Anzai Sensei? Chapter 18: 2 challenges, 2 songs, a slam dunk fanfic

Chapter 18: 2 challenges, 2 songs

The next day, after practice...

"Sempai."

Mitsui looked up to see Rukawa standing in front of him. That's weird. He rarely speaks, and now here he is, talking to me. "What is it, Rukawa?"

Rukawa held out the basketball in his hand. "Would you play a one-on-one with me?"

Surprised as he was, Mitsui smirked and readily agreed. I guess it's time to see who the real ace of Shohoku is.

The other players were also surprised to see the two of them entering the court and getting ready for the match. Nevertheless, everyone was eager to see who was the better player; Mitsui or Rukawa. Sakuragi, who was practising his ball-handling skills in a corner of the gym, was equally eager and excited, though he wouldn't admit it of course.

As for Hanayuki, she just sat on the bench and watched as Rukawa dribbled the ball, waiting for the chance to charge in, while Mitsui defended. It wasn't long before Rukawa succeeded in breaking through Mitsui's defense, and was about to score when Mitsui swatted the ball away from behind.

"Hm, that was close," Mitsui remarked, and smirked. Rukawa only narrowed his eyes in response, as Mitsui went to retrieve the ball. It was now Rukawa's turn to defend against Mitsui.

Similarly, Mitsui dribbled the ball, waiting for the chance to break through Rukawa's defense, before dodging past Rukawa and jumped up to shoot the ball into the basket, only to have it tapped away by Rukawa from the side.

"Kuso..." Mitsui muttered under his breath. He looked at Rukawa, who was having the ball, ready to attack again. What's the matter with him? He seems so different from before. So determined to win, thought Mitsui. In a flash, Rukawa eluded Mitsui, and leaped up to shoot. When Mitsui jumped up to block the shot, Rukawa slipped the ball under Mitsui's outstretched hand and scored.

Everyone was amazed, Mitsui even more so. He stomped his foot on the floor in frustration, while Sakuragi started yelling, "Oi, Mitchy!!! How could you let kitsune score? You're supposed to beat him!"

"Urusai, Sakuragi!" Mitsui yelled back.

Ignoring him, Sakuragi walked up to Rukawa. "Kitsune, since Mitchy here couldn't beat you, I, the Tensai, will do so. Prepare to die!"

"Do'aho. Go back to your basics training."

"Teme!"

"Sakuragi, stop interrupting and go practise your basics," said Mitsui, stepping forward. He pointed to the ball in Rukawa's hands and continued, "It's my turn to attack now."

Grudgingly, Rukawa handed over the ball. The ball didn't even leave his grasp for 2 seconds when Mitsui jumped up and scored a three-pointer. While he started rejoicing and shouting that he had won, the rest of the people in the gym sweatdropped. Hanayuki, who had kept quiet all the while, placed a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from laughing out loud. The things Hisashi-niichan does to win.

Rukawa, who was not satisfied, tapped Mitsui on the shoulder.

"What is it? The score was 3 to 2. I won the match," said Mitsui, a little irritated that he was interrupted in the middle of his celebration.

"It was a tie," came the monotonous reply.

"Nani??!"

"You stepped on the line."

"I did not! Anyway, you couldn't have been able to see whether or not I stepped on the line," Mitsui protested.

"I did."

"Liar! How could you have seen it?"

"I saw it from this angle." Rukawa went on to show exactly which angle he saw it from. (A/n: In the anime, there was an arrow showing which angle he saw it from. Obviously, I cannot do that in this fic.)

"Teme! What is wrong with you? Why do you want to win so much?"

"Nyahahahaha!!! No need to worry. Let the Tensai be the judge on who's the winner of the match," Sakuragi butted in. He stood in between Mitsui and Rukawa, and everybody held their breaths, as they waited in anticipation. Hanayuki, in the meantime, was still trying to keep herself from laughing. It was so obvious who Sakuragi was going to declare as the winner. Anyway...

Drum roll...

"Micthy is the winner!"

And Hanayuki finally burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my goodness!!! This... this is so... so funny!!! Hahahahahahahahaha!!!" She was laughing so hard that she actually fell from the bench and landed on her back. And that only served to make her laugh even harder.

Meanwhile...

"Do'aho. As if I would acknowledge your decision," said Rukawa, as he walked away.

"Teme kitsune! Are you saying that the Tensai's judgement is wrong?" demanded Sakuragi. Rukawa ignored him and continued to walk away.

"Oi, kitsune! If you do not agree with my judgement, how about we have a one-on-one then?" said Sakuragi. "Or are you too afraid of this Tensai?"

That got Rukawa to stop in his tracks and glanced back. "Nani?"

"If you are not afraid of me, then why won't you accept my challenge, huh?"

Rukawa turned around to face him. From the glint in his eyes, everyone could see that he had accepted the challenge.

Mitsui and Miyagi began to chase everybody out of the gym. Hanayuki, by the way, had picked herself up from the floor and stood watching the glaring contest between her brother and Rukawa. Seeing that she wasn't moving, Mitsui approached her. "Hana-chan, why don't I walk you home again today? We'll leave those two to themselves."

Hanayuki turned and looked at him straight in the eye. "You don't think oniichan will win." It was not just a mere statement. It was an accusation.

Mitsui sighed. "Hana-chan, no matter how fast Sakuragi is improving in 3 months, he cannot possibly win against Rukawa, who had been playing basketball all his life. You know that very well, don't you?"

Hanayuki looked at him a moment longer before shifting her gaze to the two freshmen on the court. Reluctantly, she let Mitsui half-pull her towards the door. Suddenly, Sakuragi called out to her.

"Hana-chan, where are you going?"

Before she could answer, Mitsui answered for her. "I'm taking her home. It's getting late."

"I'll walk her home later. I want her to stay and watch," said Sakuragi.

Mitsui was so surprised at this, that when Sakuragi came over and pulled Hanayuki away from him, he didn't even protest.

Sakuragi seated Hanayuki on the bench, and said, "Just watch, Hana-chan. Even if I can't beat the kitsune, I'm going to give everything I've got." He glanced at Mitsui for a while, before continuing, "I'll show all of them what I'm really made of. Then they'll know there's no need to send everyone away to save me the humiliation of defeat."

"Oniichan..."

"You thought I wouldn't notice, didn't you?"

"Anou... gomen. I didn't mean to-"

"I know," Sakuragi cut her off. He smiled at her. "And I know that they only mean well. That's why I didn't stop them."

Hanayuki smiled back and took his hands in hers. "Oniichan, no matter what happens, no matter who the opponent is, I'll always stand by you. You'll always have my support."

"Even if the opponent is Rukawa?"

Hanayuki frowned a little. "I knew you would ask me that. Anyway, of course I will support you even if the opponent is Kaede."

"Are you sure?" asked Sakuragi, looking doubtful.

"Well, I'm sure that I'm sure."

"Uh-huh..."

"Um... I guess..."

Sakuragi laughed. "Ok, fine. That's good enough for me. Anyway, I'd better get ready. Wish me luck."

Hanayuki gave him two thumbs-up sign and a huge big smile. "Ganbatte."

---

Later...

The door slid open, and Rukawa stepped out.

"So, Rukawa, did you go easy on Hanamichi?" asked Miyagi. He had been sitting outside the gym, waiting for the match to finish. With him were Mitsui and Kogure.

"Masaka." Without another word, he left his three seniors and headed to the locker room.

When Kogure wanted to go in, Mitsui stopped him. "Leave him alone for a while."

"But he's not alone. Hanayuki is in there with him," said Kogure.

"Ok, then leave him alone with Hanayuki for a while."

---

In the gym...

Hanayuki slowly approached her brother and knelt down beside him. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up. To his credit, and her immense relief, he smiled. "I'm fine. So I didn't beat him. I know I will one day. I just don't know when."

"It won't be long. You've done your best, and it's the best I've ever seen from someone who had taken up basketball just 3 months ago," said Hanayuki. "I know I've told you this before, but I would like to say it again." She smiled, and continued, "I'm so proud of you."

Sakuragi smiled again. "Thanks. Anyway, I think I would like to stay for a while. Why don't you get the kitsune to walk you home instead?"

Hanayuki nodded her head in reply, and stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow then, oniichan. Take care, and don't think about it so much."

At the door, she said to the three seniors still outside, "Please take care of him for me, minna."

"We will, Yuki-chan. Don't worry," Kogure assured her.

She gave them a smile, before making her way towards Rukawa, who was already waiting for her.

---

On the way back...

"Are you angry?" asked Rukawa quietly.

"Should I be?" asked Hanayuki.

"..."

She reached up and playfully ruffled what little hair she could reach from her height. "Of course I'm not. Though I must say, you thrashed oniichan really badly."

"If I don't, he'll keep bugging me."

"I don't see anything wrong with that. I mean, he's fun to be with. You just have to learn how to enjoy it."

Rukawa didn't say anything to that.

"Please don't go all silent again. I've gotten used to it already, but I'd rather hear you talk. Perhaps it's because you don't talk much, so when you do, I, um...," she hesitated a little, wondering if she should go on. She continued anyway. "I like it. I like to listen to your voice."

She was a few steps ahead when she realised that Rukawa had stopped walking. Turning around, she found Rukawa looking at her with those same blue eyes of his, only this time they were so filled to the brim with emotion, Hanayuki thought that she was about drown in them any moment soon.

"Kaede, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I like to listen to your voice too."

Hanayuki pretended to pout. "But I don't get to hear you talk as much as you hear me talk. And you get to hear me laugh, too. I don't even get to see you smile."

"If I smile, will you tell me that you love me?" he whispered.

Hanayuki furrowed her eyebrows. "What?" She was sure that she had heard wrongly.

Rukawa's hands reached out to touch her face. "If I smile, will you tell me that you love me, as much as I love you?" he whispered again.

Hanayuki's eyes widened, and it didn't take long for the tears to start forming in them. "I..." Slowly, her own hands reached up to remove Rukawa's hands from her face, and she took a step back. "I'm so sorry. I... I can't."

She covered her mouth to keep from sobbing, as she took another step back. Then, she turned around and ran, and didn't stop until she reached the safety of her own room. Once there, she flopped herself onto the bed, buried her face in the pillow and cried her heart out. I'm so sorry... I do, I really do... but I can't... I'm so sorry...

She didn't realise the presence of another in the room, who appeared at the door soon after she had arrived and approached her, until she felt the bed sinking to one side, and a hand placed on her arm. She sat up immediately, and stared in shock at the person in front of her.

"H-how did you get in here?" she asked amidst her tears, and was pulled into an embrace.

---

That night, Rukawa and Hanayuki slept peacefully in each other's arms, and did not wake up until morning.

---

Some days later...

"Disappointed aren't you, oniichan?" Hanayuki asked teasingly.

"Hmph." Sakuragi ignored his sister.

Some days ago, Hanayuki had announced that they would be having a practice camp with Jousei High School at Shizuoka for a week. Everyone was pretty excited about it, especially Sakuragi, but he didn't know that Hanayuki had other plans for him.

On the day that they were supposed to depart for Shizuoka (which was on this day), he was asked to stay back by Hanayuki, much to his dismay.

"Well, if you really want to go that much, go ahead. I won't stop you, and we can just forget about the secret training that I have prepared just for you," said Hanayuki, emphasising on the word 'secret'.

As expected, that got his attention. "Secret training?"

"Yup. A secret training, just for you." She watched as the wheels in her brother's mind started turning. To seal the deal, she added, "Or are you not up to the challenge?"

"Nani??! The Tensai is up for any challenge. You're on!"

"Oh? Are you sure about this?"

"The Tensai is always sure! Now, what is it that you want the Tensai to do?"

Hanayuki held up two fingers. "20000 jump shots in one week."

---

Halfway through the week...

"Oniichan, you keep forgetting to relax. You have to relax yourself," said Hanayuki.

"Aa," Sakuragi replied. It was his last shot for the morning, and he was determined to make it. He jumped; he shot; he scored!

"Yosh!" he shouted, pumping his fist into the air. The gundan and Haruko, who was also there, cheered as well.

Exhausted from the training, Sakuragi dropped to all fours and crawled towards the door, all the while mumbling about getting three big bowls of rice and meat and a bowl of curry noodle for soup.

Just then, Haruko mentioned that her brother, Akagi had called back to say that they had won the first practice game against Josei.

"That's great!" exclaimed Hanayuki. The truth was, like her brother, she had wanted to go to the practice camp herself, but knowing that Sakuragi's improvement would help the team a great deal, she decided to stay back and practise with him.

As Haruko continued talking about the team's progress at Shizuoka, Sakuragi felt a little disappointed; he had really wanted to go, and if not because of this 'secret' intensive training that Hanayuki had prepared for him, nothing would have been able to stop him from going.

"He also said that Rukawa-kun is in the best condition," said Haruko, with a tinge of red on her cheeks.

That was the last straw. Sakuragi, who'd rather be dead than give in to Rukawa, got to his feet and announced that he was going to have one extra round of special training before going for lunch. Having said that, he tied two huge car tyres to a rope and tied the rope around his body, pulling them along as he jogged around the field and shouted at people to get out of his way.

In the field, a football practice was underway, and one of the players accidentally kicked the ball towards Sakuragi, causing it to hit his head. Naturally, Sakuragi got mad and chased after the poor kid, while the gundan, being the gundan, cheered him on. Hanayuki had wanted to stop him, but after thinking twice about it (there were those past records where every time she tried to stop him, she would get hurt in the process), she refrained from doing so, but shouted at her brother to stop all the same.

Later, after lunch, he continued with the shots, and as soon as he was finished, Youhei reminded him about his basics training. Unable to handle the pressure of the training any longer, he immediately collapsed onto the floor in a faint.

Everybody crowded around him, and before Hanayuki could say anything, Haruko beat her to it. "Sakuragi-kun, how about we go to the fair after training? It's been so hard for you; I thought it would be good for a change. Do you want to?"

In a blink of an eye, he was up and dribbling the ball, much to the amusement of Hanayuki and the gundan. The gundan snickered, while Hanayuki smiled to herself.

Well, what do you know? Oniichan got himself a date with Haruko-chan.

---

The next day...

Hanayuki walked out of the train station, looking for a signboard which will point her the way to Jousei High School. After much looking around and not being able to find one, she gave up and decided to ask for directions instead. Less than a minute later, she was sent on her way by a kind old woman.

2 hours later...

I should have asked somebody else, thought Hanayuki as she approached the school gate. That way, I wouldn't have gotten the wrong directions and wander around like a lost puppy for 2 hours. By listening to the dribbles of the basketball, she found her way to the gym, and was just in time to see Akagi perform his Gorilla Dunk.

Not bad... Now let's have a look at the scores. She frowned when she saw the score board. The Shohoku team was lagging behind by 5 points. She walked to where the rest of the team was standing at the sidelines, and was greeted with surprise by Ayako.

"Yuki-chan! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you guys of course," answered Hanayuki.

"But what about Sakuragi Hanamichi? I thought you were supposed to supervise him on whatever training you are giving him," asked Ayako.

"He's doing very well, Ayako-san. Before coming here, I had put Haruko-chan and the gundan in charge of his training. They know what to do, so there wouldn't be any problems. Besides, I'm only here for a while. I'll be leaving tomorrow," explained Hanayuki. She turned her attention back to the court. "Is this one of the practice games?"

"Yeah. Daijoubu, they'll catch up soon enough," said Ayako. In the end, however, Shohoku lost the game by a margin of 2 points.

The 5 main players were also surprised to see Hanayuki. "Hana-chan? What are you doing here?"

Hanayuki laughed. "You know, that's exactly what Ayako-san asked me just now. Anyway, I'm here to see you guys."

"But what about-"

"Oniichan? He's doing perfectly well. That's why I could be here in the first place. Did you think that I would leave him alone and come all the way here if he hadn't been improving? Besides, he isn't alone. Haruko-chan and his friends are accompanying him. They know what to do," Hanayuki explained again.

"Ok. So when are you leaving then?" asked Kogure.

Hanayuki looked at him sadly. "You don't want me here, Kogure-sempai?"

"Ah, no! That's not what I meant, Yuki-chan!" said Kogure, panicking. When everybody started laughing, he became confused, before realising it was only a joke.

"But seriously, Hana-chan, when are you going back?" asked Mitsui.

"Tomorrow morning."

"Hmm... in that case, why don't I bring you out for a night of fun later on? I heard from some of the Jousei players about a few places which are supposed to be really, um... fun," Mitsui suggested.

Hanayuki raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure you are allowed to do that?" She glanced at Akagi.

"Oh I'm sure Akagi wouldn't mind, ne, Akagi?" said Mitsui nonchalantly. "After all, Hana-chan came all the way here to see us. The least we can do is let her have some fun before she leaves tomorrow."

Akagi looked at him as if he had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. Ever the pacifist, Kogure quickly stepped in to prevent any further argument. "Maa, maa... perhaps it's not a very good idea, Mitsui. We still have practice tomorrow, you know."

"Don't be such a spoil-sport, Kogure-san. I think Mitsui-san's right. We need some timeout, and this is a perfect opportunity," said Miyagi.

Thwack!

"Aya-chan!" Miyagi looked teary-eyed at Ayako. "You don't agree with me, Aya-chan?"

"Well, actually... I do. Ehehehe..." Ayako replied.

"Then why did you hit me, Aya-chan?"

"Out of habit, I guess."

Mitsui turned to Rukawa. "What about you, Rukawa? What do you think?"

Rukawa only shrugged.

"Good. It's settled then. We shall go to the nearest karaoke bar later in the evening," Mitsui announced happily.

Kogure gulped. The look on Akagi's face was scary, and Mitsui obviously didn't care. "Anou... you guys aren't serious, are you?"

"Of course we are, Kogure. You should come along with us as well. And you too, Akagi."

Akagi snorted. "What makes you think I'll go to that kind of place? And, what makes you think I'll give you permission to go in the first place?"

"Whoever said that we are going to ask for your permission? We already took a vote, and everybody agreed on going, except for you," said Mitsui.

"Vote? What vote? And since when did everybody agree on going?"

"Since I said so."

"Well, I said-"

"Come on, Akagi." Mitsui waved his hands dismissively. "Just because you don't like that kind of place doesn't mean that you can stop us from going. Besides, it's only for tonight. Just one single pathetic night."

"Yeah, governor. Just this once," added Miyagi.

"Onegai," Ayako pitched in.

Akagi looked from one face to another and sighed. "What do you think, Yuki-chan?" he asked Hanayuki.

Hanayuki glanced at the others, who were looking back at her, their eyes going all big and puppyish all of a sudden (except for Rukawa, of course). Hanayuki sweatdropped. Turning back to Akagi, she said, "Well, I think they do deserve to have some fun, since they've been working so hard for so long." She smiled. "And, I certainly wouldn't mind spending one night in a karaoke bar."

Akagi sighed again. "Fine. We'll all g-"

"HURRAH!!!"

In a blink of an eye, everyone was out of the gym and rushing back to the student hostel where the team was currently staying in, to get themselves ready. Akagi and Kogure sweatdropped, while Hanayuki laughed.

"You guys are coming too, right?" asked Hanayuki.

"Well, I guess I am," Kogure answered. "What about you, Akagi?"

"I'm not going anywhere near that place. They can go and have all the fun they want, but I'm staying at the hostel," said Akagi, folding his arms across his chest.

"Aww, come on, Akagi-sempai. It's going to be fun. You should come with us," said Hanayuki

"No. I am not going, and that's final."

---

Later that night, at the karaoke bar...

"Why did I agree to come?" Akagi muttered to himself as he massaged his throbbing head.

"Because you wanted to have some fun?" supplied Kogure, and was promptly silenced by a glare from his friend.

With the exception of Akagi (and maybe Kogure and Rukawa), the rest of the team were having the time of their lives.

"Dame! Dame! Dame ne onna wa mou sonna otoko ja kanji nai!" Ayako sang at the top of her lungs. (A/n: Translation is located at the bottom.)

"Go, Ayako!" shouted Mitsui.

"I LOVE YOU, AYA-CHAN!!!"

Hanayuki was laughing non-stop with amusement. She wouldn't have stopped, if not for the microphone, which was suddenly thrust to her face. "Eh?"

"Go on, Hana-chan. Sing us a song!" cheered Ayako.

"No!" Miyagi protested. "I wanna sing a song! I want to-"

Thwack!

"Aya-chan..." Faster than you can say 'ouch', Miyagi's expression changed from happy to teary-eyed.

"Hahaha! It's ok, Miyagi-sempai. You go ahead," said Hanayuki, handing over the microphone, but was stopped by Mitsui.

"Don't worry about him. He'll be hogging the microphone later, so you'd better grab the chance now when you can. I say, why don't you sing me a song? You know, dedicate a song to me?" Mitsui winked suggestively.

Hanayuki laughed again. "Hisashi-niichan, you're totally impossible, you know that?"

Meanwhile, Miyagi had crept up to Hanayuki and whispered in her ear. A huge grin appeared on her face, and she nodded enthusiastically. "You can count on me," she said, and bounded onto the stage.

"Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen. This next song is a special request from a special friend of mine dedicated to an equally special person. May I present the dedicator of the song, the ever handsome, ever cute, ever lovable, ever sweet, ever faithful, and ever lightning-quick point guard of the Shohoku High School basketball team, Miyagi Ryota!!!"

Akagi spurted out the orange juice in his mouth, while Mitsui choked on the pretzel he was chewing.

"However, due to some, er... unexpected, unfortunate and cruel twist of fate, Miyagi-san is not able to dedicate this song to his beloved himself. Therefore, I, Tsukino Hanayuki, also known as Anzai Hanayuki..."

Kogure sweatdropped. "I think Yuki-chan's sugar level must have been much higher than it usually is."

"... will dedicate the song in his place, to the very beautiful, very talented, very gentle..."

"Gentle? Since when is Ayako actually gentle?" Mitsui wondered aloud, which was a mistake, because almost immediately, Miyagi pounced on him and began to deliver one punch after another, while Ayako attacked her sempai with her ever-trusty fan on the head.

"Whoa, calm down, calm down! By the way, Ayako, how did you know that you are the one who Miyagi dedicated the song to?" asked Kogure, as he tried to help Mitsui fend off the attacks.

"Huh? Oh, er... ehehehe..." Ayako began to blush.

"... very sexy, and one and only manageress of the Shohoku High School basketball team, Ayako-san!!!"

Ayako blushed even harder when her name was mentioned. "Ehehehe... see..."

"Hey, Hana-chan! You didn't tell us which song he's dedicating!" Mitsui shouted to Hanayuki, while trying to block out the blows which Miyagi was still pouring on him.

"Oh, yeah! Ahahaha... gomen! Gomen! Anyway, the song is 'More Than Words'."

The big screen on the stage began to play the music video of the song, and Hanayuki began to sing.

Saying I love you is not the words I want to hear from you
It's not that I want you not to say it but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel
More than words is all you have to do to make it real

Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
Coz I'd already know

Miyagi finally stopped attacking Mitsui, and was looking at Ayako with hopeful and love-struck eyes. Ayako pretended not to notice, although the tinge of red on her cheeks was becoming more and more visible.

What would you do if my heart was torn in two?
More than words to show you feel that your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away?
Then you couldn't make things new just by saying I love you

Now that I've tried to talk to you and make you understand
All you have to do is close your eyes and just reach out your hand and touch me
Hold me close, don't ever let me go
More than words is all I ever needed you to show

Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
Coz I'd already know

The song came to an end, and everyone clapped appreciatively. Mitsui started to cat-call, along with the some of the other male customers in the bar.

"You sang pretty well, Yuki-chan, except for some parts where you went off-key," said Ayako, still trying to ignore Miyagi.

"Hahaha! Well, let's hope that it doesn't rain any time soon," Hanayuki joked.

"Hey, where's Rukawa?" asked Kogure, looking around for his junior.

"I thought he had been sleeping ever since we got here," said Akagi.

"Nah, he woke up when Hana-chan started singing, and... I think I found him." Mitsui pointed to one corner of the bar.

Everyone turned to look to where Mitsui had pointed, and indeed, there was Rukawa, talking to a girl who looked as if she didn't have enough cloth to cover herself.

Miyagi blinked a few times, rubbed his eyes, and then blinked another couple of times. "Is it just me, or is that Rukawa talking to a very sexy and impossibly hot woman who looked twice his age?"

"Nope. It's not you. That's Rukawa alright. Man, I didn't know he had it in him," said Mitsui.

"But, I thought he only had eyes for..." Ayako trailed off. As if on cue, everyone turned to look at Hanayuki.

Hanayuki raised her eyebrows. "Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"Um, in case you didn't notice, Yuki-chan, that is Rukawa over there, talking to another girl," said Miyagi.

Hanayuki nodded her head slowly. "Yeah. So?"

"So? Is that all you can say? So?" asked Ayako, bewildered.

"What do you want me to say?"

Ayako sighed exasperatedly. "You are hopeless, Yuki-chan. I mean, Rukawa is over there hitting on a really hot girl, and you act as if it's nothing."

Hanayuki shrugged, and took a sip from her drink.

"And to top it all off, we're in a karaoke bar, and you're actually drinking milk!" continued Ayako.

Hanayuki raised her eyebrows again. "What's wrong with milk?"

"What's wrong with drinking milk in a karaoke bar, you mean? It's just wrong! Nobody drinks milk in a karaoke bar!"

"Well, I do." Hanayuki took another sip. "Besides, it's good for you."

"But-"

Hanayuki raised the glass to cut her off. "Cheers," she said, before taking yet another sip.

Ayako slumped back into her seat. "I give up."

Hanayuki smiled, and turned her attention to the stage, where the said girl, the one without enough cloth to cover herself, was getting ready to belt out a song. In the meantime, Rukawa had returned to his seat with the group.

"Yo, Rukawa. So, how was the girl?" teased Mitsui, patting him on the back.

"..."

"Come now, there's no need to be sh-" He broke off when the girl started to speak.

"Konbanwa, minna-san. This next song is dedicated to whom it may concern. That's right, to whom it may concern. Now, I must make it known that I'm not the one who made the dedication. Fact is, I'm not supposed to reveal who the dedicator is, but I'll give you a hint. He's very tall, and very handsome."

The whole team looked at Rukawa, who was looking as nonchalant as ever.

"Anyway, he had personally requested me to sing this song, the very lovely 'Suka-retto'. Enjoy."

Haruka na hoshi zora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka?
Osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka?
Mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi
Nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro

Tatoe tookutemo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta
Ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru

GARASU no bara yori mo hakanakute moroi no ni
Yume miru koto wa naze sadame na no deshou
Futatsu no yume ga ai ni natte
Ai ni narenai koto mo ate

Hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii
Kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni naru

Hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii
Kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni...

Tatoe tookutemo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta
Ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru

The whole room burst into cheers. Despite her appearance, the girl could sing really well, and she had delivered the song most beautifully.

"Hey, Rukawa, how did you know that she could sing?" asked Miyagi.

"Yeah, and who was the song supposed to be dedicated to anyway?" prodded Mitsui.

Rukawa just ignored them, and in one gulp, finished his drink. Then, he stood up and said, "I'm going back to sleep." He left before anyone could say anything.

"Geez, I tell you, that guy acts like he's having PMS every single day of his life," said Miyagi, and was whacked on the head by Ayako. She glanced at Hanayuki, who was staring at her glass of milk.

Akagi stood up. "Anyway, he's right. It's getting late. Everybody get up. We're going back now."

A few whines and groans and Gori punches later, the whole group walked out of the karaoke bar and headed back to their hostel.

The next morning, it took a little longer than usual for everyone to get up, which was understandable, but they made it anyway (it was either wake up or die. At least, that's what Akagi had told them). As for Hanayuki, she took the first train back to Shohoku, where Sakuragi, Haruko and the gundan were waiting for her, having had their own night of fun at the fair. And then, it was back to the gym and the gruelling training sessions.

---

At the end of the week...

"This is it, Hanamichi," said Youhei.

"The very last one," added Takamiya.

"Go for it, oniichan!" Hanayuki cheered.

With a jump, and a flick of the wrist, Sakuragi sent the ball flying towards the basket.

Swish

"YATTA!!!" Everybody shouted with excitement and happiness. That was the 20000th shot, thus marking the end of Sakuragi's jump shot training.

"I did it, Hana-chan! I did it!" shouted Sakuragi, as he danced around with Hanayuki, the gundan doing the same all over the place. It was such a funny scene, what with half-grown teenagers dancing around in circles like small kids, that it was no wonder the rest of the team gawked at them when they entered the gym at that moment.

"Oh, you guys are back!" Hanayuki exclaimed.

"Er... yeah. What are you guys doing?" asked Mitsui uncertainly.

Hanayuki and Sakuragi grinned at each other before turning to face the team with the grins still plastered on their faces.

"It's a secret," they replied together.

---

Translation of the line Ayako sang: No! No! No, the woman will not fall for the man again!

Translation for 'Suka-retto':

Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?
Are they more vivid than they were when you were little?
When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart to rest,
They burn the colour of passion.

I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were,
but that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart.

Dreams are more fragile and fleeting than a glass rose,
so then why are we destined to dream?
Sometimes two dreams can turn into love,
but there are also times when they can't.

Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.
Words are so powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife.

I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were,
but that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart.

Author's notes: Well, I am afraid I'll have to skip the Shoyo/Ryonan game and go on to Hiroshima, like in the manga. I can't write about the game because I need to know exactly what happened, and not just vaguely, and it's been quite a while since I've watched the episodes, and I have nothing to help me with the problem. Gomen... Anyway, I would also like to say that there's a lot to this fic than meets the eye, so a lot of patience is needed because a lot of waiting is in order. I personally think that it's finishing soon, but it won't be the end. There will be a continuation, and that's when everything really enfolds. Anyway, thanks to cools, Ice Queen, Hikaru Itsuko, Jen and devil-gurl for reviewing.