CHAPTER 7: BASKETBALL PRACTICE

The team barely had practice that day. The sudden return of Rukawa had them asking him so many questions. The funny thing was is that he was actually answering them. They kept asking him about his time in the All Japan Team and how he has improved. Then one of them asked him, "Why exactly did you come back?"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at Rukawa. They were all curious. They had their eyes all focused on him. Rukawa just rubbed his head and stood up. He picked up a ball and slowly dribbled away from them. He then paused a bit and said, "I really don't know…" Then he jumped and made a shot at the ring. It was so silent that you could even hear the swish of the ball as in glided smoothly into the ring.

"Same old Rukawa, just with more answers." Mitsui said. The team nodded in agreement. "I guess we shouldn't bother him too much, right now."

"Boy, if only Sakuragi was here we would be complete." Miyagi slightly grinned. "How the heck is he, Haruko?" He turned to look at her waiting for a reply. But before she could say anything, somebody answered.

He's still in the hospital…" Rukawa trailed his answer as he made another basket. Everyone looked at him again. Ayako was even more curious than usual. And with all that silence you could hear all of them breathe. Curious.Ayako thought. She then pulled her paper fan and flapped it. This is getting interesting.

"Ittai! What did I do?" Miyagi said in agony as he rubbed his sore head. "I didn't do anything…" He was partially in tears.

"Oops… Sorry… I didn't mean to…" Ayako said trying to calm the curly haired boy. She led him a bit away from the group. She wanted to talk to him privately. "So…" She said to him a bit silently, "notice something strange?"

"Strange? What's strange?" Miyagi had a puzzled look on his face.

"Oiyah!" Ayako said as she hit her forehead with her palm. She couldn't believe how dense Miyagi was sometimes. It makes me wonder what I see in him. "I'm talking about Rukawa, baka!" She said to him a bit annoyed.

"Rukawa?" He wondered. He paused a bit before he spoke again. "Well he's a bit more talkative but still a mystery." He scratched his head.

"Nothing else?" Ayako pushed on.

"Noting else really…" Miyagi said more puzzled than before.

"I'm talking about how he even knew about SAKURAGI." She intentionally stressed Sakuragi's name so that the curly-haired boy and at the moment dim-witted, she thought, would understand what she was driving at.

"Hmm, come to think of it…" He paused and stroke his chin. He looked at Rukawa intently, who at the time was still throwing some hoops. "That was rather odd."

"Finally!" She shouted. Some of the guys looked at her and wondered. But quickly turned around as they didn't really want to bother to ask Ayako, what that was and was not in any mood to get hit by her fan if she was in a bad mood. "Since when did the Ice Prince even care to think about that red-head? I would think that he could care less whether or not Sakuragi was sick or well. Heck, I would think he would be the last to know if he was dying." She looked around and saw Haruko. "There's another thing that's weird." She said as she pointed at Haruko. "I would have thought she would be ecstatic at seeing him. She's not even fawning over him."

And indeed, Haruko was acting differently. Normally she would have those love struck eyes praising every move Rukawa made. This time she was very serious. He would occasionally look at Rukawa but not a single hint of infatuation or admiration. She would just stare at the floor or at the benches. It was like she was in a daze that no one could snap her out of it. Well not until the doors slid open and someone stepped in. Two figures stepped in, one rather large man and a smaller bespectacled guy next to him.

"Konnicha wa minna!" They greeted. It was Akagi and Kogure.

Everyone stopped to look at them. "Konnichi wa!" Most of the team answered back. Even Haruko snapped out of her daze to greet her older brother and Kogure. They were pretty glad to see the two. At the end of last semester they decided to retire from the basketball team so they could focus more on their studies for entrance into university. But basketball is in their blood that they couldn't help but pass by to see how the team was doing on their fist day.

The smaller bespectacled guy came up closer to the team. Kogure was as small and lean as he has always been but there is a definite change in his facial features. His face had matured a bit though he still retained his tender and sweet look. As for the other, he was as big as ever, if not bigger. He had a hulking body type that could scare anyone and the feature similar to that of an ape. That's how he got the nickname of Gori, given to him by Sakuragi.

"So how is the team doing?" Kogure was interested to hear how well they are doing on their first day. But before he could say another word, Miyagi jumped in front of him.

"We are doing great? Miyagi beamed at him and was particularly excited. "We aren't doing much practicing right now, more like organizing ourselves…"

"Whoa! Slow down, you are going to have a heart attack if you keep that up." Kogure butted in and patted the smaller guy on the back. "but that is really nice to hear."

"Well since you 2 guys left and Sakuragi is still in the hospital, we had to rearrange the positions of the players." He said slower this time and with a sound of confidence. "I want this team to be in tip top shape even if you guys aren't around. Good thing Rukawa is back."

"Rukawa's here?" Kogure obviously surprised. Akagi also heard that and was mildly surprised. "Where is he?" Kogure asked.

"Over there still practicing… as usual…" Miyagi pointed him out on the court.

"Hasn't changed has he?" Kogure smiled at the fact that Rukawa was as dependable as ever. It kind of gave him a nostalgic feeling of when he was still in the team. But my studies come first. He thought, though it just gave him a warm feeling inside just by reconnecting with the basketball team.

"He's kind of different if you ask me." Ayako interjected. Kogure was cut off in his train of thought which made him slip his glasses.

"How so?" He asked as he fixed his glasses.

"I don't see anything different." Akagi finally said.

"Well at surface he seems like his old self, but he talks now." Ayako paused. She then looked at Rukawa. "He actually is sharing stuff about himself, believe it or not." She paused again and looked back at Akagi. She smirked. "Up until you guys came he was answering everything we were asking… Personally I think it's rather interesting… but also rather strange." She paused again made a strange look as if she was thinking.

The team just continued their practice though they had little time left. Miyagi was very serious and let them do some standard practices while he and Ayako discussed some plans for practices and individual trainings. Miyagi seemed very eager to impress Akagi. When he & Ayako have thought of new ideas he would then run off to Akagi for advice to find out what he thinks and if Akagi likes it he would run back to Ayako with such a big grin that after awhile Ayako got sick and tired of seeing. She would just roll her eyes and then tell him, "Oh just quit it!" Akagi and Kogure just chatted with Ayako from time to time or whoever was resting at the time. Haruko still had this blank dazed look in her although she was desperately trying to hide it as her brother was just standing near her. And all this time Ayako just watched her silently.

Rukawa then stopped in the middle of practice. He ran towards Miyagi and with a puff he said that he had to go. Miyagi was surprised that the ice prince would even approach him to ask for permission. "I really need to go, Captain." Rukawa stammered. "I need to meet someone." Miyagi just nodded. He had this shocked look in his face that Ayako had to snap her fingers in front of him. Rukawa then ran off to the locker room to change.

"Did he just call me Captain? And did he actually ask for my permission?" Miyagi still seem surprised.

"Yes he did." Ayako said in a monotonous voice. "You seem surprised!" She said in a rather sarcastic tone. "I mean with all the differences he has showed I would rather expect that already. Time at the All Japan Team must've taught him something." She just thought but she wasn't sure. There has got to be more to the story than just that. She thought. But there's nothing I can do for now. She then just shrugged.

After 5 minutes Rukawa ran out of the lockers. He was dressed up already although his hair was still visibly wet and some parts of his face. He then ran up to Miyagi. "Goodbye Captain, Ayako-san." He nodded and then moved a bit towards the 2 seniors. "Akagi-sempai, Kogure-sempai, nice to meet you again." He then nodded at them too and moved towards the door of the gym where Haruko was. He made a quick stop. He did not look at Haruko. He just nodded and said, "Akagi-san." He then rushed out of the gym and ran towards the gate of the school.

Haruko was shocked. This was the first time Rukawa even acknowledged her existence. She then looked up but Rukawa was already gone. She turned around and could only see his shadow as it disappeared from her view. She then touched her chest. What is wrong?

"Was it just me or was I just…" Miyagi said as he looked at Ayako, Akagi and Kogure."

"No, you weren't." Ayako said in a stern voice. "And take that look of your face you look silly!" As she whacked Miyagi slightly in the forehead.

"I guess he has changed, hasn't he!" Kogure suddenly said. He then adjusted his glasses. He smirked a bit and thought to himself. So much has happened in just a few months. I can hardly believe it. Kogure went into deep thought. I miss this team! He then adjusted his glasses some more and sighed. All Akagi did was grunt as if nothing was different.

"That was rather strange. Almost creepy, even" said the scar-faced boy in the background. Apparently the whole team saw it and stopped doing what they were doing just to stare. Mitsui dropped the ball he was carrying and placed both hands on his hips. "This day is getting stranger and stranger… What's next Sakuragi suddenly appearing?"

"Now wouldn't that be the icing on the cake…" Miyagi exclaimed then he suddenly paused. "What the heck are you guys doing!" He shouted at them. "We still have 10 min of practice left… Move it, move it!"

Akagi looked at Kogure and the bespectacled boy nodded at him. "We are going ahead Miyagi. We still have to study." He raised his had at Miyagi. Kogure also waived.

"I understand. Thanks for stopping by sempai. Please come back anytime you wish." He bowed down a bit and then waived goodbye.

Kogure and Akagi left the building. They also said their goodbyes to Haruko before they left but she was a bit despondent. "You're sister is acting weird a bit."

"It's just Rukawa that is causing that." They continued walking out of the school into the street. "She will snap out of it later. She always does." He said confidently.

"If you say so, then I won't worry too much then." They continued walking along the street. It was a bit quiet as it was already dark and no one really hangs out near the school district at this time. Kogure then couldn't help himself and had to say something to Akagi. "You know what, I'm excited about the team!"

"Me too." Akagi said. He stopped and then looked up at the sky. He smiled. "They may just fulfill our dreams." He paused again. "To be the number one team in Japan!"