?"
"Hai." Kogure replied. "We're currently working on a new railway for a shinkansen bullet train in Osaka."
"I've been coaching the basketball team in my college, Akagi," Mitsui, the former shooting guard said. "But Anzai-sensei asked me to coach the Shohoku basketball team instead. He said that the present coach is quitting. It seems that there are two bickering idiots that he couldn't handle."
The image of the bickering Rukawa and Sakuragi in high school suddenly came to Kogure and Akagi's mind.
Kogure sympathetically patted Mitsui's back. "Goodluck, Mitsui."
"Yeah, I hope dealing with another Sakuragi and Rukawa wouldn't shorten your lifespan. Or get you bald early. Speaking of Anzai-sensei, isn't he invited?" Akagi asked.
"Hohohoho!"
"Anzai-sensei!" the three greeted in unison.
"We're so happy you were able to come, Anzai-sensei." Mitsui bowed to their former team coach. Kogure bowed with him.
"Haruko invited me," the old man replied. "My youngest grandson is her pupil."
Everyone talked to the burly Akagi who seemed to have gotten bigger.
"Gori!" Sakuragi called out to the former team captain at the monitor. "I heard that America got more snow than Japan! You must have been a frozen Gori last winter! Nyahahahah!"
"Baka! It doesn't snow in Los Angeles!" Akagi's voice boomed through the speaker.
"We're going to play basketball, Akagi," Kogure said. "Too bad you couldn't join us."
Miyagi, Ayako, Yasuda and the others were chatting at the porch. The Sakuragi gundan became instant babysitters to Keitaro and Miyagi's son.
The former team captain Rukawa, vice-team captain Sakuragi and team manageress Haruko were chatting in one corner of the hall.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sakuragi confronted his friend in the gentlest way possible after learning of Haruko's divorce.
"Ie, Sakuragi-kun, should I bother you with my troubles?" Haruko drank from her glass as she thought of the past. She wouldn't have divorced her husband. What made her change her mind though was because she doesn't want Keitaro to grow up in a violent family.
This was actually what Haruko feared. When she had to tell the story of how her marriage broke down. Nevertheless, she's happy that all of her former teammates were with them.
"Haruko! We are friends!" Sakuragi blurted out.
Haruko knew that very well and she also knew her friend very well. Having the redhead commit murder just because of her is not something that she would permit. She was very thankful for her brother's moral support and for having a great friend in Sakuragi. She never considered marrying again. Who would want to marry a divorced woman when there are single women available, anyway?
"If I ever see that bastard again, I would skin him alive!" Veins were popping out of Sakuragi's temples and his hands were formed into claws.
Rukawa who was just listening to their conversations cleared his throat and gave him a gentle pat on his back.
The redhead mellowed down. "Who's taking care of you and Keitaro? Gori is not even here!"
Haruko shook her head. "Sakuragi-kun! We are doing alright. You worry too much!"
"Of course, I worry about you!" Sakuragi continued as he crossed his arms in front of him. "Hmph! As much as I don't like it, maybe you should marry kitsune here. At least I know where to find him if he ever do something stupid."
Rukawa's eyes widened at what the redhead had said. He couldn't even blurt out his usual 'do'aho' remark.
Sakuragi turned to face the man standing beside him. "Oi, kitsune! You would marry her, right?" He poked Rukawa on his shoulder a little harder as if threatening Rukawa to a shotgun wedding.
Haruko blushed and panicked like a schoolgirl. "S-Sakuragi-kun! What are you saying?"
Sakuragi knew that if he wanted Haruko and Keitaro to be alright, Rukawa is the best man for it. Not that he would openly admit it, of course.
Rukawa, Mitsui, Kogure, Miyagi, Yasuda and Sakuragi went to the middle of the court and started playing. The former teammates played a three-on-three. It was a game for fun and for reminiscing the old times. Of the six, only Rukawa and Mitsui are still active in playing so they're the ones carrying the game.
Sakuragi tried to make a dunk but ended up dunking the ball on Yasuda's head.
Yohei cringed. Haruko and the others were shocked.
"Looks like Sakuragi-kun haven't changed, ne?" Ayako said to Haruko.
"I think it's because he hasn't played for a long time!" Haruko replied.
"Nyahahaha! Hanamichi! You didn't disappoint us!" Takamiya shouted.
"Yeah, you showed us what we came here for." Ookuzo blurted out.
"The long trip was worth it!" Noma yelled.
When everyone was certain that Yasuda was still breathing, the game continued. Miyagi made a blind pass to Rukawa. Rukawa ran in a maze while trying to get past Mitsui. When he bolted out of the former shooting guard's defense, he dashed towards the basket area and made a one-hand dunk.
"Yay!" Keitaro jumped up and down. "Rukawa-san is the best! Go! Go! Go! Rukawa-san!" The little boy yelled at the top of his lungs while throwing his fists in the air.
Everyone grinned to Haruko and Keitaro.
"Looks like Keitaro took from you, Haruko." Ayako winked at the woman beside her that made the latter turn a bit red.
It was already past nine in the evening when everyone decided to call it a night. Most of the guests had already left and Sakuragi and his gundan were preparing to leave as well.
"Oi, do'aho!"
Sakuragi stopped on his tracks and signaled to Rukawa to wait. After telling his gundan to go ahead without him, he walked back inside the house.
"What is it, kitsune?"
Rukawa offered him a glass of sake, which the redhead willingly accepted.
"What you said in front of Haruko, did you really mean that?" Rukawa asked him.
The redhead sighed and brushed a hand on his hair. "Kitsune, I know you never liked Haruko but she's really a nice woman once you get to know her. She deserves a better man, but you will do." He finished with a shrug.
Rukawa rolled his eyes at the 'better man' remark. "Do'aho. I want to marry her."
"You know what----." Sakuragi stopped in mid-sentence and did a double take when what Rukawa had said started to sink in. "W-What did you say?"
"I said I want to marry her," Rukawa repeated.
Sakuragi blinked. Rukawa had really changed! He's always been straight to the point but he never thought the kitsune was capable of saying what he just said. "Kitsune? Are you alright?"
"Never been better," Rukawa answered after taking a gulp from his glass.
An almost solemn atmosphere reigned, as the two men stared blankly in space and seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.
"Then…." Sakuragi broke the silence. "Why don't you tell her?"
The raven-haired man looked at him. "Do you think she would accept me now?" He replied with a question.
"Well…." The self-proclaimed tensai thought before answering his question. "She liked you a lot in high school, but maybe she bumped her head or something and she finally got to her senses now, nyahahahah!"
Rukawa sighed in resignation at the redhead's antics.
Sakuragi started rubbing his chin. He was actually contemplating on helping Rukawa to get Haruko. Who would have thought that this time would come? Actually, he already helped a while ago when they were talking together, the three of them. But he knew Rukawa still has to make his move. It is something that only Rukawa could do.
"I think you should tell her." Sakuragi said while nodding contemplatively. "Yea, I really think you should." Then he looked at the man in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you need help from the tensai, you know where to call me."
Rukawa nodded and gave him a mock punch on his arm. "Drop by again sometime so we could have a one-on-one."
"Are you challenging the tensai?"
For the nth time, Rukawa rolled his eyes. "Fine, I am challenging you, do'aho."
"Nyahahahah!"