Title: Six of Hearts

Summary: The six find themselves on a 3-on-3 match. Rookies complain and agonize over their loss due to the outrageously unfair team-up. But, later on, they end up asking for more. Yaoi. MitRu, HanaSen, KiyoFuji.

Disclaimer: I do not own Slam Dunk. Takehiko Inoue does.

Kiyota Nobunaga knew it was his lucky day. He woke up brightly after a nine-hour slumber, hopped in the tub and had a protein-enriched breakfast courtesy of his mom. He then sped off to one of Kanagawa's numerous public basketball courts. Once there, as if his luck couldn't go any higher, the entire whole court was empty.

The left corner of his lips ascended higher up his cheek to form a mischievous smile just before he dribbled his way to the rim. This routine then ended with a reverse dunk from six feet downtown. Time and again, he would soar up the air to torture the metal rim with deadly dunks, clamoring some silly announcements in the process as though he were also given the tasks best left for professional commentators.

"Jason Richardson style!", "Kevin Garnett fakes, eludes, and he scores!" and so on.

But not long after he made his twelfth successful fancy shot, the high-flying rookie resigned from his little occupation upon hearing the familiar sound of a ball. The sound was unmistakably that of a ball making repeated contact with the cement floor. Apparently, someone had come to join him and was dribbling his way to the freshman.

"Those are some smooth moves you got there." Said an unfamiliar voice from behind.

"Nyahahahaha! I wouldn't be named Kanagawa's number one rookie if I didn't have 'em!" Kiyota's mouth preceded him before turning to look at the person.

Kenji Fujima had come to share his luck.

…

Akira Sendoh stirred his coffee rather listlessly as he scanned the front page of a sports magazine. Magazines provided by salons and coffee shops are usually outdated and the one he had in his hands offered no new interesting information at all. He nodded and beamed at the waitress who served him his sandwich. His smile lingered on so that she clumsily stalked off with scarlet cheeks, thanks to his deadly charms.

Not long after perusing an article about a professional basketball player's arrest for drug use, he was interrupted by a series of impatient knocks on the tempered-glass window of the shop.

He was indeed surprised to see Hanamichi Sakuragi, in his basketball attire, waving at him and motioning at him to go outside as if the world would crumble to ruin had he chosen to ignore him. Instinctively, he finished his coffee in one gulp, grabbed his untouched sandwich before dashing out the door.

"What's up?" Sendoh asked curiously.

"What's up? What's up with you looking all sentimental and dining alone in this beautiful morning when you can instead, I dunno, play ball?" There was a hint of annoyance in the redhead's voice, leaving the sophomore almost taken aback.

"Ahaha.." Sendoh let out a soft laugh, scratching the back of his head.

"Bitter about the loss, huh?" Sakuragi asked upon surveying the Ryonan ace.

"That? Of course not. I just need a break, I guess."

"Doesn't look like it." Sakuragi observed meticulously.

The taller boy took the initiative of changing the subject, "So, how's practice going? I bet Nationals will be a lot tougher than you think—"

"A break is what you'll get." Sakuragi intervened and snatched the sandwich off Sendoh's hand without as much as 'I'll have that'. "Come on, let's go one-on-one." He offered Sendoh, whose breakfast he was munching.

"One-on-one?" Sendoh asked, looking faintly innocent.

"Yeah. You versus me."

"I'm not dressed for that."

Sakuragi studied the sophomore, "Oh is that so? What's with the new Dwayne Wade kicks and the Nike Dri-fit duds? And I must say, I like that pair of jogging pants you're in; I'm betting they're Adidas Clima-lite. Really, I'm quite certain you're off to a wedding or a funeral in that regalia." Sakuragi finished, his sarcasm maniacally swinging between irritation and triumph.

"Okay, okay, you got me. But you're gonna pay me my sandwich back if you lose." Sendoh grinned.

"Ahahahaha! You better call your mom now and tell her lunch should still better be served when you get home; you don't wanna wait 'til seven for supper. I ain't gonna lose to you."

…

Hisashi Mitsui had only gone two blocks from his house when he recognized a familiar figure walking ahead of him, apparently heading to the same direction.

"Oi, Rukawa!"

The raven-haired boy slowed to a halt and slightly turned his head.

"Sempai."

"Hi. I'm off to practice my shots but Shohoku Stadium's packed with volleyball players so I'll have to do with the public court. You?" Mitsui asked as if he still hadn't figured out the answer to that already; Rukawa was sporting his usual warm-up attire and was holding a ball at his side.

"Me too."

"Great, we can practice together then." The senior beamed, immensely relieved by having someone like Rukawa to privately practice with. This relief was due to his being a frequent customer of public basketball parks. Only finding mediocre opponents and training buddies during his sessions outside the Shohoku stadium, he had been always bored during weekends when no team practice was scheduled. In fact, earlier that day, he had already made a list in his mind of the series of events which would consist his usual visit to the court. How many times had he been challenged to a 3-on-3 half-court game, without having to gain additional skills or knowledge as far as basketball was concerned? How many more of these games should he have to engage in, or to suffer, to prove these guys that he was simply too good for them?

But running into Kaede Rukawa would definitely alter the day's supposed utter predictability.

TBC