Chapter 5: Ryonan I

It was a bright sunny morning. Hanayuki stepped out of the train, and left the train station. Glancing at her watch, she picked up speed as she walked down the road towards Ryonan High School. I'd better hurry or I'll miss the start of the game.

At that moment, her handphone rang. Adjusting her earpiece, she answered, "Hello?"

There was a moment of silence before she spoke. "Put him on the phone, Ayako-san." There was another moment of silence, but if anybody had been nearby, they would have been able to hear the chaos happening on the other side of the line.

Putting the phone a little distance away from her ears, Hanayuki cautiously said, "Oniichan?"

It was a good thing that she had done what she did, because Sakuragi was practically shouting at the top of his lungs into the phone on the other side of the line. Hanayuki sighed. I should have just gone with them instead of going by myself. I really don't understand why oniichan and Rukawa can't get along with each other.

It seemed like only yesterday when they had recognised each other, but the truth was it had been almost a week. In the past few days, they had caught up with each other on current events and stuffs, including the past. And she had found out why he had stopped replying her letters 2 years ago.

As Sakuragi continued ranting and raving, her mind wandered back to their conversation a few days ago.

-Flashback-

"When I was 13, okaasan died in a car accident." Hanayuki gasped. Sakuragi continued, "It was my fault. I didn't look properly before crossing the road, and didn't see the car coming. She tried to save me by pushing me out of the way, but she got hit instead." Sakuragi lowered his head. "She died on the way to the hospital."

"Oniichan," Hanayuki whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Otousan was so devastated that he couldn't see okaasan for the last time before she died. Unable to bear it, he decided to leave the place, taking me along, and we came here. He was very sad, but he didn't blame me. However, after the incident, his health became worse."

"I was too busy blaming myself that I had completely forgotten about you, Hana-chan. Although otousan didn't blame me for okaasan's death, I still felt that it was my fault she died. And so, to drown my sorrows, I began to go astray, always getting myself involved in gang-fights. This went on for a year, until the day otousan died..." Sakuragi trailed off.

"Oh, kami-sama." Hanayuki started sobbing quietly. Why? Why did all this happen to him? He doesn't deserve all this.

"He died because of me. One day, when I got home, I found otousan lying on the floor. He had a heart attack. I rushed out to call for help, but was stopped by the same gang whom I had gotten into a fight with earlier. They wouldn't let me pass and started attacking me. By the time I managed to get help, otousan was... was..." Sakuragi broke off, as he recalled what had happened to his father. He wasn't crying, for he was done with crying since the day his father died.

"I didn't stop my ways after that. I just continued fighting, forgetting completely that I still have a little sister out there," Sakuragi finished his story with a sad smile on his face.

Hanayuki wiped off her tears, gave him a hug, and said, "It's ok, oniichan. You don't have to apologise. You did nothing wrong." They kept quiet for a while, before Sakuragi spoke again.

"Ok, so now it's your turn. First thing's first. Why didn't you tell them who you really are?" he asked, looking at Hanayuki.

"I was hoping that you'd forget to ask," Hanayuki groaned. But she answered him anyway. "Well, I didn't tell them because I don't want them to start linking my abilities to him. I mean, it was he who taught me everything I knew about basketball, but still, I don't want to be in his shadow. I want to be my own person, as a coach. It's bad enough that I cannot play in a team because of this." Her fingers reached up to touch her ears.

Sakuragi patted her head. "I understand. I promise I won't tell them. No, scratch that. I promise I won't tell a single person." He held out his little finger. Hanayuki smiled and linked hers with his, sealing the promise.

-End of flashback-

Turning her attention back to the phone, she tried to pacify her brother. "Oniichan, there is a reason why you are not one of the starting members." She stopped when he started shouting again, waiting for a while before continuing, "It was my idea, oniichan. Akagi-sempai was only following my instructions."

She listened as he stopped shouting and started wailing instead, saying that she shouldn't have done that since he was her brother and all. "Oniichan, I didn't put you as a starting member because you are the secret weapon."

This time, Hanayuki listened as he started laughing his Tensai laugh and bragging, saying that she had done the right thing. Hanayuki couldn't resist a smile. "That is why, oniichan, you will have to wait for your turn patiently, yeah? I mean, I have to wait for the right moment before I can put you in you know."

There was a pause before she spoke again, "I'm on my way now, and I'll be there soon. Please tell that to Akagi-sempai. And oniichan, please behave yourself before I get there. Don't do anything rash. We don't want them to know just yet that you are our secret weapon, alright? I'll see you there. Bye, oniichan." With that, she hung up and continued on her journey.

As she reached the entrance of Ryonan High School, she dropped her phone on the ground. Bending down to pick it up, she didn't see a figure running towards her. Unfortunately, the running figure didn't see her too, and collided into her, causing the both of them to fall to the ground. Almost instantly, the figure jumped up to his feet, proof that he wasn't hurt in any way. However, Hanayuki wasn't so lucky, as she had sprained her ankle.

Realising that she was hurt, he squatted down beside her and asked, "Um, are you alright? I'm so sorry. I was in a hurry and so wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's ok. I was in a hurry too. It's not your fault," Hanayuki answered, looking at the person beside her, and giving him a small smile. She tried to stand up, but her ankle was too badly sprained that she was unable to do so. Before she could fall, the other person caught her in his arms. Shocked to the core, she practically jumped out of his arms, causing herself to fall to the ground again and hurting her ankle even more.

"Oh! Are you alright?" The guy asked again.

It took her a while, but she managed to nod her head in answer. It was nothing. Don't panic. Don't panic. She took a deep breath before apologising. "Gomen. I guess I was er, a little wobbly there," she said, trying to make herself sound convincing.

The guy nodded his head. "Yeah. It's ok. Anyway, are you going somewhere? Because if you are, I think you need help, what with your ankle and all."

"Well, I guess I do need help," said Hanayuki, while massaging her ankle. "But I don't want to trouble you, since you are in a hurry."

"Don't worry about it. It was partly my fault that you got hurt in the first place. I'll help you get to where you are going before I go off. Where are you going anyway?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, actually, I think both of us are headed to the same place. That is, if you are going to the basketball gym," Hanayuki answered.

"Oh, so you are going to the gym too? Let me guess, I don't think you are from Ryonan. Are you here to support the Shohoku basketball team?" he asked again.

"Um, yeah. I am," Hanayuki hesitated a little before answering.

"That's cool. Anyway, let me help you get up first," he said as he stepped forward. Putting one hand around her waist and the other on her arm, he helped Hanayuki to stand. "Ok. Now let's take one step at a time, slowly."

They had barely gone one step further when Hanayuki cried out in pain. Seeing her condition, he said, "You know, I don't think you'll be able to walk just yet. How about I carry you to the gym? That way, you don't have to walk, and we'll get there faster. I don't mean to sound mean or anything, but the game is about to start, and I don't want to miss it."

Hanayuki looked at him for a while, before slowly nodding her head. "Ok. I understand. I don't want to miss the game too." And so, he lifted her in his arms easily, and walked quickly towards the gym. Stay calm. Stay calm. He's just being helpful. Nothing's going to happen. We're going to the gym, that's where he's heading. Calm down.

Phew! For a moment there, I thought she was going to slap me. Thank the stars that she agreed. Gosh, she smells nice. I wonder which hair shampoo she uses? Maybe I should get it too, so that we can smell alike. Gee, now I really hope that the gym is situated further away. I definitely wouldn't mind carrying her around like this for the rest of my life.

Where is she?

That was the question that was running through Akagi, Sakuragi and Rukawa's minds, as they looked at the clock on the wall. I hope nothing's happened to her. They were about to leave the gym to wait for her outside (yes, all three of them, although they didn't realise that they had the same intentions) when the door to the gym slid open to reveal a boy with a girl in his arms.

"Sendoh-san!" Aida Hikoichi of Ryonan rushed forward to meet his sempai. "What happened? And who is this girl?" he asked.

"Hana-chan!" Sakuragi rushed forward to meet his sister. "What happened? Are you alright?" he asked as he took her from Sendoh's arms. Akagi had also rushed forward, but Rukawa stayed rooted to where he was standing.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just sprained my ankle, that's all. I bumped into Sendoh-san, and he offered to carry me here since I couldn't walk," Hanayuki explained.

"Out of the way, Sakuragi," Ayako ordered as she moved in to tend to Hanayuki's sprained ankle. "Hmm... well, I guess it's going to be fine, as long as you don't move it so much and give it some rest. For the time being however, you may have some difficulties in walking."

"How long will it take to heal, Ayako-san?" Sakuragi asked anxiously.

"Not too long. It depends, actually," Ayako answered as she began to wrap a bandage around Hanayuki's ankle.

Sakuragi started bombarding Ayako with questions, while Rukawa just stood aside and watched. Why did you let him carry you? Was it really that bad? I mean, you could have walked while he supported you. You didn't have to let him carry you all the way here. Too busy with his thoughts, he didn't notice Sendoh approaching them.

"Ah, are you feeling better now?" he asked Hanayuki, who was, by the way, seated on the bench with Sakuragi beside her. She looked up at him and smiled. My, what a lovely smile. And those eyes... they are so mesmerising.

"I'm feeling much better now, Sendoh-san. Thank you for asking. And thank you for carrying me here too," she answered.

"Please, don't thank me. As I've said earlier, it was mostly my fault that you sprained your ankle. If I had loo-" Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off by Sakuragi.

"Nani?" he shouted and jumped up from the bench. He pulled Sendoh towards him by the jersey. "You were the one who hurt her? How dare you hurt the Tensai's sister! You are so gonna get it! I'm going to make sure that you won't be able to wal-"

BAM!

One moment he was threatening to beat up Sendoh, the next he was crouching on the floor holding his head, which was sporting a huge lump.

"Gomen, Sendoh. Don't mind that baka," Akagi apologised to Sendoh.

Sendoh just laughed and said, "It's ok. I am responsible for her injury after all."

"Eh, did you just call him Sendoh, Gori?" Sakuragi had stood up again at the mention of Sendoh's name (that guy can be so dense sometimes. I mean, Hanayuki had mentioned his name before that a couple of times. But I guess he was too worried about Hanayuki's ankle to pay attention to what she was saying). He looked at the guy he had been threatening a while ago. "So you are Sendoh. Well, mark my words, Sendoh. I, Sakuragi Hanamichi the Tensai, am going to beat you. So beware."

This time, Sendoh didn't laugh. He just smiled, and extending his hand, he replied, "I'll be looking forward to it."

Hearing what her brother had just said, Hanayuki smiled too. You can do it, oniichan. A minute later, the game between Shohoku and Ryonan began. It was a heated game, although at the beginning Shohoku was trailing behind Ryonan by a margin of more than 10 points. But Shohoku had fought back to end the first half with a score of 42-50.

The second half started with Rukawa getting the first points. Almost immediately, Taoka-sensei called for a time out and started berating his team for not maintaining a 30-points lead. Sendoh however, told him that Shohoku wasn't a weak team, and therefore should not be underestimated. At the same time, he was looking towards Hanayuki. Suddenly, his team went into an uproar, and Sendoh turned to look at what was causing the commotion.

What he saw made him laugh. Standing behind them was a bandanna-clad, megaphone-bearing Sakuragi, who was obviously spying on them. Naturally, an argument quickly ensued between him and the Ryonan team, especially Koshino Hiroaki, who accused Sakuragi of not taking the game seriously. Poor Hikoichi who tried to intervene was flung to the far corner of the gym by Sakuragi.

"Oniichan!" Hanayuki called out to her brother, but was not heard by Sakuragi. Sendoh continued laughing, seeing the very heated but amusing exchange between his team-mates and the redhead. He caught Sakuragi's attention, who was about to focus his ire on him, but was stopped by Akagi who punched him on the head and apologised to Taoka-sensei.

As the game resumed, Sakuragi was tied to the chair to control him, with Ayako spraying him with cold water to cool him down. He pleaded with Hanayuki to let him play, but to no avail. He started wailing that she should not have treated him like that since he was her brother, to which she replied, "Oniichan, I told you to behave yourself, but you wouldn't listen. And please stop telling me that you are my brother, because I know it very well myself. You don't have to remind me every now and then." Leaning closer towards him, she whispered, "And don't forget what I told you on the phone."

That shut him up, but only for a while, no thanks to Sendoh, who smiled at the angry Sakuragi and then waved a finger at him, daring him to join the game. Miraculously, Sakuragi broke free from the ropes tying him and marched onto the court, only to be roared at by Akagi to sit down. He wouldn't have listened, if it wasn't for Hanayuki who had stood up despite her sprained ankle and was looking at him coldly.

As the game progressed, Uozumi was fouled due to pushing and the Ryonan centre ended up quarrelling with the referee. Kogure immediately thanked the referee, but was rewarded by a scowl from Uozumi. Yasuda had the ball, but was unable to pass to Rukawa who was guarded by Sendoh.

Suddenly, Hanayuki spoke. "Oniichan, please warm yourself up."

Sakuragi looked at her, question marks hovering above his head. "Eh?"

Hanayuki and Ayako sweatdropped. Then, Ayako told him that he will be allowed to enter the game and therefore has to warm himself up. Elated, Sakuragi started performing his lightning-fast ball handling exercise, stunning everyone in the gym.

Seeing his exuberance, Hanayuki laughed, and so did Ayako, but she was quickly annoyed when he wouldn't stop. She shouted at him to stop, and he collapsed to the floor, clearly exhausted from the 'warm-up'.

With 10 minutes left in the game, Ryonan was still leading by 7 points. Soon, following a collision, Akagi was hit by Uozumi in the right eye, which started to bleed. Before leaving the gym for the clinic, he asked Sakuragi to take his place.

With 9 minutes to go, Sakuragi entered the game, walking onto the court like a robot, stiff from nervousness. When Kogure passed to him, he walked with the ball, stepping 3 times, which, by the way, was travelling. Everybody fell down in shock.

Seeing how stiff and nervous her brother was, Hanayuki couldn't help but laugh again. Both Rukawa and Sendoh turned to look at her. Such a nice laugh.

The game continued, with Sakuragi guarding Uozumi. Despite his state, when Uozumi faked a shot, Sakuragi jumped up to stop him... and landed on top of Uozumi, who ended up with a bleeding head wound. The Ryonan team started to blame Sakuragi, accusing him of doing it in purpose, but Sakuragi was too deep in shock to understand what was happening around him. That is, until he felt a hard kick on his back.

Finally jolted to his senses, it didn't take him long to realise that it was Rukawa who had kicked him, and soon, both of them were exchanging blows and kicks right there and then on the court. It was only when Taoka-sensei suggested to Kogure that Shohoku forfeit the game did they stop, with Sakuragi turning his attention to the coach and started pounding him instead.

For the remaining 8 minutes of the game, Hanayuki was very impressed and proud of her brother's performance. But, she wasn't the only one, as Sendoh was also impressed with Sakuragi. In the course of those 8 minutes, he had shown tenacity when he charged after a runaway ball, crashing into Taoka-sensei in the process.

Besides that, he had shown off his infamous 'hun-hun' defense tactic while trying to stop Uozumi from scoring. And, he had also managed to baffle Taoka-sensei, who remarked that Sakuragi was unpredictable, when he didn't pass to Rukawa as expected but to Kogure, not once, but twice. Although the reason was quite simple (of course Sakuragi wouldn't pass to Rukawa, since they're enemies and all), Taoka-sensei was confused by Sakuragi's actions.

At one point of the game, Rukawa had the cramps on his leg and fell to the floor. This time, it was Sakuragi's turn to kick Rukawa back to life, much to the disappointment of the Ryonan team. Silently, Hanayuki was thankful that Rukawa was alright. For a while there, she had been worried that Rukawa had hurt his leg, and thus wouldn't be able to continue playing. There was another reason why she had been worried, but she refused to acknowledge it and pushed it aside.

The score was 76-70. Rukawa was subbed off to be replaced by Akagi, who had returned from the clinic. He reluctantly agreed, but as he sat down on the bench beside Hanayuki, she told him that he would be entering the game again when there was 2 minutes left. Satisfied, he watched as Sakuragi and the rest of the team played on.

There was a moment when Akagi yelled at Sakuragi when he got his rebounding techniques wrong. Quickly remembering their lesson the night before, Sakuragi finally got them right and successfully got the rebounds after that, defeating Uozumi. When 2 minutes were left in the game, Rukawa stood up and asked Hanayuki to let him enter the game. Member change was called, and before the game resumed, she called both Sakuragi and Rukawa to approach her.

"Oniichan, Rukawa-kun. Do you want to win this game?" she asked them, while holding on to Sakuragi for support as she was standing up. Sakuragi started nodding his head vigorously, while Rukawa merely nodded a little. She smiled. "Then, this is what I want you to do. And unless you want to lose this game, you will follow my instructions accordingly."

As she told them her plans, Taoka-sensei watched them from the other side of the court. He was curious as to what Sakuragi and Rukawa were doing talking to that 'girl from Shohoku' as he called her, since he didn't know who she was. He became even more curious when he saw that Sakuragi and Rukawa were protesting to something that she had said and exchanging glares.

After a while, Sakuragi walked back onto the court, but Rukawa stayed back, as Hanayuki had something else to say to him. Holding on to him this time since her brother was gone, she lowered her voice and said, "Rukawa-kun, while you are guarding Sendoh-san with oniichan, could you give him some instructions on the proper ways of guarding?" Seeing the look on Rukawa, she quickly added, "I know you think that he wouldn't listen to you, but I think he will, although he would rather die than admit it. Can you do this as a favour, Rukawa-kun?"

Looking at her, he couldn't find it in his heart to refuse her, what with her eyes looking back at him like that (actually, it wasn't puppy-eyes. I mean, her eyes have always been like that). He nodded. Smiling again, she thanked him. And he entered the court.

When the game resumed, and the ball was in Sendoh's possession, he was surprised to see that Rukawa and Sakuragi were double-teaming on him. But he gladly welcomed the challenge. Taoka-sensei noticed that Sendoh was looking very happy. He too, was surprised when he saw Sakuragi and Rukawa double-teaming on Sendoh. He began to wonder about the identity of the 'girl from Shohoku', but he was quick to dismiss the possibility of her being the new coach of Shohoku, although he knew that Anzai-sensei would not be around for the whole year.

Hanayuki watched as Sakuragi and Rukawa followed her instructions and guarded Sendoh together. She noticed that Sendoh was smiling. This guy, he's good, not to mention a threat to whichever team which is up against Ryonan. Even Kainan. Besides her brother, she was also impressed with Sendoh. Interesting.

1 minute left. Shohoku was still behind by 4 points. Sakuragi's gundan, who was there to watch the game, began to despair as they thought that it was a no win for Shohoku. However, Haruko, who was also there, thought that there was still chance for Shohoku.

Just then, Sendoh broke through his 2 guards and attempted to shoot. As Akagi and Rukawa jumped up to block him, Sakuragi suddenly appeared from behind and slapped the ball away, stunning everyone in the gym. However, when he caught hold of the ball, he almost lost it when Sendoh tried to tap it out of his hands. Guarding Sakuragi tightly, Sendoh didn't give him a chance to pass the ball to anyone.

Desperate, Sakuragi passed the ball quickly when he heard someone yelling to him to pass the ball, only to realise that it was Rukawa. After getting the ball, Rukawa shot and scored a three-pointer, making the score now 85-84. Sakuragi was mortified that he had passed to his enemy, even more so when the gundan infuriatingly cheered, "Nice assist, Hanamichi!"

Ayako shouted that there were 40 seconds left. The two teams started playing as if their lives depended on the game. With only 15 seconds left, Rukawa made a break for their goal and Akagi made a strong pass to him. But Sendoh was right on his tail and slapped the ball out of Rukawa's hand. Rukawa, however, managed to get it back. He saw someone approaching and, relieved to see the red uniform of his team, he passed the ball, only to be shocked to see it caught by a grinning Sakuragi, who said, "Nice assist!"

Akagi and the rest of the team, with Ryonan hot on their heels, started running after the redhead, with Akagi warning Sakuragi not to do anything stupid. As Sakuragi jumped, he heard Haruko calling his name. Both remembered the shooting lessons that they had in the public basketball court.

Filled to the brim with confidence, Sakuragi did a perfect lay-up, making Shohoku lead for the very first time in the game. Everyone stared in disbelief by what our hero had accomplished, and cheers erupted from the Shohoku team. Sakuragi, as expected, started bragging up a storm.

Happy as she was, Hanayuki suddenly realised something and stood up quickly, not even bothered by the pain in her ankle. She shouted, "No!" but nobody really heard her, for they were too busy praising the redhead.

However, Rukawa did, and understanding immediately what was going on, he frantically yelled, "It's not over yet!" just as the ball zipped past Akagi. He raced after Sendoh, but was quickly eluded. Reaching Shohoku's basket, he was faced with Akagi and Rukawa. Undeterred, he snuck the ball under their arms in a double pump and scored, destroying Shohoku's lead.

Sakuragi watched in shock as the whistle blew, signalling the end of the game. He did not move when the rest of the team went to line up, but kept on shouting "Pass!" again and again. Hanayuki sadly watched her brother, as Akagi and Kogure tried to console him. Still refusing to accept the fact that they had lost, he yelled "Pass!" again, shocking the Ryonan team before tripping and falling down onto the floor. Everybody looked at his shoes, which were literally worn out from the heat of the game. Frustrated, he butted his head on the floor, once again shocking the Ryonan team.

The game was over, and Shohoku had lost by a mere margin of 1 point with the score 87-86. As they gathered outside the gym, Hanayuki let Akagi do the thanking while she stayed with her brother, with Rukawa standing not too far away. She could walk a little now, since her ankle was bandaged and with the help of Sakuragi. She heard Taoka-sensei commend Akagi for Shohoku's performance, and also asked about Shohoku's new coach.

Remembering that Hanayuki had forbidden them to tell anyone outside the team that she was the new coach, Akagi told him that they still hadn't found one yet, hoping that Taoka-sensei would drop the matter. He did, and, looking towards Sakuragi, he was about to say something else, but then thought against it and said no more.

Looking at him, Hanayuki could guess what he had wanted to say, and smiled to herself. Yes, Taoka-sensei. Oniichan would make an excellent player with a lot of practice.

Meanwhile, Sendoh approached them and extended his hand to Rukawa, who brusquely slapped it away. Turning to Sakuragi, he again extended his hand, while saying, "If you want to beat me, you will have to practise to death." Unlike Rukawa, Sakuragi took it and squeezed it so hard that Sendoh thought his hand was going to break.

Finally, he turned to Hanayuki, smiling his charming smile, and said, "And I don't believe you've told me your name. It's not really fair you know, since you already knew who I was from the very beginning. How did you know who I was anyway?"

Surprised as she was, Hanayuki smiled back and answered, "Who wouldn't know who you are, Sendoh-san. You've made quite a name for yourself since your debut last year. And of course, with that hair-do of yours, nobody could've mistaken you for somebody else."

Sendoh laughed when he heard the remark, and Hanayuki continued, "By the way, my name is Tsukino Hanayuki."

"Ah, Hanayuki-san. It was nice knowing you. It was nice bumping into you too, though I am deeply sorry that you were hurt in the process," he continued to flirt with Hanayuki. Rukawa scowled, while Sakuragi stepped in front of Hanayuki, shielding her from Sendoh.

Looking at Sendoh through narrowed eyes, he asked, "Are you hitting on my sister?"

Hearing the question, Sendoh laughed again while Hanayuki gave her brother a little push. Just then, Sakuragi's gundan walked past and said something, making fun of Sakuragi. It didn't take them long to provoke him and soon, he was chasing after them, disappearing around the corner, with Hanayuki totally forgotten.

Seeing that she had no one to support her while she stood, Sendoh took a step forward to help her, but Rukawa beat him to it. With one hand holding on to Rukawa's arm, Hanayuki raised the other hand to wave goodbye to Sendoh and left, with the rest of the Shohoku team following behind her and Rukawa. Watching her leave, Sendoh suddenly felt a sense of lost in him.

Tsukino Hanayuki...

Author's notes: Chapter 5 done! Yeah! Thank you for your reviews. I will work harder to write better. Thank you, minna. Ja!