Black and White: Into the Gray

Disclaimer: I do not own Slam Dunk.



The dark-haired man gazed at the gun in his hand, admiring the way the light bounced off its shiny black surface. The .38 Wesson felt cool to his touch. He turned the gun over in his hand. Sleek as it was, the pistol weighed heavy in the man's hand. He was aware of its power and well aware of his own deadly precision. How many times had he practiced firing that stupid can off that stump of a block? Too many. But then that was his only harmless outlet for rage these days.

The dark-haired man rubbed his hand over his jaw, his unshaved chin providing a prickly yet soothing sensation against his palm. He always did this when he was deep in thought.

"Hey man, you ok?" The dark-haired man raised his eyes ever so slightly to glance at the figure that hovered over him.

"You're blocking my light, Ichiro." He said matter-of-factly. Ichiro laughed.

"Yeah, you're all right," Ichiro said and laughed as he thumped the dark- haired man on the back. A wry smile crept onto the corners of the man's lips, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. A cigarette now hung loosely from those lips, and the man resumed his moody, brooding stance.

"It's time," Another man whose bulk filled up the entire doorway, appeared. The tattoos that covered three quarters of his muscular arms was visible even in the dim light. Big Jun grinned lazily at them.

Ichiro stood up and made to follow Big Jun. He was halfway through the door when he realized that his friend was still rooted to his seat.

"Mitsui! Let's go!" Ichiro barked. The dark-haired man scowled and stubbed his cigarette out. He stared at the .38, a gun that was made not for protection, but for killing. Breathing in deeply, he shut out all memories of a better life, a happier past. He tucked the gun into his waist pocket. Those days were gone forever and remembering them only served to hurt him.

~*~*~*~

Natakaro Bank at the corner of Sakura Street was actually a rather small bank. It was the unofficial People's Bank. The accounts weren't what you would call "heavyweight" but it was still substantial. Being a small bank, Natakaro Bank only had two guards per shift. Today one of them would betray the other. There were three cameras in the bank. One was above the tellers' counter, another was in the deposits vault. The last one was near the entrance.

Big Jun had it all worked out. His brother Ken would remain in the getaway car and keep the engine running and ready to go. J, the guard they had bribed, could easily take out the older guard, Totoya. There was only one booth with the silent alarm under it. Ichiro was to pose as a customer and make sure no one raised the alarm. He was to keep the busty teller who managed that booth, busy, until Big Jun and Mitsui made their entrance.

They couldn't do anything about the cameras though. None of them were tech experts, in fact they were pretty much tech idiots. Big Jun and Mitsui had ski masks to conceal their faces and Ichiro had some weird stocking to wear once things were in operation. J, was the only one without a mask.

"How do I look?" Ichiro said, giving himself a critical once-over in the rear view mirror.

"Like an idiot." Mitsui said, despite the fact that Ichiro looked very much like the suave businessman. Ichiro grinned back wickedly at Mitsui, making himself look even more mysterious and sexy.

"Great. That means I'm ready." Ichiro let himself out of the black Honda. He smoothed his hair back and adjusted his spectacles. With a confident stride, he pushed past the wooden doors and entered Nakataro Bank.

"Start time." Big Jun muttered. Mitsui silently complied.

"20 seconds" The two men loaded their guns.

"45 seconds" Ski masks went on.

"72 seconds" Exit car.

"5.4.3.2.1." Show time.