Warnings: Can only be read after the Identity Crisis fics.
Disclaimer: The world of Slam Dunk revolves around Takehiko Inoue. I merely pine from a distance.
Notes: This is a continuation of the Identity Crisis stories, and the first of the Ore Wa Tensai Sakura trilogy. Features basketball and a tinge of romance.

Ore Wa Tensai Sakura: Midway
Part 1

by Annie D
[email protected]

Shohoku High. The basketball gym.

"Tighter defense!" Team manager Ayako shouted at the players that had scattered the court in a practice game. "You can't be afraid if you want to block properly!"

One of them, a freshman with a jersey bearing the number 8, tried to block Ryota, but there wasn't really much point as the short but lightning-quick captain slid past him toward the hoop. He passed the ball to Rukawa who leapt. Tall defensemen Nori and Nakajima jumped to block him, but the ball went in anyway.

"Good shot, Rukawa!" Ayako shouted, clapping.

Haruko nodded, little hearts sparkling in her eyes. "Rukawa-kun…"

Sitting next to the two girls on the bench, although from the way steam was practically rising off her head it could be ascertained that she didn't want to be there, was Takemoto Sakura. She was irritated enough as it was without the stupid kitsune showing off.

Suddenly she reached around and tugged at Anzai-sensei's chin. "Oyaji, let me play! They need the tensai on the team!"

Ayako's fan landed sharply on her head with a THWACK. "Don't be so disrespectful!"

Sakura rubbed her head. "Itai…"

Ryota walked up to the bench and waved a hand at Sakura. "You know you can't play until the school board accepts you onto the team. Just sit there and watch."

"Watch? Watch?!" Sakura stomped up Ryota and draped an arm over his shoulder. "Come on, Ryocchin, just a little practice… They don't have to know, right? After all, the tensai is a key player in your team… Heh heh heh…"

Rukawa walked past. "Do'aho."

"Nani?!"

Ryota carefully inched away from Sakura, who looked as though she was just about ready to burst. Suddenly she leaned back and shouted at the world in general, "You won't let me play just because I'm a girl! You sexist pigs!"

Haruko, the newest team peacemaker, walked up the Sakura and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sure the board will let you on the team soon. Just be patient, Sakura-chan."

She's so sweet, Sakura sighed inwardly. She was ready to let herself be led back to bench when she saw that Rukawa was looking at her. He seemed to be doing a lot of that these days. That kitsune is really *really* getting on my nerves… I bet he's gloating that I haven't been let into the team yet. I must show him that I'm ready to beat him on the court!

"Sakura, come on and sit down," Ayako said.

Unfortunately, Sakura was not listening. How can they not let the tensai onto the team? Only with my talent will Shohoku win the Inter High! I must practice with the team so they can see the tensai's true power!

Sakura roared (yes, roared) as she charged onto the court toward a startled freshman player.

"Sakura!" Ayako and Haruko shouted at the same time.

Blood pounding in her ears, Sakura knocked the poor player over, grabbing the ball from him in the process, then ran dribbling for the hoop. I am the tensai… I am the tensai…

Ayako sweatdropped. "Oh no…"

Sakura jumped, lifting one hand up high above her head with the ball balanced on her fingertips. Basketball tensai Sakura… SLAM DUNK!

She missed terribly. Only her hand and the ball that it was holding managed to briefly hit the headboard while the rest of her flew outward and smacked right into the opposite gym wall. She twitched for a moment on the wall, then landed on the floor with a loud SPLAT.

All the players, and some innocent spectators in the stands, watched in shock/amusement as the ball rolled away harmlessly from her.

"Sakura…?" Ryota said carefully.

She jumped to her feet, apparently unharmed. Ryota readied himself, as he fully expected her to start steaming in the head and charge at the nearest person to beat them up, but instead she just stared down at her hands.

What's wrong with the tensai? she wondered. The slam dunk is my speciality!

Haruko ran up to her. "Sakura, are you okay?"

Sakura recovered quickly by utilising her famous insane laughter. "Don't worry, Haruko-san. I'm just a little rusty, that's all."

Rukawa strolled past them. "You're not tall enough, do'aho."

"Nani?" Sakura snapped, but then her eyes widened with realisation. "Haruko-san, can you measure my height?"

With her trusty chalk and measuring tape, Haruko did as she was asked, using the wall behind the bench as a guide. Sakura stood straight against the wall patiently as Haruko marked her height, then stepped back as the measuring was done.

Haruko peered at the tape. "178 cm."

Sakura blanched. "Nani? Measure again!" She stood back against the wall.

"It's still 178 cm, Sakura-chan."

"Oh no," Sakura gasped, gripping her face in her hands. "9 centimetres difference…"

"11 centimetres," Ayako corrected.

As Sakura tried to calculate this on her fingers, Ayako patted her comfortingly on the back. "You're still tall, Sakura-chan, and your jumping abilities are quite good. And not to mention, you're still much taller than Ryota."

Instantly, Ryota appeared beside her, eyes shimmering with tears. "Aya-chan, you don't like my height?"

Sakura looked at her hands again, suddenly feeling very worried. Slowly, she leaned across and picked up a ball from the rack, then tried to grip it with one hand. She couldn't, as her fingers weren't long enough, and the ball fell down to the ground.

"Oh no…" Sakura muttered. In a manic of flowing tears, she yelled, "Not only am I now a shortie, but my hands are so small, too! AAAAaiiiieeeeeeee!"

"Takemoto-san."

Sakura looked at Anzai-sensei in surprise. "Hai?"

The old man looked at her. "You have many other talents on the court. Train them well and you will become a great player again."

Sakura drew her lips together in determination. "Hai!" She thought wildly, I'm at a disadvantage with my loss of height and that my hands are smaller… But I am the tensai, and I will prove that height and hand size do not matter when you have as much talent as I do! Out loud, she laughed. "Nyahahahahahahaha!"

Everyone stared at her.

One of the newer plays sidled up to Rukawa and whispered, "Is she always that nuts?"

Rukawa nodded.

Sighs and sweatdrops all round.

****

Overall, Takemoto Sakura was settling in pretty well, considering the fact that she had, until four and a half months prior, been a guy who was now dead. His name had been Sakuragi Hanamichi; her name was now Takemoto Sakura. The body switch had happened by some unexplained phenomena, but the end result was that Takemoto Sakura had become the new Shohoku basketball tensai, although technically she'd never played basketball before.

Yes, reincarnations midway through somebody else's life can be rather confusing.

What was currently happening was this: the Shohoku team were seeded in Block B of the Inter High eliminations, but wouldn't have to play until the final block match which was six weeks away. They had done so well the previous year and had the fighting spirit to win this year's nationals, which was fuelled even further by the return of Rukawa Kaede from the All-Japan team.

But what's really important was this: Rukawa Kaede, Mr Ice Man himself, had fallen for Takemoto Sakura. Problem 1: Sakura's crush on Haruko. Problem 2: Haruko's crush on Rukawa. Problem 3: As improbable as it may be, Rukawa had absolutely no idea how to go about telling Sakura how he felt because (contrary to popular belief) he hadn't much experience in tactful romantic affairs.

Oh, and also because Takemoto Sakura hated his guts.

So, like all most guys in this situation (being unable to tell the girl, not the strange love triangle bit), Rukawa decided to stall.

After all, there was no way in hell Haruko would reciprocate Sakura's feelings. And as Rukawa figured, he'd let Sakura's crush wane a bit before moving in. He told himself he'd make a move when the time was to his advantage. Besides, he still had to lead Shohoku to win nationals, and there was a tough goal if ever there was one.

And so he decided to wait.

*****

"This is highly unusual, Anzai-san," the Shohoku headmaster said, peering over the top of his glasses. "There hasn't been a girl in the High School basketball league since…"

One of the board members to the side leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

"…since never, it seems," the headmaster continued. "After all, that's what the girl's basketball team is for, isn't it? They have their own league and everything."

Standing just behind Anzai-sensei and Miyagi Ryota, Sakura looked at their headmaster in surprise. She leaned slightly toward Ayako and whispered, "There's a girl's team?"

Ayako nodded curtly, then lifted a finger to her lips to silence Sakura.

"Yes, Shohoku does have a girl's basketball team," Anzai-sensei told the headmaster, "but it is not a professional team, and they have not the resources nor the capability to join the Inter High. Ho ho ho. I mean no insult to the team, but Takemoto's talent is too exceptional to be wasted on simple games. She would be of greater use to the boy's team."

Sakura puffed out her chest proudly.

The headmaster, undaunted, adjusted his specs and continued, "You do remember what a controversy it was two years ago when you asked that she—" he gestured at Ayako, "—be made the boy's team's manager. Imagine the uproar if we let a girl on the team. The High School Basketball Association would have our necks." The headmaster gave a thin, mirthless smile.

To which Anzai-sensei replied with one of his own infuriatingly calm smiles. "You know, it's funny, but there isn't any actual written rule against having a girl on the team. Ho ho ho."

The headmaster's smile froze in place. "Excuse me?"

"There is no written rule against having girls in the school team," Ryota said, lifting up a small booklet that the board members identified as the High School Basketball rulebook. "There are such rules for the girl's team, of course, but not for the main school team. Surprising, isn't it?"

"Give us ten minutes to discuss this," the headmaster clipped. "You may wait outside."

As the small Shohoku gathering quietly exited the conference room, Sakura tugged at Ayako's sleeve again. "I didn't know there was a girl's basketball team."

"Well, obviously there is," Ayako said. "Haruko had planned to join it, actually, but she changed her mind."

"Oh," Sakura said. "It doesn't seem fair though, that the girl's team doesn't compete in the Inter High."

"They aren't that good, sadly," Ayako said. "Actually, Haruko once mentioned that she had wanted to become their new team manager originally."

Sakura drew her lips together and narrowed her eyes. "Well, it's a good thing Haruko decided to coach the school team instead. Hey. Haruko-san's all alone in the gym with the kitsune…"

"She is with the rest of the team. With Anzai-sensei, Aya-chan and I up here to argue your case, who's going to watch over practice? You baka," Ryota muttered. "Can't you at least keep your mind on the problem at hand? What if the board doesn't let you on the team?"

"Of course they'll let me on the team! I'm the tensai!" Sakura insisted.

The conference room door opened and one of the board members peeked his head out. "Excuse me, we'd like to talk to Ms Takemoto for a few minutes. Just her."

Sakura looked at Anzai-sensei uncertainly, and he nodded. Taking a quick breath of calming air, she entered the conference room, and tried not to jump when it slid shut. She blinked slowly as she took in the numerous pairs of eyes that were watching her closely. Wow, I didn't notice that there were so many of them…

"So, Ms Takemoto," the headmaster said, clasping his hands together in front of him in what he thought was an intimidating manner. "We'd like you tell us, in your own words, why we should let you on the team."

For some unknown reason, Sakura's memory jumped back to a single moment caught in time: when they, the old Shohoku of the previous year, were leaving for the Inter High. There had been about five to ten minutes of just standing still on the platform waiting for the train, and no one had said anything because the anticipation was something that could not be expressed. Not properly, anyway.

"Because my heart is with the team," Sakura found herself saying. Then she smiled.

One of the board members, who happened to be a woman, shuffled her papers in what appeared to be a decisive way. "That's enough for me. Shall we vote now?" Before the headmaster could protest, she continued, "All those in favour of Takemoto-san being given permission to join the school basketball team, raise your hands. Excellent. Congratulations, Takemoto-san, you've made the team."

Sakura looked at her in surprise. "I have?"

The woman nodded. "And don't you worry about a thing. We'll make the appeal to the High School Basketball Association on your behalf."

"Really?" Sakura asked.

The headmaster coughed softly. "Please understand, that because this exception has been made for you, you'd better… How shall I say it… Live up to expectations?"

The tensai always does. Sakura's head bobbed in a nod.

"Ganbatte," the female board member added under her breath.

"Hai! Arigato gozaimashte!" She bowed sharply. A wide smile drew itself across her face, and she practically flew out the conference room.

"I take it they let you on the team?" Anzai-sensei asked.

Sakura gave a little nod. She turned to Ryota, eyes sparkling. "Now will you let me practice?"

Despite himself, Ryota smirked. "Let's go. The team awaits."

*****

"Pass pass pass pass!" Sakura yelled, waving madly at Ryota. The ball came flying toward Sakura and she caught it stiffly, but then the trademark tensai grin crept onto her features.

"Let's go!" she shouted, and started dribbling toward the hoop.

I am the tensai… I am the tensai…

"Sakura, don't try to dunk!" Ryota shouted as he saw that that was exactly what she wanted to do. "For crying out loud, pass it! Pass!"

Height doesn't matter… Height doesn't matter…

Sakura had done this before, even if it was in her past life. Haruko had taught her to do the lay-up, which was (although she would not admit it) the best way she could score in a game since she wasn't particularly famous for her long shots. Her arms and legs went on something akin to auto-pilot, knowing exactly when stop running, when to bend her knees, when to reach out.

The tensai dunk!

And Rukawa was in front of her, jumping up in defence.

No.

He tapped the ball, and it rebounded off the rim.

"Rebound!" Ayako shouted from the bench.

Instinct led Sakura to jump, and she did, reaching out automatically for the ball. But, to her ever-growing horror, she found that the highest she could jump was nowhere close to Rukawa and Nakajima who were the two tallest members of their team. Sakura watched in stunned silence as Rukawa caught the ball, just barely pulling away from Nakajima.

"No!" Sakura shouted, both her arms shooting out toward the kitsune in an angry reflex.

Rukawa stumbled back slightly as he landed, but kept the grip on the ball. Sakura landed, too, but she was staring at the floor.

"Charging! Sakura!" Ayako yelled.

Sakura raised her face, her eyes in a daze. Nakajima patted her on the shoulder. "Sakura-san, why don't you let me handle the rebounds?"

Quietly, Sakura said, "I'm not tall enough, am I?"

"Sakura…" Ryota started.

Sakura shrugged off Ryota's hand and walked toward the bench. Not tall enough… Not tall enough… She glared at Anzai-sensei and told at him, "Height does matter, oyaji. It does. Height was all I had."

With rather jerky movements, Sakura pulled off the thin spare jersey from over her sports shirt and threw it on the ground. She drew a hasty breath, and, without looking at Haruko who would be sure to be disappointed with her, quietly walked out of the gym.

*****

After Sakura had left, practice had gone on in a rather subdued atmosphere, especially for Rukawa who was feeling rather concerned about the state that Sakura had left the gym in (not that anyone would notice since his face barely ever changed expression).

He wished practice would hurry up because he had to find Sakura and somehow explain to her that she could still be a good basketball player even if she didn't have the height she once had. A simple task theoretically, but not when the one wanting to give the advice was known for not saying more words than necessary and the one to receive the advice wouldn't believe anything the former had to say.

"I'll find Sakura-chan," Rukawa heard Haruko tell Ryota as he was leaving the gym. "She'll have cooled off by now, and I'm sure I can explain things to her."

Not you, again. Rukawa cursed inwardly, and jogged to his bike in the hopes of being able to find Sakura first.

It annoyed Rukawa to no end the fact that Haruko would probably be able to talk sense into Sakura better than he could. Haruko always had Sakura's full undivided attention, and she didn't even have to do anything other than smile a bit. Sakura only noticed him when he made a rather spectacular attention-grabbing move on court or insulted her in passing, which wasn't much comfort since such events only made the glowing hatred Sakura had for him to ooze out of her pores in extra volume.

Blind luck or hidden instinct, Rukawa did find Sakura first. She was at a basketball court (surprise surprise), the same one that he had watched Haruko teach Sakuragi to do a lay-up the previous year. Only a year? I could have sworn it was much longer.

The sight before him made his heart ache.

Sakura was jumping. Sweat lined her face and plastered her red hair to her skin. She was breathing heavily from exhaustion and the tense muscles in her legs looked like that at any moment they were going to cramp out on her in protest.

"I am the tensai," Sakura said through gritted teeth, and jumped again. She reached up as high as she could, straining arms, back and legs, but only her fingers managed to slam against the headboard before she dropped to land. "I am the tensai." She jumped again, crying out in effort of her exhausted legs as she slammed her fingers even harder against the headboard.

Her shoes squeaked as she landed. She took a few breaths, then looked up at the headboard. Her fingers had left marks alongside the hoop as they had disturbed the dust and dirt, and they marked the height she could jump to.

Still not high enough to dunk. Lay-up, yes, but not dunk. And definitely not high enough to take rebounds.

"K'so," Sakura cursed, leaning forward to rest her hands on her knees. She breathed heavily, then suddenly choked a sob.

Rukawa stepped out onto the court behind her line of sight and carefully approached her. His first instinct was to hug her – she sure needed one desperately – but he knew that if he did that, she'd punch him and walk away or worse yet, laugh at him then walk away.

So he kicked her.

Sakura scrambled off the court floor and glared at him. "Teme kitsune!"

You're still so stupid. You call yourself a basketball tensai but you still don't understand how important you really are.

"What do you want?" Sakura demanded, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Come to laugh at me?"

Rukawa responded by spinning his basketball on his right forefinger.

"Hah!" Sakura snorted. "You think you can take the team to win nationals on your own, don't you? You think you don't need the tensai? Well, you're wrong. You're wrong!"

Good. Fight me. That always gives you the spirit to play.

Sakura paused to take a breath, then started shouting at him again. "You know what I can't stand about you, Rukawa? It's your attitude. You think you're better than everyone else, and that you're the star and you alone control the game, and no one else matters. You play for yourself, not for the team. Everyone else may praise you for that, but not me. You're selfish!" She paused to breathe a bit, then continued, "I hate that you underestimate everyone else around you and play for your own means. And do you know what playing like that will do to you? You'll be alone. On the team or wherever, you'll be alone! Alone!"

Rukawa almost dropped his ball.

"Go away, kitsune," Sakura said, now almost wheezing for breath. "And don't get smug. I'm coming to practice tomorrow." She turned away from him and walked off.

Rukawa stared at the retreating back of Sakura, heart drumming insistently beneath his ribcage. Anyone else who had been insulted that way would probably be teeming into the angerfest, but not Rukawa.

For one thing, no one had ever told him off for being a good basketball player. Well, sure, Sakuragi had done it before many times, but those times had always simple been blind insults fuelled by envy. This was different, this was… Fact. What she had said was the core of the absolute truth of who he was.

You know me.

The figure of Sakura was shrinking off into the distance.

You see me. You see me for who I am. No one else ever does. No one has ever bothered to.

If there had been any doubts about it, they disappeared instantly. Rukawa was in love with Sakura.

*****

Sakura sniffled a bit, feeling totally sorry for herself but at the same time incensed with anger. Stupid kitsune, she thought. I'll show him. I'll practice even harder. I'll beat him on court with my current height, and then he'll *have* to agree that I am the basketball tensai.

She idly stomped on a flying piece of paper.

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura turned her head. "Ha-haruko-san!"

Haruko ran toward her from across the street in that cute little way that made Sakura blush across her nose.

"Are you still upset?" Haruko asked carefully.

"Upset, no, hahahahahahahaha! Why should I be upset?" Sakura said cheerfully.

"Oh, I'm so glad, I thought you were having second thoughts about rejoining the basketball team," Haruko said, sighing with relief.

She's so concerned for me… Running all the way from school just to find me… Sakura smiled. "Of course I won't leave the team. I just, um… needed to think a bit."

"So are you okay now?" Her eyes were wide and hopeful.

"Yes, of course!"

"So you will be coming to practice tomorrow?"

"No question. The team needs the tensai now!" Sakura laughed again, hands on hips.

Haruko smiled warmly. "Thank you, Sakura-chan." The girl then turned her head this way and that. "Err, did you see Rukawa-kun? I thought I saw his bike head this way a bit earlier."

Sakura carefully plastered a smile on her face. "Oh no, I haven't seen him. I'm sure he's far away by now."

"Oh, okay," said Haruko, she looked a bit disappointed, but she quickly pushed her smile back onto her face. "See you in school tomorrow. Ja ne."

"Ja ne, Haruko-san." As soon as Haruko had turned away, Sakura scowled. The tensai will play so well that even Haruko-san will forget about the stupid busybody kitsune. Hmph.