**Disclaimers at first page**

Author's Notes: Yatta! I finally have my computer back!! ^___^V I apologize for neglecting to note why Duo always thinks Heero is present whenever Rukawa talks. It's because they have the same seiyuu (voice actor), Midorikawa Hikaru. I thought it would be freaky for Duo to hear two people with the same voice, hence I included it in the fic. Also, I hope you don't mind the...er, sentences in CAPS. Plus, I apologize to die-hard Rukawa fans. (hides) Enjoy the roller coaster ride, minna!

== To those of you who review, I reply to your comments through the add review thingy.


Slam Dunk 02
(A GW/SD Crossover)
by AJ Maxwell

Duo was challenged to a one-on-one by Rukawa Kaede, whom he didn't know was the ace player of Shohoku Basketball Team. His passion for the game burned once more, but he swore to himself that it will be the last game that he would play. Meanwhile, in another school, two players were getting ready for that day's basketball training.

Chapter Four: Last Year's Super Rookies

"First day of senior year, and now this," Sendoh said to his best friend, fighting the yawn that was determined to break his jaws.

Koshino rolled his eyes at his friend. "Are you complaining about training? This isn't like you."

"I'm not complaining. Just stating the obvious," the Ryonan ace player replied, as they entered the gym. "Hey, guys," he greeted everyone.

"Sendoh-san, Koshino-san," Aida Hikoichi greeted cheerfully, while the rest echoed his greeting.

Koshino only nodded in acknowledgement, surveying his surroundings. He noticed that there were a number of hopeful boys that wanted to be in the team, and all of them were staring in awe at Sendoh. This made him smile wanly. I'm not surprised.

He followed his spiky-haired friend to the locker room, wondering to himself how Maki Shinichi's brother, Duo, was faring for his first day of Japanese schooling in six years.

"I wonder how Duo's doing," Sendoh said, unwittingly voicing Koshino's thoughts.

His friend's uncanny ability to know exactly what he was thinking never failed to amaze Koshino, and it took him a while to respond. "I heard he went to Shohoku."

The taller player whirled around to face him, a cute surprised expression on his face. "Eh? I thought he went to Kainan."

"It's the obvious choice," Koshino agreed. "But surprisingly, he's enrolled in Shohoku. Personally, if my school was that far from my house, I'd rather travel further into the mountains and live the rest of my life as a hermit."

Sendoh was nodding at him, still trying to get to grips with the concept of Duo going to Shohoku and Koshino as a hermit. The thoughts were making him a bit dazed. "I don't get it," he said finally. "If he didn't want to go to Kainan, there's always Ryonan, right?"

The other boy was about to say "Right" when he remembered the way Maki regarded his friend that day in the restaurant. I think I know why Duo didn't go to Ryonan...

"It's just too bad," Sendoh continued as he was putting on his T-shirt. "I really like him. If he were our schoolmate then it'd be easy for me to get to know him better."

I think that's exactly what Maki-san didn't want to happen. Sendoh's other reputation precedes him just as his popularity in basketball does.

"Hey, you're quiet, Hiro-kun."

He shook his head, toeing on his basketball shoes. "You might still have a chance, Akira. He will pass by our school everyday, and we'll surely see more of him if he decides to join the Shohoku team."

Sendoh beamed at him. "Aa. You're right, as always. Anyway, don't you think Maki-san spoils him a bit too much?"

Koshino looked at his friend inquisitively. "What makes you say so?"

"He lets him call him 'onii-chan'. I almost laughed the first time I heard it from him, but Maki-san was looking at me threateningly so I just coughed."

"Yes, you coughed," he retorted dryly. "I remember now. You snorted something into my soup."

"I said I was sorry!"

Koshino gestured bygones, and said, "Who wouldn't find it hard to get angry at Duo?"

To which Sendoh shrugged. "True."

I wonder how good he is at basketball.

"I wonder how good he is at basketball," Sendoh mused, echoing his friend's thoughts once again.

Okay. That's twice in one hour. This is really getting to me now...

*

Hilde bounced after her friend as they made their way to the basketball gym. "I know you're gonna beat that guy, Duo. I mean, he may be almost as tall, but who is he, anyway? Besides, you've played in your last school, right? I mean, it's not as if you don't know how to play basketball, but you could've fooled me back there, mistaking the court that he was saying for the court with the lawyers and all. It's a common mistake, though. I mean, he was pretty vague with what he said. I just know you're gonna beat that guy, Duo."

Duo stopped suddenly, and the girl nearly ran smack into his towering frame.

"What?!" she said, near to shrieking and eyes wide.

He blinked slowly at her, as if she were a type of specimen that puzzled him. "You're more nervous about this than I am, huh?"

She was about to open her mouth to say that she wasn't nervous and that she believed in his capabilities. It was true that she was confident in her friend's ball playing skills, but it was on the level of strong faith, really, because she had never seen him play. The other guy, though, scared her.

She was nervous as hell.

"Don't mind me," she said. "Oi, is that the gym?"

*

Miyagi grinned at the expressionless face of Rukawa. "OK. We'll delay the practice, but I'm having Aya-chan time it, so that we won't consume too much time."

Rukawa just shrugged.

"Oh, and I make the rules, too, since I'm captain and being generous to let you use the gym."

Rukawa just shrugged again.

"Yoshi! Where's the poor sucker, anyway?"

Rukawa's blue eyes narrowed as he pinpointed his target, who was standing by the doors with his female friend. "There."

Miyagi turned, and so did Ayako and the rest of the team, the year twos still not present.

"He's tall," Yasuda commented.

Ayako appraised the first year. The boy reminded her of someone, but she couldn't tell who exactly. "He might have the ability," she said to herself.

Rukawa heard her, and he turned his empty gaze at her. "Traitor."

Ayako sweatdropped and tried to supplicate her junior. "Eheheheheh! Rukawa! Of course I'm on your side!"

It was then that the "poor sucker" walked up to them. "Hello," he greeted, feeling a bit uneasy.

They all just nodded to him with faint smiles on their faces.

The captain cleared his throat. "Game rules. Both of you will play for six minutes, half court; guy with the higher score wins. Two of you okay with that?"

Rukawa and Duo nodded.

"Oh, and no extensions. I want the game over quickly in case Anzai-sensei decides to drop by."

"No need for extensions," Rukawa said, his eyes challenging Duo to disagree.

Duo just rolled his eyes.

"Warm-up. Just tell Aya-chan when you're ready."

The two picked their spots where to do their warm-ups, preferring to be as far from each other as possible.

*

Ayako first made sure that Rukawa wasn't looking before she sneaked to the braided first year's side. "Hey," she greeted, smiling.

Duo looked up from his stretching. "Aren't you on his side?" he said, a note of suspicion entering his voice.

The senior girl only laughed it off, and retorted, "I don't side with anyone. Rukawa might be our team's ace, and I'm fond of him as a brother just like I am with the others, but I stay neutral in these things. I'm just curious as to what brought on this sudden one-on-one, because he only challenges star players like himself."

The braided boy blinked, now doing jumping jacks in a relative daze. Is she aware that she practically handed information about that weirdo Rukawa in a silver plate?

Ayako noticed the look on his face, and smirked. "Actually, I only said that because I'm pretty sure that Rukawa's gonna beat you. No offense. It just doesn't seem that you know what you're doing, agreeing on a match against him. Are you sure you want to go against Mr. Nerves-of-Steel there?" she asked, gesturing to where Rukawa was doing his own warm-ups.

Duo gave up on trying to figure her out. He snorted. "Sure, just to get him off my case. Been chasing me this morning, saying I must pay for disturbing his sleep. Weirdo."

She chuckled. "That's Rukawa Kaede for you. By the way, what's your name?"

"Maki Duo. Yoroshiku."

Ayako was a bit stunned. Is he who I think he is? ...Interesting. "I'm Ayako, manageress of Shohoku Basketball Team. Yoroshiku, Maki-kun." She held out her hand, which he shook, saying, "Please call me Duo, Ayako-san. I'm not used to being called Maki-kun."

She nodded, not noticing the looming figure behind her. "Oh. OK."

"Traitor," Rukawa hissed.

A fed up look stole over her face, and she finally made use of her paper fan.

WHACK!

"..."

"We may have been schoolmates in junior high, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let your insolence pass twice!" she scolded the shrinking Shohoku ace. She whacked him on the head again for good measure.

"NYAHAHAHAHAH! Let the kitsune have it, Ayako-san!" Sakuragi's boisterous voice echoed throughout the whole gym. He had come in late for training, and he was dreading the punishment that he would get, when Miyagi informed him that the training was going to be delayed in favor of the one-on-one between Rukawa and the "poor sucker", to quote the captain's exact term. "I didn't think that you still had it in you to hit kitsune nowadays! I was beginning to think that he's your favorite! Ayako-san, I'm so proud of you!"

WHACK!

"Itai... K'so! What'd you do that for?!"

"Urusai!"

Duo gaped at them, horrified with his discovery. I'm surrounded by weirdoes... 'Nii-chan, I'm gonna get you for this!

*

The only sound in the gym was the thumping of a lone basketball. Everyone looked on wordlessly as the game began.

Sneakers squeaked on the polished gym floor, and more dribbling noises resounded. The spectators, which consisted only of the team's year threes, Sakuragi, and Hilde, watched with bated breath, highly anticipating the outcome of the game, and also observing the newcomer's notable defense on Rukawa.

"Eh, Ryochin," the redhead whispered. He wasn't sure why he was whispering, but breaking the tension felt wrong somehow. "Want to bet on who's gonna win?"

Miyagi sneered, casting a devious look at Sakuragi. "Are you serious? I'm pretty sure you're not putting your money on Rukawa."

Sakuragi scowled. "Of course not. I am the Tensai, and Tensai does not bet on poor kitsune--"

"Nor does he bet on poor suckers."

"Are you betting or what?!"

"Ten thousand yen says Rukawa wins."

Sakuragi scoffed. "Make it twenty thousand. Braid-kun's gonna win."

At this, Miyagi frowned. "You're so sure of the poor sucker, eh? Say, do you know anything about that guy? Why are you so conf--"

The gym doors noisily slid open, making the others quickly turn their heads to look.

"RUKAWA-KU~~N!!!"

"Kami-sama, not again," Ayako muttered to herself.

Rukawa, meanwhile, was startled by the sudden racket, but it didn't show on his face.

"Oi~~! Braid-kun's got the ball!"

Hilde shrieked. "Go, Duo!"

"K'so," Rukawa grumbled, more irritated at himself for losing concentration than at Duo and the Rukawa Brigade. He picked up his defense, vowing not to let his opponent slip past him a second time. He studied his opponent's movements, letting the ball's rhythm take over his senses, and prepared for a steal.

I won't let you, yarou.

He saw the signs--the other boy would try to do a feint. When he was sure that his opponent was going to do a feint to the left, he blocked to the right. "Fool."

"RU-KA-WA! RU-KA-WA! Love me, love me, RU-KA-WA!"

The other boy did the unexpected then. He shot a three-pointer.

Rukawa snorted. He didn't even prepare the shot. It'll never go in. He quickly ran to position himself for the rebound.

Yasuda's mouth hung open. "Is it...is it going in?"

"RU-KA-WA! RU-KA-WA! Love me, love me, RU-KA-WA!"

"What's going on?" Haruko wondered aloud as she, Kuwata, Ishii, and Sasaoka entered the gym, just in time to see the perfect arc the basketball made.

Hilde worried her lower lip. Go in, go in, go in...

The ball swished cleanly into the basket, disturbing only the net.

The gym fell silent--the Rukawa Brigade gawking at the shot.

Sakuragi jumped to his feet, his fists resting on his hips. "NYAHAHAHAHAH! That's it, Braid-kun! Show the yarou what a worthless piece of fox meat he is! Ah, Ryochin! Pay up!"

Upon hearing the redhead, Duo super-deformed and sweatdropped. "Braid-kun?"

"Doaho."

Miyagi gritted his teeth. "Baka ne! The game's not yet over!"

Hilde almost jumped in delight. "I knew you could do it, Duo!"

"Nice shot!" Ayako called out, flashing Duo an OK sign, and Rukawa was promptly at her side, in super-deform mode.

WHACK!

Rukawa glared. "I wasn't saying anything."

Ayako huffed. "You were going to."

Duo grinned, and flashed a V-sign at Hilde and Ayako.

"NANI?!?! He's flirting with Aya-chan! Why, that idiot...!"

"Ho ho ho..."

The rest of the team froze, except Sakuragi. "A--Anzai-sensei...?!"

"Oyaji!" The redhead walked to the corner where their coach stood, and pulled on the old man's double chin in greeting.

WHACK!

"AYAKO-SAN!!"

"Stop being disrespectful to Anzai-sensei!"

The old man's lips curved again in a perfect O. "Ho ho ho..."

The captain was in front of their coach in a flash, embarrassed at appearing irresponsible to the old man. "Gomen nasai, Anzai-sensei. I'll stop the game and move it after training--"

Rectangular spectacles flashed at Miyagi, blinding him for a second. "Calm yourself, Miyagi-kun. It's the first day of training. This will only take a short while?"

"H-hai!" he replied, relief flooding his veins. "Only six minutes. Rukawa insisted on this game, and--"

"Ho. Sit down, Miyagi-kun. It is an interesting game, with Rukawa-kun and Maki-kun against each other."

Miyagi blinked. "Maki-kun?"

Anzai-sensei nodded. "Maki Duo, number one rookie and highest scorer of last year's California State High School Basketball Tournament."

The team captain promptly paled, already mourning his loss to Sakuragi.

Sakuragi thumped him, hard. "You heard the oyaji, Ryochin. Prepare your twenty thousand yen!"

A team member offered a chair to the white-haired coach, and soon Anzai-sensei was sipping tea from his ever-present green mug.

Ayako went back to her position. "Yoshi! Continue!"

It was Rukawa's ball again, his teeth gnashing in denial and determination. I've worked hard for this. I've beaten Sendoh, and I've beaten Mitsui-sempai. I've played against the best in Japan, and I won't lose so easily to this fool. "I'm going to beat you," he hissed to Duo.

"RU-KA-WA! RU-KA-WA! Love me, love me, RU-KA-WA!"

"I think they believe so, too," was the amused reply.

The grin on his opponent's face reminded him a lot of another smiley-face from another school. His eyes narrowed further. "Yarou."

Duo just raised his eyebrows, smile still in place.

*

Six minutes were only a short time. It was a one-on-one game, but the two players on court competed as if they were in a major tournament.

Students quickly got wind of the game, and soon the gym's sidelines were occupied with audience, mostly Rukawa fans.

The earsplitting cheering for his opponent made Duo's ears ring. I've never heard cheering this loud for only one person. He really must be something. He was sweating from the exertion, the noise, and the heat of the crowded gym. His braid, which used to reassure him when it bounced on his back, felt like luggage that he wanted to get rid of.

The score was at a standstill for two minutes already, with him leading at 7-5. One would have assumed victory, what with the time remaining, but he knew fully well that in basketball, nothing is certain when time was still ticking.

"Last thirty seconds!" Ayako hollered over the din of the gym.

"Offense! Offense! Offense!"

"RU-KA-WA! RU-KA-WA! Love me, love me, RU-KA-WA!"

"Go! Rukawa-kun!"

"DON'T LET THE KITSUNE SCORE, BRAID-KUN!"

He was both reassured and mortified by the cheer, still not feeling okay with being called "Braid-kun".

He heard his opponent snort. "The doaho seems to like you, Braid-kun."

"Shut u--"

It was then that Rukawa charged, making use of his bulkier frame to his advantage. Duo held up his hands, determined to block the shorthaired boy.

"Fifteen! Fourteen! Thirteen! Twelve! Eleven! Ten!"

Duo's gaze blazed even more as he figured out what Rukawa planned to do. He's going to dunk.

"Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five!"

To Rukawa, Duo looked too fired up--his violet eyes said so, and he expected him to try to fly-swat the ball from his hands. He soared in the air, expecting the other boy to be airborne like he was. That's it, block me, and I'm going to make sure that you foul.

"Four! Three! Two!"

He blinked. Where is he?!

Rukawa made the slam dunk, which earned deafening cheers from the crowd. He would have felt the same self-satisfaction whenever he made a dunk, but he just felt empty as he stared at Duo, who was grinning up at him. "Nice dunk!" the braided boy shouted up at him, and flashed a V-sign, thoroughly spiting him.

"One! Zero!"

Ayako sounded the whistle, signaling the end of the game. The score was tied, 7-7.

He let go of the ring, and landed right next to Duo, who was smiling a friendly smile that he found even more sickening than Sendoh's. He never thought that he could both hate and respect a person more than he hated and (secretly) respected the doaho, but he had just discovered that it was indeed possible. The intensity of his opposing feelings made him feel like wiping the smile off Duo's face and pummeling him to the ground until no one recognized him for months. He was already far from rational thinking, and his fist flew, landing on its intended target.

*

"Anzai-sensei."

"Rukawa-kun," the white-haired man acknowledged, then took a sip from his mug. "What do you have to say for your earlier behavior?"

Rukawa bowed low. "Gomen nasai. What I did was unprofessional and inexcusable. I will understand if you remove me from the team."

"Is that what you want?"

"No. Of course not, Anzai-sensei."

"Very well, you won't be punished this time. I believe you have learned some very valuable things today."

Rukawa looked up. He clearly had expected to be dismissed from the team. He stated the only thing that came to his mind, "Accept defeat gracefully..."

"Oh, but you didn't lose, Rukawa-kun. The game was a tie, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but--" then it suddenly all came together. "I underestimated him," he admitted, his eyes widening in the slightest. "I didn't expect him to do well--"

"And?"

He blinked, and lowered his head in shame. "I assumed that my abilities are far more superior than his."

The coach nodded. "Aa. Always remember what happened today, Rukawa-kun, especially when you reach your goal."

Rukawa nodded wordlessly, his mind mulling over what his coach had said. Anzai-sensei is right. My goal is to be the best in Japan and go to U.S. and be a better basketball player. I'm sure that along the way, there will be others who will play as well as I do, and that they'll be my competition. The way I treated this one-on-one might be my own downfall if I repeat it in the future. His eyes caught sight of Duo, who was with the rest of the team, looking very at ease as if...he belonged. He's good, I'll give him that. He has some moves that I haven't mastered. Maybe...maybe he can help me be a better basketball player, and in return, I can help him improve some of his techniques, too. "I want him in our team," he said decisively.

"Ho ho ho. I was just about to tell you the same thing."

He stood up, and bowed again to Anzai-sensei. "Domo arigato gozaimasu, Anzai-sensei."

The old man nodded approvingly to him. "Go on and ask him. No time like the present."

*

Rukawa walked up to the group, feeling a subtle twinge of jealousy at the sight of Duo and his teammates looking so happy, just hanging out and joking around. He'd never been like that with his teammates and he wondered if he could be more part of the team, not only during tournaments. Then, with a jolt of denial, he thought to himself, I don't need to be friends with them, too...right? I can't stand spending time with that doaho. Miyagi-sempai and the rest are okay, but I really don't want to spend more time with the doaho than I have to.

"Oi, Kitsune!" Sakuragi called out to him grimly. "Did you come here to apologize to Braid-kun?"

There was an indignant yelp of protest. "Sakuragi-san! Stop calling me that!"

"None of your business, doaho."

"HOW DARE YOU! If you're not here to apologize, then what are you doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be suspended?!?!"

"Iie. I'm not being punished."

The redhead made some rambunctious, unintelligible protests about favoritism and that he should be suspended, but Rukawa wasn't listening. Miyagi and the rest tried to restrain him when he got more incensed from the lack of reaction from Rukawa.

Tell him what you just told Anzai-sensei.

He tried to form the words, but it was easier said than done. Asking the other boy to join the team required him to lower his pride a little bit, and he wasn't used to that. Say it! He gnashed his teeth in determination, finally voicing the first three words out of seven aloud. "I want you..." The other words seemed lodged in his throat, and he restrained himself from coughing because it would make him look like an idiot or worse, like a gaping poisoned fish like what the redheaded doaho was imitating now.

Miyagi heard the words, and his mouth fell open in horror. Did he just say...?!?! YIKES! I knew he's been challenging that Sendoh too much! He's turned into another hentai! An image of the stoic Rukawa hitting on each one of them during practice and flashing sparkly eyes at them during games made him turn a sickly shade of gray, then green, and then blue. Ayako, meanwhile, had a stunned look on her face, her skin a garish white.

Rukawa frowned. What's wrong with these people? Why did they suddenly turn into gaping...people? He blinked in wonderment. I didn't think Kakuta-san and Yasuda-san's eyes could actually go wide like that. He backtracked on what could have caused such reactions, and what he said hit him with full force.

The first thing he did was go into super-deform mode. Then turn a scary shade of blue-gray, and then hightailed it to the nearest comfort room. Finally, inside said comfort room, he choked, coughed, choked, wheezed, and lastly, hurled the contents of his stomach onto a sink.

Duo stared in space, dumbfounded, while Hilde and Haruko's eyes threatened to jump out of their sockets.

"Ho ho ho..."

The group didn't notice their coach had come up to them. Anzai-sensei knew of what happened with Rukawa's attempt at asking the young Maki Duo to join the team, and when he heard what Rukawa said, he nearly snorted tea back into his green mug. I guess I'll have to clear up some things. The old man adjusted the position of his glasses, and hohohoed again. When they still ignored him, he blinked.

...

"Ho...ho...ho....?"

Sakuragi was teetering on his chair, still looking poisoned. Anzai-sensei went to him, eerily fascinated by the precarious balance of his chair, and poked his shoulder lightly.

Sakuragi crashed to the floor, and at the impact, he jumped up in a flash. He looked around wildly, not knowing what he was looking for. He vaguely remembered that the kitsune said something or did something, but he couldn't remember everything anymore because the utter shock put him in a state of denial that effectively muddled with his memory. When he saw the state his teammates were in, his eyes went round.

There was a full five seconds of silence before--

"NYAHAHAHAHAH!!!" The redhead had super-deformed and was rolling around the floor. HAHAHAHAHAHAHH!! RYOCHIN!!! YOU LOOK LIKE A STINKIN' CORPSE!! NYAHAHAHAHAH!!!"

The hysterical riot that Sakuragi was making brought the others out of their daze. When Miyagi heard the "stinkin' corpse" comment, he roared, "NANI?!?!?! You MONKEY! I'll show you stinkin' corpse!" With that, he lunged at the redhead, who was still rolling around the floor, and threw kicks and punches until a cloud of dust surrounded them.

Kuwata pulled on his hair in frustration at seeing his most respected teammates acting like a bunch of rabid wild animals. "Ack! I don't wanna watch!"

"That's it," Duo announced, as he stood up resolutely. "You guys are nice, but you're too weird. I'm outta here."

"Duo?!" Hilde also stood up and tried to catch up with her friend.

"Maki-kun."

Duo kept on walking, with Hilde right at his heels. He heard the name, but it didn't register that the name pertained to him. He was just about to slip through the open doors, when he suddenly found his way being blocked by Ayako. "Ayako-san...?"

WHACK!

"Itai!" he glared at the team manageress, rubbing his head gingerly. "What'd you do that for?!"

Ayako crossed her arms and scolded, "Anzai-sensei called you! You shouldn't disrespect him!"

"But no one called me!" he shouted back defensively. "I didn't hear--" Then it dawned on him. "..Oh." Grinning sheepishly, he walked up to the coach and bowed profusely. "Gomen nasai, Anzai-sensei."

"Ho ho ho! It's okay, Maki-kun. Why don't we sit down? We have some things to talk about."

*

By the time Rukawa mustered enough gall to go back to the gym and invite Duo into the team, Anzai-sensei had already explained what Rukawa had been about to say.

"So, what is your decision, Maki-kun?"

Duo gawked at the twelve pairs of expectant eyes that were pinned on him, waiting for his answer. He felt like shrinking so small until he was undetectable, but he had to give them his reply. They want me to be in their team so much, but what will I do? I swore I won't play anymore... Basketball's a great sport, and it helped me with my depression when Mom couldn't spend enough time with me because of work. It brought me and 'nii-chan closer when we were younger, and those bullies and racists in middle school didn't affect me anymore when I started believing in what I could do. Playing my best showed me that I could be better, that I'm not worthless.

The memories of his team flashed before his eyes...their team captain and center, Zechs Merquise, who had taught him the essence of teamwork and trust; their vice captain and small forward, Chang Wufei, who had always been his pillar of strength; their power forward and substitute center, Trowa Barton, who had taught him that the way to defeat an opponent was to dig deeper than surface emotions and shield yourself off; their tactician and substitute shooting guard, Quatre Winner, whose perceptiveness and strategic approach to basketball brushed off on him; and lastly, their point guard and ex-best rookie, Heero Yuy, who nearly drove him out of his wits in goading him into doing better than his current best. It also brought me my truest friends.

He remembered the championship game that he had asked his mother to watch. He had grown resentful of her always being busy and not giving him any attention, but Quatre had told him that if he wanted some change, he should be the one to initiate, so he did. He asked her to watch the game, eager and hopeful that she would show. Instead... For all the good things that basketball brought me...it also drew us apart somehow.

"Oi, Braid-kun," Sakuragi interrupted his train of thought. He sounded gruff and annoyed, but his brown eyes reflected a hint of concern. "What's your answer? My legs are cramping here."

Duo looked up at them, his face set in determination. "I need to talk to someone first. I'll give my answer tomorrow. Is that okay?"

Anzai-sensei only nodded, and for a few seconds of looking beyond the glasses and into the old man's eyes, Duo was convinced that the coach understood completely. Rather than freaking him out, he was relieved. "Arigato, Anzai-sensei."

He stood up, and Hilde followed him, not without a goodbye to the team.

"Okay. See you around, Hilde-san!" Haruko called out.

"See you, Haruko-san! Minna!"

Rukawa emerged from the corner where he concealed himself, and his unreadable eyes watched the pair of freshmen leave.

*

Duo had vowed that his game against Rukawa was his last, but when the Shohoku team asked him to join, he had to face his past's reality and where his feelings stood. He may have already decided, or he may be more confused than ever. Whatever it was, the talk that he mentioned may be the hardest obstacle he had yet to face.


Finished July 28, 2002