Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ When enemies become friends ❯ 08: Anzai sensei's conclusion is...? ( Chapter 8 )

Revised by Meeksins, 290409.

Disclaimers: Slam Dunk belongs to Takehiko Inoue sensei. I, on the other hand, own nothing except for this fanfic ^^;

A/N: This is NON-YAOI. Story takes place after Shohoku's match against Sannoh which can be found in the last 6 volumes of SD manga.

08: Anzai sensei's conclusion is...?

One minute then two minutes have past...

And despite his slam dunk shot earlier on which had brought their team's score at least a bit closer to their opponent's, they were still relatively getting nowhere near anywhere to defeating the Akita Shoten team.

Or even remotely having the possibility of defeating them for that matter.

Because now, with 3 minutes already gone from the nine minutes that they last had their time out, the score difference was now getting further and further apart and out of reach.

It was 69 (Kanagawa) to 106 (Akita Shoten)

And a certain red head was seriously pissed.

However, he was not the only one.

+++

"I can't believe I actually felt threatened by your skills the last time we had a match together", spoke up the black haired, egg head in front of him, namely the no#9 jersey Sannoh player, Sawakita Eiji.

Rukawa who was guarding the player pointedly ignored him, while reigning him on a tight defensive wall so that he couldn't escape easily from his current position.

Seeing that the black haired player in front of him had no intention of replying anytime soon, Sawakita gave off the slightest of smirks. "Planning to abandon your plan to visit the US already?".

That in itself was stepping out of the line and he knew it.

It was a while before Sawakita finally got an answer from the raven haired player in front of him.

Rukawa just slightly raised an eyebrow at him.

So ok maybe his answer was not in the verbal context but it was still an answer if not a reaction of some sort.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Rukawa could just barely see Sendoh matching up with Fukatsu refusing to let the other point guard go and have his way while a certain black haired monkey was vainly trying to keep his mark in place but was failing miserably. Akagi who was in his line of vision were being wrestled by the other centre, Kawata though not outwardly since that would catch the attention of the referees and calling out some sort of foul. He frowned slightly then noticing that a certain red head was missing. He spotted Mikio Kawata not far away next to where Kawata and Akagi stood, noting that the tall and thick bodied player was left free and unguarded.

'Where the hell did that do'aho go?', thought Rukawa, irritation creased his eyebrows.

Mistaking this as some sort of another answer to his earlier question, Sawakita immediately took upon it as a crack in the otherwise solid wall of confidence that surrounded the raven haired player.

Remembering the last time when Rukawa told him of his plan to go to the US after defeating him from their last match together at Inter-High right after defeating his team, Sawakita now openly smirked. "Remember your words in our last match?".

When Sawakita was sure that he had at least most of his attention, he continued the smirk still in place, "That was all talk, wasn't it? All talk and no substance. But that's ok...".

Rukawa's eyebrow went up a notch at that.

"... after all, no matter how highly you think of your playing skills or how people look upon highly on you because of it, one thing still remains as a solid fact", said Sawakita, a mocking grin forming on his face.

Rukawa's eyes slightly narrowed at this before the other player continued.

Jerking his thumb towards himself, he said, "I am still the No. #1 player while you..". The player nodded his head towards him. "Are still too green to even think of threatening me".

Rukawa who was getting seriously pissed at every word spoken out of the other player's mouth opposite him, made an invisible effort to hold back his murderous intent of beating him right then and there and turning him into sushi. In fact, Rukawa had somehow managed to give off a cool shrug instead and said through cool and calm eyes that hid his murderous intent. "Think whatever you will because..".

He saw the flicker of his opponent's eye then.

Sawakita made a quick jump to his side then, his arms outstretched and hand high up to receive the ball...

But Rukawa was too fast for him and took the ball right away from Sawakita's near grasp.

Before Rukawa had either of his feet back to the ground, he gave Sawakita a cool look that could freeze boiling water and said in a low voice enough so that Sawakita could hear.

He continued whatever he meant to say to the other player earlier as if nothing had happened.

"...I'll make you regret you ever said those words to ME".

+++

Sakuragi was still in his pissed mood. He was so pissed that he wasn't concentrating on the game and was visibly falling behind from the teamwork.

If the red head had noticed this, he didn't give any sign of it but a lot of people certainly had.

"What is wrong with Sakuragi-kun?", said Haruko who was the first to speak out what was all in everyone's mind.

Youhei who stood beside her heard her and the worry in her voice. He himself was asking the same question to himself for three times now but still hadn't come up with an answer.

"Wakaranai (I don't know), Haruko-san", said Youhei but tried to appease the growing worry that visibly showed on the girl's face.

"Daijoubu (it's alright), Haruko-san. Whatever is bothering him, he'll come out of it soon enough. If we know Sakuragi, he's maybe just thinking up a counter plan to reverse the game". Even as he said this, Youhei highly doubted that the red head was actually even thinking along that line of thought.

"Ah, so desu (ah, that's right)", said Haruko the worry lessened a bit and she turned to give a small smile at the tall boy next to her. "I forget that Sakuragi-kun is a tensai after all and a sugoi (great) player".

Youhei smiled back weakly at her and only replied back an "ah".

Both of them turned back to watch the game but the worry still visibly etched on their faces.

+++

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?", Miyagi nearly yelled his head off when Sakuragi missed the rebound for the third time in a row and let the other team get away with the ball. "NANI YATTENDE, HANAMICHI?! SNAP OUT OF IT AND GET THAT BALL!".

Grumbling and throwing foul word after foul word at the red head, Miyagi sat back down heavily on the bench with a "Humph" and poured himself with water to cool his head off.

Mitsui who sat next to him and grinding his teeth one way or another with his mind thinking up every foul word he could think of to curse the Akita Shoten team and at Sakuragi who was not making things any better, said through clenched teeth. "What the hell do you think is wrong with that IDOT?", he asked the shorter boy beside him who was still cooling his head off with the water bottle in his hands.

Snapping his eyes open which were closed earlier, Miyagi turned to glare at the player in question and said, "Whatever it is, he had better snap out of it. Even though he is an idiot and not very reliable to count on we can't have one man short in the team".

"Besides", he continued as he wiped his forehead with the towel that was draped over his shoulders. "The rest of our players are either practically dead or can't match up with those guys". He jerked his thumb towards the Akita Shoten team bench area, clearly referring to them.

"Yeah, you're right. Besides that", said Mitsui, frowning at the red head who had yet again made a careless move. "The kid (referring to Sakuragi) has that damn stamina of his which is scary enough if he puts it to good use". The last few words were uttered in a dry tone.

Miyagi nodded his head in agreement but was distracted when he saw something that pissed him off.

Mitsui saw it too.

"DAMMIT! NANI YATTENDE SAKURAGI HANAMICHI?! MIND ON THE GAME!", both of them yelled springing up from their seats abruptly and waving their fists threateningly at Sakuragi.

Maki, Jin, Fujima, Hanagata, Fukuda and Uozumi who were closest to them had heard the exchange earlier on and were now shaking their heads.

'This is going to be a long game', the thought went through each and every one of the players' mind.

+++

Takato sensei was in danger of splitting his favourite paper fan in two as his temper and impatience rose rapidly at the poor performance that their Kanagawa team were displaying. Even Sendoh and Rukawa whom he looked highly upon and respected as very talented and skilled young players were not doing well and neither of them were playing on top notch as they usually did.

Taoka sensei, on the other hand, had no trouble of letting his full fledged temper on the loose. Way loose.

In fact, he was so angry and so wrung out of patience that he had to be restrained by four of the Kanagawa team members from letting him run into court and murder some of their still playing players.

"SENDOH! YOU IDIOT! NANI YATTENDE?! KILL THAT PLAYER IN FRONT OF YOU! YOU'RE NOT EVEN IN YOUR 100% FULL POWER, YOU IDOT! GET SERIOUS FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!", raged Sendoh's coach from the bench area despite still being bodily restrained.

Some of the judges and referees could only stare at the outraged display that the coach was displaying but Taoka sensei gave them no heed.

"AND YOU!", the sensei continued to yell, pointing his finger an accusing finger at Rukawa. "YOU'RE ALSO NOT PLAYING SERIOUSLY! GET SERIOUS!".

The sensei continued to rage on each and every one of the players on court but Takato sensei just shook his head and tuned off the other sensei's outraged yells. He made no effort of calming the other sensei down since he needed all the energy to calm himself down.

Takato sensei took a deep breath, relaxed his tight hold on his fan and closed his eyes then at the same time letting out the air he had held earlier.

It was then he heard someone made a slurping noise beside him.

Snapping his eyes back open, he just remembered who was sitting not far away next to him. Surely enough, when he turned around he saw that the white haired sensei of the Shohoku team were having a fine time drinking a steamy herbal tea.

What struck the attention of Takato sensei was not of the other sensei's steamy herbal tea, however.

It was the smile and the content look on Anzai sensei's face which was so opposite of that of Taoka sensei's and himself were feeling right then.

Frowning at this, an unwanted thought found itself going through his head then. However, determined to proof this thought false, he decided to put it in question to the white haired sensei.

"Anzai sensei", said Takato sensei trying to catch the other sensei's attention. When the other sensei looked up at him questioningly, he asked what was no doubt in everyone's mind whether they are the spectators above them or the ones around them. "Do you think we have a chance of winning against the other team?".

At this, Anzai sensei's glasses seemed to flash and it took a while before he gave his reply.

When he did two pairs of eyes watched him, with Taoka sensei finally at least having calmed down for the moment and just in time to hear what the other sensei have to say, and the white haired sensei smiled at them. A smile that was not creased with worry. "Ah. That is a good question, Takato-kun".

Before he continued, he made a show of sipping his herbal tea first.

Then said to the two agitated coaches, "However, you shouldn't have put that question to me, Takato-kun".

At that, both senseis raised their eyebrows.

Setting his tea slowly back to the small tea plate in his hand he continued, "The people you should really have put the question to should be the players here..", he said looking towards the players who were on the bench and who were yelling either their support or groans of despair or just quietly watching the game without comment. " Shouste (and)..", he looked over at their players on court. "..most importantly our players over there".

Both senseis again frowned at this. Taoka sensei who had missed the question that Takato sensei had asked earlier on nevertheless was catching up and guessing what the white haired sensei was talking about.

"So you're saying that our team really doesn't have a chance of winning", said Taoka sensei through gritted teeth, saying that as a fact and not a question. But he himself refused to believe what he had said to be true but at the same time knowing that it was true.

Takato sensei sighed then, slowly opening his fan and fanned himself. There was a slight downcast to the way his shoulders hunched as if ready to accept the reality of defeat for the team. "Souka..".

It was then that the infamous trademark chuckle escaped the white haired sensei's lips.

Snapping to attention at this, both Takato and Taoka senseis turned their attentions back to him.

"Winning.. ka?", he continued on chuckling before finally answering both of the other senseis question.

"Remember, Takato-kun shouste (and) Taoka-kun", the sensei said with a smile. "Our boys are strong. We only have to believe in them..".

He made a small gesture towards the players on the bench and in front of him.

His eyes gleamed then followed by his silent but confident smile.

Then..

"..to know that they will win".

+++

TBC...

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Thank you for reading!