Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ When enemies become friends ❯ 06: Striving towards the same goal; TO BE THE NO#1 PLAYER! ( Chapter 6 )

Revised by Meeksins, 290409.

Hn. As usual disclaimers apply here. I don't own SLAM DUNK however the all star combination in this fic was my idea ^^;

Hope you enjoy this chap!

A/N: This is NON-YAOI. Story takes place after Shohoku's match against Sannoh. Their match against Sannoh can be found in the last six volumes of SD.

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06: Striving towards the same goal; TO BE THE NO#1 PLAYER!

A whistle was blown off signalling a time out.

The Kanagawa team had been the one that had requested it.

The time on the scoreboard showed a frozen time of exactly nine minutes till the end of the last half of the game.

The game that could turn out to be their last if they did not do anything about it.

And the three senseis of the Kanagawa teams sure as hell were going to do something about it.

"What the hell is the matter with you people?! What happened to all of you in this game? None of you are doing the best as you should be except for Rukawa", said Taoka sensei, the Ryonan coach, in a near shout. A vein or two were popping out of his temple. "And you!", he continued pointing an accusing finger at Sendoh who had a hand behind his back in a sheepish grin. "Stop with that grin! What the hell are you doing? You still warming up or something?! Forget that and get serious! Smash those Akita players like they deserve!"

However, unlike the Ryonan coach Takato sensei who was Kainan's coach was cooler and level headed and tried to calm the other coach down. "Mah, mah. Calm down, Taoka sensei. I'm sure that they had played their best as they can...”

His comment only made Taoka sensei glower at him. "The best?! We're 34, I repeat 34 points behind the other team!”

"Nevertheless, calm down, Taoka sensei. We need this time to make a plan that could counter the other team so scolding our players right now is out of the question", said Takato sensei with a serious expression on his face as he fanned himself with his favourite paper fan.

Realising that what the other coach had said was true, Taoka sensei made a visible effort to calm down much to the players' relief and to Sendoh's amusement though he didn't outwardly show it.

It was rare to see his sensei trying to quench his anger and put his impatience aside mused Sendoh to himself with a hidden half grin at his sensei's visible effort.

Glancing at the scoreboard and at his watch, Takato sensei then said, "We've only got 2 minutes on the clock. We'll have to make this quick".

Everyone gathered around the two coaches including the ones that weren't playing in the game right then.

However, no one save Kiyota and Sendoh noticed that a certain raven head and a certain flaming red head weren't in the group.

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"Rukawa-kun. Sakuragi-kun. Chotto. Come over here for a bit. I want to have a word with you two", said their coach, Anzai sensei.

Without hesitation, they went straight towards their sensei who was leisurely drinking a cup of herbal tea and was sitting quiet a distance away from the other players and the other coaches.

Tension crackled in between the gap that separated both Sakuragi and Rukawa and it was getting dangerous by the minute but the sensei gave no heed to its presence.

"What is it, Oyaji?", said Sakuragi through gritted teeth, sensing the tension wasn't going anywhere near anywhere gone.

Rukawa just remained quiet on his side but he looked pretty dangerous as if he was ready to kill someone.

Preferably the one that was standing right next to him.

Anzai sensei took his time sipping his herbal tea which grated on Sakuragi's already dangerously thin nerve.

Rukawa just narrowed his eyes and waited for the sensei to continue.

Finally the sensei spoke.

"Why are you here?"

The question that came out of nowhere and so unexpected that it made both players blink in surprise and left taken aback.

Sakuragi blinked more than once and looked confused by his sensei's question.

Rukawa, on the other hand, only blinked once and looked on blankly by it.

"Oi, Oyaji", said Sakuragi, going over his sensei and stretching out the loose skin hanging down his sensei's chin up and down like a rubber band. "What do you mean by that? We're here because we're playing against the Akita team of course!"

Rukawa didn't say anything but said, "Hn", as if agreeing with Sakuragi on that point.

Anzai sensei who didn't seem to mind with Sakuragi playing with his chin said, "Ho, ho, ho. What I meant by that was the big picture, Sakuragi-kun. Rukawa-kun".

Sakuragi stopped playing with his sensei's chin and said, "Big picture? What big picture?"

Anzai sensei just smiled and repeated. "Why are you here, Rukawa-kun?"

Anzai looked expectantly at his student for his answer. Sakuragi followed suit but looked on at him with a glare.

Rukawa pointedly ignored the red head do'aho and instead slightly frowned at his sensei's expectant expression.

It was a while before Rukawa answered slowly almost muttering to himself, "I will become the No#1 player in Japan".

"NANI?!", yelled Sakuragi jumping off the bench he was sitting on beside his sensei and advanced on Rukawa, attempting to strangle him on the spot.

However, the sensei stopped him with a question directed at him.

"How about you, Sakuragi-kun? Why are you here?"

Forgetting his killing intention, Sakuragi spun around and faced his sensei, the beginnings of his tensai grin forming on his face. "Nanda yo, Oyaji. Tensai Basketman Hanamichi Sakuragi's here to kick some butt and conquer the world of basketball!"

Shooting a pointed glare at Rukawa who pointedly gave him no heed then added. "And I am the one who will become the No#1 basketball player in the world!".

Rukawa rolled his eyes at that and said, “That is not going to happen, do'aho”.

“TEMME! You think this TENSAI can't do it?”, yelled Sakuragi angrily at his rival.

Rukawa gave away the slightest of smirks, “You'd have to beat me first, do'aho”.

“TEMME!”, yelled Sakuragi heading straight for his neck in a death grip but once again Anzai sensei stopped him with his trademark chuckle.

Both heads turned towards their sensei, with Sakuragi once again forgetting his killing intention towards the kitsune who stood next to him.

“What's so funny, Oyaji?”, said Sakuragi annoyed at his sensei's habitual chuckle that usually comes out of nowhere and at the most unusual times.

“Iie”, said his sensei, with a small smile. His glasses flashed as if he knew something they didn't know.

“You're not in your right mind then, Oyaji”, said Sakuragi stating what was obvious to him.

That only brought another chuckle out of the round sensei.

Just then the whistle that signalled the end of their time out was blown.

“Is that that all, Anzai sensei?”, muttered Rukawa.

“Matte (Wait), both of you. I haven't finished talking to you just as yet", said the sensei pretending not to have noticed the urgent looks on the other two coaches' faces.

Rukawa and Sakuragi stood where they were and watched their sensei as he put down his herbal tea onto the empty bench space next to him. He stood up and walked the few steps towards his students, with a small smile on his face.

He pounded them both with either of his hands once on each of their backs bringing out surprised looks from both players.

"Ganbatte yo, Rukawa-kun. Sakuragi-kun. Both of you are the most talented players I have ever had and seen in a while and I am proud to have both of you as my students", said Anzai sensei with a smile that showed his encouragement, his support and his pride for them.

Sakuragi was touched by this but did not say anything.

Rukawa as usual had his cool expression on, showing nothing of what he might have felt for or thought of his sensei's words.

"I have no doubt that both of you", he said nodding at both of them. "..will become the best of the best of players in the basketball world in the near future". He paused and then gestured his arm in a wave at the crowd surrounding them and at the court before them. Both of the players followed at the direction where he was waving at.

"This", the sensei continued, "is only one of the first of the many steps for you to reach that ultimate goal. The goal to be the BEST".

Both silent players concentrated intently on what their sensei was saying, knowing that what the older man in front of them was saying was what was going to change their basketball lives forever.

Their sensei smiled before saying his last words to them.

"Two storms in one nation ", he said his smile slightly widened and the eyes behind the thick glasses sparkled a bit.

"Both of you are going to rock the world of basketball".

"So go out there and show them all what you got!", encouraged the sensei right before the last warning whistle, to the start of the last nine minutes of the game, went off.

Sakuragi and Rukawa looked at their sensei then with different sorts of expressions on their faces before they respectfully bowed at him and went off to the court and to their respective positions.

'It's up to them now', thought Anzai sensei silently as he watched his students take their places and glanced at the score board. He frowned slightly but then it was replaced by a small smile. 'The difference in score is very far right now but I have faith in the Kanagawa players'.

He watched Sakuragi and Rukawa, both tense in action.

'Especially in those two', he thought. 'No matter how far the difference of scores is, if both of them work together...".

He chuckled then to himself and sat back down on the bench. He then continued drinking his already cooled down herbal tea.

'.. the result would be astonishing'.

"Ho. Ho. Ho. This will be an interesting match. Indeed".

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