Chapter 5: Let's play some ball

The group of them headed down to Takahashi Street, with Sakuragi Hanamichi leading the way because he claimed to know exactly where they were headed for. "We're nearing there, just a few minutes more," he said for the fifth time, rounding a corner of a block that seemed pretty familiar.

Ayako groaned. "Sakuragi-kun, we've been rounding this area for ages! Can't you recognise this abandoned building?" she squatted down, obviously tired from all the walking they did.

Hiroshi checked his watch. It was near 9pm. They had been walking for almost an hour now. "But this is Takahashi Street, and like Shizue said, it must be around here somewhere..." he looked left and right, not knowing which way to go, and slumped beside Ayako.

Mitsui was kicking loose gravel off the road, deciding not to say anything. Besides, he was a total blur when it came to directions. He looked over at Rukawa, who was silent throughout the journey. "Eh, Rukawa. You've been around longer than us. Have you seen the alley? At all?"

Rukawa looked at the ground, not answering. Sakuragi fumed, and started blabbing. "Stupid Kitsune! Answer Michi already!"

"Hmph," was all the answer Sakuragi got. Luckily for the fox, Haruko and Miyagi both restrained him from marching towards Rukawa and tearing his head off with his bare hands.

"It's just round that corner," Rukawa relented, leading the group down a darkened alleyway that they had missed earlier. They walked down a narrow path, and the air seemed thicker and heavier somehow. It smelled dully of something mouldy, and Haruko pressed against Sakuragi in fright, pleasing him to no end. Miyagi looked on jealously at the couple, and then turned to look at Ayako, who looked like they were taking a stroll down the park; and sighed deeply.

"You got a problem?" Ayako asked, feeling his forehead for a fever.

"Nah. The problem lies with you," Mitsui pointed out.

"What?!"

"Hey hey! Stop fighting! There's nothing wrong with anybody, ok? Let's just get out of here as soon as we can alright?" Miyagi yelled into the darkness.

As soon as it quietened down again, someone sniggered.

"Who did that?" Ayako spat, feeling touchy. "It must be you, Michi,"

"Me again? What did I ever do to you?!" Mitsui let out a suffering sigh. "If you could only be a little smarter, you would have realised-"

"There it is!" Miyagi shouted a little too eagerly. "The court!" he pointed at the brightly lit area a few metres away from the dark alleyway they had emerged from. He jogged towards it with the rest of them trailing behind like lost ducklings.

Hiroshi looked at Rukawa questioningly, wondering why he hadn't led them here earlier on in the first place instead of letting them wander around stupidly for an hour. He was about to open his mouth to ask him what was wrong when Mitsui called him over.

"What's up?" Hiroshi asked, coming up to the makeshift table by the entrance of the 'court'. It was a pretty cosy place, fenced up not too high, but someone had draped black cloth all around it, making it look like a tent without the cover. Hip Hop music was blasting inside, the sound of shoes squeaking against concrete and balls hitting the ground could be heard distinctly.

"Cover charge of 500yen per person. I've got no money on me. Got any spare change?" Mitsui asked.

"I've spent it all in the restaurant..." Hiroshi said, frowning.

"I've got some money," Haruko chirped, taking out some 1000yen notes. She spread them out to find that there were only 2. "Uh-oh."

"Do'ahou. Let me take care of it." Pulling out his tips for that day, he paid for everyone of them, and handed Haruko's money back to her. "Don't waste your money on this. Save it for a rainy day," he told her, and she swooned in admiration. He was such a gentleman...

"Oh shut it, Kitsune, you're making me sick," Sakuragi gagged exaggeratedly.

"Do you want to get in or not?" he asked coolly. Sakuragi could only growl.

As soon as they stepped in, they were greeted by an amazing sight. The black cloth had splashes of graffiti all over it, giving the place a vibrant, spunky look. The basketball board was a glass one, and they had two, hanging from each opposite ends on the court. It couldn't be used as a full court, though, because in between each halves of the courts, there was a 1 metre space. Rukawa's guess is that the lines were spray painted by hand and they did not bother to measure the length of the court in the first place, and had to separate it into two half courts.

There was a table at the corners of the fenced up court, selling drinks and god-knows what else. People were milling around, but no one was smoking, which Rukawa was grateful for. He hated smokers right down to the core.

4 teams were playing simultaneously but no one seemed to be keeping count as the official game hasn't started yet. Everyone seemed to be waiting for something. Rukawa looked around, found a team that he wanted to watch and walked off in the opposite direction from the gang.

Hiroshi caught up with him, and started up a conversation. "Nice crowd tonight, huh." He said noncommittally.

Rukawa gave a slight shrug of the shoulders.

"You don't seem to be yourself today. What's up?"

The raven haired boy stared straight ahead, taking his time to formulate some replies in his head. Maybe it's the fact that you guys show up whenever you want to in my life like I've got no say in it. He spoke. "I've no idea how I should act then,"

Hiroshi nodded, a little taken aback by his reply. What did he mean by that? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the guys playing dirty, jamming the other guy's stomach while reaching in for a basket. He remembered that this was street ball and that rules were a little more relaxed, if not different altogether.

The music stopped suddenly and a hush fell over the court as the lights dimmed. The spotlight came on, directed at the entrance, and someone shouted, "And here's the team that's held the top position for 10 games running, 'The Slot Machine'!!"

Catcalls and cheers were made as the team of 4 came into view. The first was a tall lanky guy with spiky blond hair, dressed in a skater's T with low slung berms secured to his hip with a studded belt. The next that came into view was a girl, with short cropped red hair spiked up with gel as well, in a yellow tank and army pants sheared at the knees. Next was another guy, shorter than the first, built a bit heavier, in a muscle Tshirt and black jeans. He's got a stubby ponytail of black hair tied up in a knot with a strand of stray hair lying on the side of his face. He seems to be the popular one; proven by the cheers that grew louder as he waved and winked his slate grey eye at the crowd.

The last person to step up somehow didn't manage to surprise Rukawa like it should. She was wearing a netted see-thru tank with a orange tube inside; loose cargo black pants held to her hips also by a studded belt. Her blue hair was braided in tiny strands running sagittally to each other from the front to the back of the head trailing down to the mid of her back.(think sean paul). She raised both hands up in greeting and bent from the waist till the plane of her back was parallel to the ground. Standing back up, her sapphire eyes twinkled brightly under the spotlights as her gaze travelled through the crowds, finally resting on Rukawa, and winked.

Rukawa turned away to meet Hiroshi's instead. They stared at each other awhile, neither party saying anything.

"OMGOMGOMG!" Sakuragi mock swooned, slapping his hands on his cheeks. "Shizue-san's soooo cool!"

"Do'ahou."

"Knock it off, asshole," Miyagi whipped him upside the head.

Haruko was slapping Sakuragi playfully, laughing hard as she did so. Mitsui looked over at Rukawa and Hiroshi, sensing some unspoken tension between the two and backed off, muttering something about needing a drink.

"I saw that," Hiroshi said, not looking at him.

"It meant nothing. She does that to people all the time," Rukawa said, unable to fathom why he was explaining himself to this guy. He never explains himself to anyone. He didn't care. "It's not like you to get jealous," he told him before sauntering away to the drink stand.

Hiroshi stared after him, not sure what to think of that statement.

"The rules are simple. 1. No blood, no foul; but basic rules like travelling still apply. You can have the possession of the ball for as long as you want, as long as we don't fall asleep," The ponytail guy was interrupted by snickers from the crowd. "2. Talk trash. The trashier you are, the more we like you, the more you get to play. 3. Showmanship. We want fancy plays from all you guys, and by that we mean whatever cool moves you have, show it. We are all here for some entertainment, so show us what you got! As for scoring, the first team that gets 20 points wins the game; or if 15 minutes is up, whichever that comes first. That wraps it up. It's time to play baaaaaall!" he ended, wild cheers erupting from the crowd as the first two teams lined up by the side of the court waiting to be called.

Shizue jogged towards them in long strides, holding a clipboard and waving a little. "Hey guys," she breathed, "have you signed up to play yet? What are you guys called?"

"Eh?" Mitsui looked a little lost.

Shizue sighed in exasperation. "Don't you guys want to play?"

Miyagi nodded fervently. "Of course!"

"But we haven't signed up yet," Ayako put in. "Can we still sign up?"

Shizue nodded. "Leave it to me. If you want to play, I got you in," she grinned. She seems so different at work, Rukawa noted. So much more restricted. "So what are you going to call yourselves?"

"Tensai!" Sakuragi shouted, pumping a fist into the air.

Shizue nodded and ran off. "You're up next!" she called as she jogged back towards the stand, braided hair flopping about messily.

Mitsui glared at Sakuragi. "What kind of a name is that?!"

Ayako swatted his head as if swatting a fly. "Ow!" he cried, "hey, at least we are Tensais aren't we?"

Miyagi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You're right,"

Hiroshi chuckled. "You guys..."

Rukawa sighed. "Fools..."

Fifteen minutes seemed to slip by like quicksand as the team lined up by the side of the court, waiting for their turn at the game.

"It's 3 on 3. Who's going in first?" Miyagi asked, looking at the lot of them. Everyone raised their hands, in exception for the girls. "Girls, not playing?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Ya know, it's just for fun, you should give it a try," he said, more to Ayako than Haruko.

"The last time I touched a ball was in middle school. I'm not sure if I can still play..." she trailed off, looking away.

"Sure you can, Aya-sempai. Miyagi, put her up first with me and you." Sakuragi spoke up. "We'll switch at half-time to these next 3 guys," he cocked his head at Hiroshi, Rukawa and Michi."

"We can only have 5 people in a team you idiot," Rukawa informed him, crossing his arms.

"That's alright, I'll sit this game out," Hiroshi spoke up immediately, shrugging. "I'm tired from all that walking just now anyway,"

Ayako knew that was not the case, but she was grateful for that. It's been a long time since she had touched the ball and she rotated her ankle, wondering if it'll be able to hold...

"Ok! Thanks for that great game by TNT and Big Lews. Next up, we have Tensai and The Area Code!" there were some jeers and cheers as 3 people of each team stood up, going to the girl standing in the middle of the half court.

"Ok, we're tossing a coin here. Heads or tails?" the girl asked.

Miyagi let the other team have the pick, which chose tails, so they got heads. "Tails. Area Code, you guys check the ball," she said, bounce-passing the ball to the team leader, who was a girl with a pink bob.

"Before we start, I'm Sakura." The girl nodded. "The guy with the black hair's Tenshi, and the girl with purple hair is Nanami." They shook hands politely. The gang introduced themselves in turn, including Rukawa and Mitsui.

Walking to the mid line, Sakura checked the ball to Nanami, who was being guarded pretty loosely by Miyagi. Looking slightly annoyed that Miyagi was taking her lightly, she attempted driving towards the net but was met by Miyagi's chest. "Nah-uh, I'm not letting you go this easily," he said as he tried to steal the ball from her.

Crossing the ball over to her right hand through her leg, she backed up into him, pushing him towards the net, maintaining the ball at a low dribble. Miyagi crouched lower in response, and tried to tap the ball away from her. As he reached for it, the rest of Nanami's movement was a blur as his hand met thin air. A split second later she was turning around and heading behind him to get the ball. How'd the ball get behind him?

The crowd was in hysterics. "Man! Did you see that? When that guy wasn't looking, that girl flipped the ball over his head then went for it! Damn, that was funny!"

Whirling around a second too late, he watched Nanami finish a lay up, landing on her feet and dusting her hands. She chest passed the ball to him. "That's for taking me lightly," she said, smiling condescendingly.

Ayako was smiling too, though not for the same reason as Nanami. "That was a pretty cool move," she commented, and Nanami actually blushed.

"That's streetball for you," Tenshi spoke up. "Something that you high school basketball kids wouldn't understand," he taunted, flicking a strand of hair away from his face.

"Shut up, we'll show you real basketball," Miyagi returned, checking the ball to Ayako, who was being guarded pretty closely by Sakura.

"You look like you haven't touched the ball in ages, dear," Sakura told her, causing Ayako to scowl dangerously at her.

"Just watch me," was her only reply as she slammed into Sakura, pushing her backwards, and did some freestyling of her own. She got past Sakura only to bump into Tenshi, momentarily losing the grip of the ball.

"Ball's mine," he said, bringing it around and throwing it to Sakura yet again. Sakuragi stopped the ball mid pass and threw it to Ayako, who drove forward in another attempt at a shot and was blocked this time by Nanami. Deciding to bring in some street play of her own, she dropped the ball on the ground and 'accidentally' kicked it through Nanami's legs, and holding the crouching girl's thighs for support, slipped under the girl to the other side, slapping up the ball and making a bank shot.

"Nice one Ayako," Sakuragi grinned, feeling the atmosphere heating up. Several shots later, the time wore down to 7 minutes on the clock, and they felt like a changeover was necessary. The score was then 10-8, in favour of The Area Code.

"Looks like it's up to us huh, Rukawa?" Mitsui grinned, pulling up his trousers, which were on the verge of slipping down his butt.

"Just don't flash everyone, and we'll be fine," Rukawa snorted, and got up, dusting his pants off. "Good game, Ayako," he slapped her hands as she came over flushed and grinning.

"Thanks,"

"Go out there and trash them, you hear?" Miyagi called out, and Mitsui turned back and stuck his tongue out at him. Sakuragi opted to stay for the 2nd half of the game, and scowled as Rukawa neared him.

"Kitsune! Don't fuck up," he said and stalked away towards Tenshi.

"Leave it to me," Rukawa told him and was returned immediately by a long chain of insults and curses by the Tensai.

The game reinstated with a shot made by Tenshi, not after a much difficult manoeuvre away from Sakuragi's tight defense.

Mitsui checked the ball and passed it to Sakuragi, whom being too eager to show off, got his shot blocked by Tenshi. "C'mon man, is this all you got? Didn't you see the sign on the hoop? It says, 'No entry to shots by weak jerks like you'!"

"Why you-" Sakuragi started, but was interrupted by Sakura who was racing full speed towards him with the ball in hand. "When did-" the ball swished through the net before he could finish his sentence.

"After you make a shot, the ball switches possession," Mitsui explained. "Man, that girl is fast," he referred to Sakura, who was holding the ball, waiting for someone to go get it.

"I believe it's your ball?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Mitsui grinned apologetically, and Sakura rolled her eyes. Rukawa looked at the scores. 15-10, with 3 more minutes to go. Damn if I let these street thugs win, he thought fiercely to himself.

Receiving the ball from Mitsui, he raced toward the net, and was blocked by Nanami, who came at him from the side. He faked to the right, hoping to shake her off but she stood still, eyeing him dubiously. Glancing to his right, he saw Sakuragi waving frantically at him, wanting his hands on the ball. Instead of passing it to him, he backpedaled a few steps and faked it to the right again. Yes, he thought as Nanami stepped to the right, giving him the chance to go for the basket. As he reached up for a shot, Tenshi jumped up with his arm outstretched, planning to slap the ball away from him. Pulling the ball back, he switched hands and hooked the ball in, letting it fall through the net. 15-11.

Tenshi regained possession of the ball, and freestyled around the court as Rukawa looked on in disinterest. "Get on with it already," he told Tenshi, faking a yawn.

Growling, he started towards Rukawa, and spun around so that his back is facing him and dribbled low. Sensing that Tenshi's up to one of his tricks, Rukawa hesitated, stopping his advance with his hands against his back, waiting for him to pull it out of his bag.

Sure enough, as the ball got low enough, Rukawa couldn't see it any further and warning bells started going off in his head.

"Watch it!" Mitsui yelled, and blocked off Sakura who was trying to get pass him to Tenshi's side.

"Damn Kitsune!" Sakuragi grunted, and ran to Rukawa's aid. Just as he did so, the ball bounced between both Tenshi's and Rukawa's legs to the back of them. Sakuragi lunged for the ball, and before he hit the ground, he threw it up in the air as both Mitsui and Rukawa were busy.

The crowd watched in silence as the ball made its descent. Picking himself off the ground, the players on the court watched helplessly as Sakuragi made a leap for the ball. Catching the ball with both hands, he brought the ball swiftly towards the hoop and slammed it down with all his might; causing the stand to shake as he released it and dropped to the ground.

"15-12," Sakuragi muttered, pointing directly at Tenshi. "Eat my pants," he continued, and stalked to the drinks stall, grabbing a can of Pokari Sweat and chugging it down.

"H-hey!" the stall-owner yelled in indignation.

It was the calm before the storm as a cautionary wind blew gently through the court. Sakuragi went back into court, grabbing the ball and tossing it to Nanami. "Yours, right?"

"No..." Nanami started, looking a little awkward. "Actually, that ball didn't count,"

"Yeah exactly. It was such a great play. I'm a Tensai after all! Hahaha..." Sakuragi stopped, then did a double take when Nanami's words finally sank in. "Whaddya mean 'didn't count'?"

Sakura stepped forward, pushing Sakuragi on the chest as he stumbled backward, still in shock. "Told you so that you know nuts about streetball," she mocked, advancing closer towards him. "When the ball's in our hands and you stole it, you gotta pass it to another team mate before scoring," she sighed in fake sympathy, and slapped his cheeks lightly. "Too bad mister. That was a pretty cool shot for someone like you."

The crowd finally reacted, some shouting that the ball should be counted, and some just 'boo-ing' Sakura. The referee came up and told Sakuragi, "Sorry, but our panel saw that, and decided that rules are rules, and that it shouldn't be counted, however great that play was." She looked apologetic. "Maybe next time,"

Mitsui looked ready to kill, but he understood that rules are rules are rules. He came towards Sakuragi and put his arm around his shoulder. "Doesn't matter if it didn't count. You did it anyway, and it was yours. You showed them and then some. And you'll be able to do it again, legitimately," he said, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "We'll show them, together. Whaddya say?"

Sakuragi stood quiet, facing away from everyone else. There was a sudden bark of laughter, and Sakuragi looked up; he was the one laughing. "Of course! Nothing gets this Tensai down! NOTHING. We'll squash you so flat that you'll never have to go on a diet again! SO THERE!" he boomed, hands on hips and laughing hysterically.

Hiroshi catcalled, smiling at his friends. "Way to go, Sakuragi!"

"We're behind you, Sakuragi!" Haruko called, causing him to blush beet red. He raised his fist to her, and grinned happily.

"What happened to the music, man? Let's hear some!" One of the people in the crowd hollered, and the DJ jumped in surprise. Terror Squad's Lean Back came cruising through the speakers, and the scene felt alive again.

Yeah... My niggas...

Throw ya hands in the air right now man...

Feel this shit right here...

"C'mon guys! Let's get back into the game!" Ayako said clapping her hands, and pumped her fists in the air twice. "Let's see what you got!"

I don't give a fuck 'bout your fault or mishappenin's,

Nigga we from the Bronx, New York... shit happens,

The game wore on, this time with Mitsui taking the lead. He dribbled the ball, eyeing the situation. He figured if he were to pull his 3-pointers, in this case a 2 pointer, he could catch them off guard and they would still stand a chance in winning the game. Sakura seemed to realise that Mitsui's attention was somewhere else and swiped at the ball. Luckily for him, he crossed the ball through his legs in reflex and pretended to drive forward, scaring Sakura off a little. Taking his chance, he jumped and let fly, watching as the beautiful arc landed directly through the net, making that sweet sound that creates tingles up Mitsui's spine.

He turned to Sakura and said, "Now, that's my kind of music,"

Sakura just made a face at him and replied, "You're just tone-deaf," she scoffed, waving him away.

"Good shot Michi!" Sakuragi whooped, knocking the side of Tenshi's face by accident. "Oops. Watch where you put your face, will ya?" he snapped, and Tenshi growled menacingly.

Hiroshi was watching the exchange and was laughing openly. "Oh man. You're so ridiculous, it's hilarious!" he cackled some more. "Hey guys, guess what? I rhyme!"

Sakuragi stared at him as if he has gone the deep end. Haruko shook her head, pointing at the beer can he was holding. "He had one too many!" she called out.

Rukawa looked over in surprise, and there Miyagi and Hiroshi were, drinking like nobody's business. "Hey... isn't that illegal?" he asked, bewildered that Ayako would let them anywhere near the stuff.

"Concentrate!" Ayako bellowed, her face turning bright red. "I'll control these two idiots. Play the game!"

Rukawa and Sakuragi snapped their heads back at the exact same time, and they looked at one another, giving their best twisted expression to each other.

"Do'ahou,"

"Stupid Kitsune,"

Mitsui was struggling against all 3 of the opposing team, and he looked as if he was drowning in quicksand. "H-help..." Mitsui cried weakly, dribbling the ball low between his legs to keep those itchy hands away from his ball.

"Oops. Give it here!" Sakuragi cried out, and the ball rolled towards him, not before being intercepted by Tenshi's long arms.

"Shit!" Rukawa cursed, running forward in hopes of stopping Tenshi from releasing the ball into the net.

Just as Tenshi attempted a jump shot, Mitsui managed to deflect it, sending it to Sakuragi's hands. Sakuragi then passed it to Rukawa, and the girls were scrambling to get back into position. Taking a jump shot position, he was about to let fly when...

Mitsui's eyes nearly popped out when he saw what's in front of him.

Sakuragi turned to look when he heard the crowd laughing.

As if in slow motion, Rukawa looked down before releasing the ball, and found that his pants were at his ankles. Taking full advantage of the situation, Nanami slapped the ball away from his hands and threw it to Tenshi who shot a 2 pointer. "WooHOO!" they gave each other high 5s. "That's unbeatable!"

"That's just plain dirty, you old hag!" Sakuragi yelled, but broke up laughing afterwards. "Though that stupid Kitsune totally deserved it,"

"Nice boxers, my man!" came the crowd.

Sure enough, Rukawa's boxers were... cute, for lack of a better word. Like his PJs, his boxers were also littered with tiny basketballs, and they were a light shade of... pink.

Ayako's face turned pink and she turned to cover Haruko's eyes, and she struggled against her in attempts to break free of her strong grip. "I want to see!" she squealed, twisting about furiously.

"Nanami..." Rukawa warned and turned towards the girl, a weird fire glinting in his eyes.

"Uh oh. I think it's time for you to run Nanami," Mitsui told her, feeling no malice towards the girl whatsoever. Sure, that was the dirtiest trick in the book, but it was just too funny.

"Ru-rukawa. Listen." Nanami tried, backing away step by step. "This is just a game," she said. Seeing that Rukawa was too blinded by his rage to do anything else, she picked up her pace and started to run as fast as her legs could carry her.

Meanwhile, the crowd was in hysterics, and Sakuragi got a camera from nowhere, busy snapping photos of Rukawa in his boxers chasing after the girl.

Hiroshi and Miyagi were also doubled up in laughter, but they were laughing for a totally different reason. Well, they were drunk after all.

Mitsui dropped to his knees in the middle of the court, shaking uncontrollably with mirth. "Who's the one flashing now, huh?"

END CHAPTER 5!!

a/n: I think this was the weirdest chapter I've come up with. Oh man. I know my bball writing skills are like shit, so, if there're any comments, just send them my way and I'll take them with a pinch of salt!

THANK YOU EMBERLION FOR BETA-ING MY FIC AND GIVING ME TONS OF ADVICE. YOU ROCK GIRL! And yeah, I realised that you're having problems with your fic. Just bring the plot radically around and you should have something new to write. It always works. D