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The Reunion
by Chibi Chiriko

Author's Note: This fic takes place some ten years after the events in the Slam Dunk series. Shounen ai alert; this one's a triangle between Sendou, Hanamichi and Rukawa. Comments would be much appreciated!

Disclaimer: Takehiko Inoue owns all rights to Slam Dunk. The only right I'm exercising here is my right to freedom of expression. All standard disclaimers apply. The song "Nobody Home" (c) Heart.

[Don't run too fast like a shot from a gun Don't jump too high and knock out the sun Don't stray too far out on your own When you finally come knocking, When you finally come knocking, There'll be nobody home]

'To Rukawa Kaede, Akagi Takenori and Kogure Kiminobu are requesting the pleasure of your company at the Shohoku reunion partyfor batch xx-xx. We do hope to see you at the Shohoku High basketball stadium on the 30th of December, xxxx, at 7:00 p.m. Your presence would be greatly appreciated.'

Rukawa Kaede clutched the invitation in his hand as he stood before the entrance to the Shohoku basketball stadium. He never imagined he would see this place again after he graduated, never imagined that the invitation (patiently handwritten by former vice-captain Kogure) would even find its way to him. He guessed that Anzai-sensei, who had been very particular about maintaining contact with him through the years, had insisted that he be invited to the event.

Sapphire eyes beneath a thick fringe of lashes softened in spite of their owner-- his former coach was not about to commit the same mistake twice, about losing a promising player to the lure of high ambition and worldwide fame in foreign lands.

Of course, Rukawa could not blame his return, this odd homecoming, on an invitation letter, or on the concern of an old man. His final decision had been a personal choice, after all. He had injured his knee in a particularly vicious game with the L.A. Lakers (oh, the Bulls still won, of course, but his knee had totally given after the game), and although the damage was not permanent, he'd been advised to take some time off, preferably two months.

All this he'd told Anzai-sensei in an email, and a couple of weeks later, he received the invitation. Rukawa couldn't help suspecting that Anzai-sensei would not have passed up the opportunity to round the Shohoku team of Rukawa's first year with the assurance of a complete attendance.

But it wasn't as though he didn't have the money to take off and spend at most a week in good old Japan, and it wasn't like he had anything better to do than put on more weight by sleeping the time away. And he figured it wouldn't be such a bad thing to see the old gang again, see what everybody had done with their lives, see what had become of Miyagi's marriage to Ayako, if Mitsui and Kogure were still together after all this time, if Akagi still sported the build that ensued in his affectionate nickname 'Gori', if Hanamichi had... Hanamichi.

A chilly breeze drifted past, lifting bluish-black bangs off his forehead, sending a prickle of goosebumps up the skin of his forearms. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, the red-and-black Bulls sweatshirt giving him none of the warmth he needed.

The color red seemed to be following him all through his life, he noticed wryly. It was the team color of Shohoku, of the Chicago Bulls, the team for which he played and won a stunning string of victories. It was also the color of a certain ex-teammate's hair...

Rukawa vehemently shook his head, as though fighting off the memory. "Maybe I shouldn't have come," he whispered, and he winced as the slight ache in his knee flared into a throbbing blossom of agony. A stronger, colder wind blew, snatching the invitation from his fingers and taking it far from his reach, farther than he was willing to risk to retrieve. He inhaled deeply, and the ice was in his lungs, a sore and unwanted contrast to the intense pain in his knee that had chosen that particular moment to make itself known.

"Hey, you there! You comin' in or what?" There was no mistaking that voice. The years had added a richness to its bass depth, but it was still the same familiar voice of his old team's gorgeous three-point star. Mitsui. "I don't believe it. It's you, isn't it? Rukawa Kaede!"

Rukawa looked up, to see the man Mitsui Hisashi had grownup to be coming toward him. The familiar confidence was still present in his stride, the tousled hair was still the same. But he was taller, and his face had a more relaxed expression; he no longer looked as though he was on a continuing race against the passage of time, fighting so desperately not to waste the second chance fate--and Anzai-sensei--had given him. And he was not alone. Walking behind him was the former bespectacled vice-captain of the team... although now, he was without the glasses. His eyes had the light of gentle wisdom in them, and there was no doubt in Rukawa's mind that Mitsui largely owed his stress-free facade to this man.

No, Rukawa didn't think time had done anything to change their relationship. "Sempai," he muttered, acknowledging them both with a nod.

"It's good to see you, Rukawa," Kogure said, smiling. "We saw your game with the Mavericks in the summer on TV. You're still the best out there."

"Yeah, and Anzai-sensei never misses a game he knows you'll be playing in," Mitsui added. "You've still got a pretty solid fanclub here at Kanagawa. Kogure and I ran into Maki, Jin and Kiyota the other day--remember them? They asked about you."

"Kiyota still insists he could beat you any day, given a fair chance," Kogure chuckled. "Some things never change."

"Like the fact that he'll never get any," Mitsui laughed. "I wonder how Kiyota can still manage to be friends with Maki and Jin even though he'd fallen for them both at some point in his life, and they got together leaving him in the cold. Guess he just turned out lucky."

"They said they might be dropping by the party later," Kogure said. "Then you'll see for yourself."

"Who else will be coming to the party?" Rukawa wanted to know.

"People from the teams we fought against, besides the old Shohoku guys, of course," Mitsui said. "Players from Shoyo, Kainan, Ryonan..."

"And old friends like Aota and Haruko--they got married just this summer, by the way," Kogure added.

"I see," was all Rukawa murmured, a disturbed look flickering across his face.

"Look, it's getting cold out here," said Kogure. "Let's go inside, where you can see the others who're already here, Rukawa. You *are* planning to stay, aren't you?"

*Am I?* Rukawa wondered. "Mmm," he said out loud, letting them interpret it as they wished.

As they walked toward the stadium, Mitsui fell into step beside Rukawa, and gave the younger man a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Don't stress yourself out about that knee, Rukawa," he advised. "It's gonna be okay, I tell you. Don't...don't make the mistake of letting it eat up your life. Understand?"

Rukawa wondered if Mitsui knew that it wasn't his knee that was the real problem.

"Here we are," Kogure announced, and as he pushed the door open, a stadium brightly lit and alive with the noise of merry conversations greeted them. "Hey, everyone! Guess who just arrived? It's Ru--"

"Wait, I have to go pee," Rukawa interrupted. "Is the bathroom still where it used to be?"

"Yeah," Mitsui answered, eyeing him suspiciously. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine," Rukawa assured him. "You two go on ahead inside, I'll catch up with you later."

[Don't pull too hard like a kite in the wind You'll break the string when I reel you in Don't take off flying all on your own When you finally come knocking, When you finally come knocking, There'll be nobody home]

"Are you Rukawa Kaede-sama?"

Rukawa stared at the little boy who stood before him. The kid was only as tall as his knee, and he had thick, wavy brown hair that reminded him of Ayako-sempai, and the tanned face and tough, punky expression of Miyagi Ryota. The boy had been on his way out of the bathroom when Rukawa came in, and when the boy saw him, he went back into the bathroom and stood there watching as Rukawa urinated. It had unnerved him... although the familiar features had calmed his rattled nerves somewhat. "Yes, I am." *And you'd better be who I think you are,* Rukawa added silently.

"Oh, *cool!*" the boy practically squealed in unabashed adoration. "Whenever we watch your games on TV, Touchan tells me how you guys used to play on the same team together. Do you remember my Touchan? His name is Miyagi Ryota! He married the assistant coach, who is my Kaasan!"

"Ah." Rukawa honestly did not know what to say to this. He wasn't good with children.

"Come on," the boy said enthusiastically, tugging on Rukawa's wrist as the older man had barely finished zipping up his jeans. "Touchan and the others will be so excited to see that I met the great Rukawa Kaede in the bathroom. They weren't really counting on you to come, you know? Especially that King of Rebound guy, you know, the one with the funny red hair? He said the only reason you'd ever come to a basketball stadium is so you could play basketball, not for any other reason. Personally, I think he's jealous, just 'cause he's not as good as you, you know. And..."

As the boy chattered on, Rukawa began to wonder if he wasn't making a big mistake by coming here. The only memories he'd ever made in this school were the games he'd won for Shohoku. And reunions didn't necessarily focus on reminiscing on plays that had most likely been forgotten in the past ten years. Reunions were about friends, that much he knew. And Rukawa had been too busy training diligently for his future career that he'd passed up many chances to truly bond with his teammates.

Not that he regretted that, as his training had paid off beautifully with a successful basketball career that would surely set him up for life. But was there any point to his coming here at all? Would it really matter to anyone? Would it affect him, in any way at all? Had the money and time it took to get here been a waste?

*But the fact that you're here, and that you're not likely to be going anywhere anytime soon, says you ARE indeed affected,* a little voice whispered in his head. *The fact that you're even asking yourself these questions only goes to prove that you do care. But there's something keeping you from simply letting go, and you know what--or rather WHO--it really is...*

Rukawa's knee started to ache again. *Damn,* he thought. *Maybe I ought to sit down somewhere, get myself together and all.*

"... when I grow up," the boy happily babbled. "I wannabe just like you."

*How flattering,* Rukawa thought sarcastically. "Look,"he told the kid, "why don't you run ahead and tell your Touchan I said hi, and that I need to get some air, okay? I'll be right back."

"But Rukawa-sempai!" The boy stuck his lower lip out and pouted. "I want him to see you with ME!"

"Rukawa-sempai's knee hurts," Rukawa sighed. *Children.* "I'll be there REAL soon, I promise."

"Will you let me try on your shoes?" the boy asked, brown eyes shining. "They look SOOOOO cool!"

"Yes, yes, I'll even let you keep them," Rukawa said, his patience nearing its limits. "Now scram."

The son of Miyagi Ryota beamed and without warning, he leapt up (rather high, considering his stubby legs--but let's not forget whose son he is) and wrapped his arms around Rukawa's neck. Then he lifted his feet off the floor so that he hung on the man's neck, nearly cutting off his airpipe in the process. "Thank you, thank you, THAAAAAAAANK YOOOOOOOOOOU!" Miyagi, Jr. belted out in Rukawa's ear. "I'll never forget this as long as I live!"

*Yes, and I won't live long enough to see to it that you don't, 'cause if you keep me here any longer, I'll DIE.*

Rukawa was seriously starting to see a basketball hoops before his eyes, until the kid finally let go, and cheerfully bounded down the hall. "Cripes," Rukawa grumbled, hobbling toward the locker room on his aching knee. "Was I ever like that when I was a kid?"

*No, never were a kid,* said the voice in his head. Rukawa sighed and decided to go take a breather in the locker room. Surely there he wouldn't have any more close encounters with the second generation of the Shohoku kind.

[You say you're feeling locked inside, Stuck inside to stay, you wanna fly away. There's nothing I can do to help you make your play, Make your getaway]

Apparently, the fates had it bad for him that night. Sure, he didn't find himself confronting any Haruko or Aota lookalikes or Akagi and Uozumi Jrs. waiting to pounce on him in the locker room. What he saw was much worse. Sendou. And Hanamichi. Making out like a total gross-out scene from a gay porno movie. Or at least, that was how it appealed to Rukawa.

*Which one of you shall I kill first?* Rukawa thought, a fevered anger rising in him as he watched the two trying to force their bodies into a single skin. Every moan and whimper that ensued from their passionate necking sought to banish all rational thought from Rukawa's brain until the only thing that remained was feeling, and oh, what a feeling it was. He wanted so much to shove them out of the broken window that had never really been repaired, and at the same time, all he wanted to do was run as far away from there as he could and never look back, and the intensity of his desire to do both cancelled out each other so that he remained frozen in place. Frozen, although inside, he was aflame.

Finally, Hanamichi's glazed eyes widened in horror, and Rukawa knew he'd been noticed. He narrowed his eyes at the redhead, and Hanamichi gasped and pushed Sendou away.

As Sendou began to utter little noises of confusion, Rukawa turned, and fled.

"Rukawa!"

That was Hanamichi, calling after him desperately. Rukawa gritted his teeth and ran faster, even as a blaze of agony shot up his leg so painfully it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

"Rukawa!" Hanamichi again, his voice ragged, pleading. It was that tone of voice Rukawa had managed to turn his back on, once, when he had so much more to live for, bigger dreams to chase. Now, now that he'd come to live his dreams as though they were a daily, predictable routine of straight victories, instead of the grand, adventurous fantasies he used to glorify as a young boy, he could no longer summon whatever it had taken to immunize himself to Hanamichi's begging tone of voice.

Rukawa stopped, and turned around. He stared at Hanamichi, who stood several feet away, shirt rumpled and skin gleaming with perspiration. The clumsy, loudmouthed do'ahou had grown into a lean, sturdily built adult, although with the same open, expressive face, and soul-carrying eyes. It wrenched Rukawa's heart to see him like this, beautiful, but another's to hold, and kiss, and perhaps even love. If only that other had not been Sendou. The man's hair had not, after all this years, smoothed itself to a normal, flat style, just as the sense of rivalry between the aces of Ryonan and Shohoku had never truly ended. Sendou's face was still the same... easygoing, impenetrable... *self-assured.* He had the look of a man who never had worries, and with patience, he got everything he wanted.

Everything. Even what Rukawa felt was not meant for him to make his own. Although apparently, Rukawa was the only one who thought so.

"What's wrong, Hanamichi?" Sendou asked languidly, casually draping an arm around Hanamichi's shoulders, and blowing lightly into his ear, looking past Rukawa as though his presence was of no significance to him.

"Stop it, Sendou," Hanamichi muttered, although he trembled visibly, which disgusted a tormented Rukawa.

*Yes, stop it, Sendou, if you have any plans to live a good long life that may be rudely interrupted if you provoke me any further, DAMN YOU!*

"It's just Rukawa," Sendou murmured breezily, gently capturing Hanamichi's wrists and pushing him against the wall. "He should no longer be a problem."

*It's just Rukawa.* Something inside Rukawa's soul snapped, and with a cry of rage he flung himself against Sendou, shocking the older man. He bore his weight down on Sendou until they were both down on the floor, and finally Sendou recovered his wits and with an infuriated snarl, they began wrestling like wild beasts on the floor outside the locker room.

*It's just Rukawa.* Rukawa growled, half in fury and half in anguish, and slammed his fist into Sendou's mouth. Sendou yelped in pain, as Rukawa withdrew his fist, there was blood on his knuckles, and two of Sendou's front teeth had fallen onto his tongue. *I'll make him swallow his teeth!* Rukawa thought, and was about to strike him again when he felt a familiar grip restrain his fist.

"Goddammit, just stop this, Rukawa!" It was Hanamichi.

[Don't dream too wild and shoot for the moon, Don't ride your heart like a balloon Don't blow away to places unknown, 'Cause when you finally come knocking, When you finally come knocking, There'll be nobody home.]

As Sendou lay groaning on the floor, Hanamichi led Rukawa aside. Rukawa breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. What had just happened there? He'd never lost control so badly before. How could Sendou have gotten through to him, unleashing the savage beast inside that could have very nearly killed them both in their brawl?

"Look at me, Rukawa," Hanamichi insisted softly. Rukawa did, and his heart tightened when he saw tears streaking the beautiful face before him.

"I'm... I'm sorry," Rukawa whispered hoarsely, moist warmth stinging his eyes. It hurt to say it, and it hurt even more to know that it was only right that he say it.

"Well, are you happy now?" Hanamichi asked flatly. "You just beat the crap out of Sendou. He'll never get those two front teeth back."

"Why did it have to be Sendou?" Rukawa sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead. He felt blood, probably from Sendou's nails, and he winced as his fingers brushed against wounded skin.

"You always make it sound like it's my fault," Hanamichi said, giving him a disappointed look. "Ten years ago, when I told you what I felt, you made it sound like it was my fault. Cocky bastard, did you think I really wanted to fall for someone like you? I don't even know what Haruko-san saw in you, dammit!" Rukawa was silent. "And you *knew* I was right about what you felt about me, "Hanamichi went on, angrily wiping his tears away. "You kept denying it, but I knew I was right. Anybody could see that. That's why Haruko-san gave up on you agreed to date Aota. Because she *knew.* They all knew. You were probably the only one who didn't, but I seriously doubt that."

Rukawa knew. He knew he did. But...

"You didn't have to deny it, you know," Hanamichi said. "It wasn't like I was going to ask you to stay. I could see your mind was made up about going to the US from the very beginning, and I didn't really believe you'd ever give that up for me. I just wanted..."

"What?" Rukawa asked quietly. Their eyes met briefly, before Hanamichi lowered his gaze.

"I just wanted to... to make whatever time we had special. I would have even followed you all the way to the US. You didn't have to see me as an obstacle to your dream. You always underestimate me, that's what I've always hated about you."

"That still doesn't explain why it had to be Sendou--"

"Oh, I hate you!" Hanamichi said furiously. "It was your mistake and still all you think about is Sendou, Sendou, Sendou! Why did it have to be Sendou? Because Sendou was there for me, dammit, and *you* weren't! And all right, I'll admit it, I was weak! And lonely! And confused! And Sendou caught me before I could really get myself into deep shit, and he *held* me, like you'd never hold me. He comforted me, he looked out for me, he cared for me. He *loved* me, when I'd just about given up hope of ever being loved by anybody."

"That's what you think."

"Oh, what would you know?" Hanamichi was clearly very upset and frustrated by now. "You've always seen Sendou as your enemy, but you know what? I think you're just jealous of him. That's why you go through lengths just to show off in front of him, to make yourself the champion and lord it over him. Do you seriously think he even cares about that stuff at least half as much as you do? He's not as obsessed with being the best as you are!"

"Oh, yes, and of course you know him *so intimately,*"Rukawa grumbled wearily.

"Well, he let me know him intimately, and that's more than what I could expect from you," Hanamichi sighed. "I'm tired, Rukawa."

"So am I."

Hanamichi stood up. "I'd better go check on Sendou now. He coulda passed out while I was yelling at you."

"I hope so," Rukawa couldn't resist saying.

Hanamichi shook his head. "Think you can handle that all by yourself?" he asked, referring to the wounds and blows Rukawa had taken.

"Sure."

Hanamichi shook his head again, and started walking over to where Sendou lay. But he hadn't gotten far, before he turned and glanced at his former rival. "Rukawa?"

"Hmm?"

Hanamichi paused for a moment, deliberating. Then he said: "You know, even though you're still a complete bastard--and Iwouldn't mind taking a sock at you--... about what I said all those years ago..."

"Yes?" Rukawa held his breath.

"... It's still true." Hanamichi smiled sadly.

"Sakuragi..."

"But that shouldn't mean anything to you, right?" Hanamichi sighed, peering at his lover's face. Sendou *had* passed out, although thankfully he was still breathing, and it seemed like the only permanent damage was the loss of his two front teeth.

"Wait." Rukawa thought about the decision he was making, and decided it was a choice he should have made a long time ago. "Wait, let me help you with Sendou."

Hanamichi frowned doubtfully, but allowed Rukawa to help him support Sendou's weight. Rukawa took a deep breath, leaned closer to Hanamichi, and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. "Wrong."

*It means everything to me now, do'ahou.*

[Don't run too fast like a shot from a gun Don't jump too high and knock out the sun, Don't stray too far out on your own 'Cause when you finally come knocking, When you finally come knocking, There'll be nobody home... nobody home]

Three days later...

"Some reunion that was, huh?" Sendou remarked, his voice sounding not quite like himself, which was understandable because of his missing teeth.

"Never thought it'd turn out that way," Hanamichi agreed, turning Sendou's palm in his hand. "I'm just glad you're holding up pretty well."

Sendou laughed. "Hey, I'm Sendou. It's my nature."

"Yeah, well." Hanamichi cleared his throat. "Seriously, are you really okay with this?"

"About your final decision?"

"Yeah. I mean, not that I'd change it even if you didn't like it or anything, but I just want to know how you feel about it."

Sendou gazed deeply into Hanamichi's chocolate brown eyes, and smiled reassuringly. "Hey, look, I'm cool with it, okay?" he said. "Even though it sounds weird that I'd entrust my former boyfriend to the guy who punched out my precious front teeth, I do. Crazy, huh? But I don't think he'd ever seriously hurt you, you know. He's just a little lost, but with you around, he's sure to get wherever he's headed. He needs you more than I do. And you love him. I've sensed that."

Hanamichi blushed. "Sendou, I'm sorry--"

"Hey, don't apologize to me. Look, I won't pretend I won't miss you. We *did* have some great times together, and I really do care about you. But I'm not gonna stand in the way of your happiness. I know I'm doing the right thing. Just take care ofyourself, okay?"

"Promise." Hanamichi smiled, and bent down to kiss Sendou for the very last time. "Goodbye, Sendou."

"Goodbye, Sakuragi Hanamichi."

Outside Sendou's apartment, Rukawa gave Hanamichi an annoyed look. "What took you so long in there? Gave him a goodbye quickie, didn't you?"

"Aw, I knew I'd forgotten something!" Hanamichi snapped his fingers and pretended to turn back to knock on Sendou's door.

"Forget it again." Rukawa took Hanamichi by the shoulders and pressed him against the wall, kissing him deeply, passionately, just like he'd always wanted.

"Mmm. Rukawa?"

"Hmm?"

"You're sexy when you're smitten." *nibble*

"Smug-faced, do'ahou, you--"

"Yahh! Don't you wanna do that someplace HORIZONTAL?!"

-FIN-

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