Title: Be Mine, Valentine
Fandom: Slam Dunk
Pairing: SendohXOC
Rating: T (rating may go up)
Summary: Win Megumi's heart within seven days. Easy enough; if you're ace basketball player and top bachelor, Sendoh Akira. Though things can go a little out of hand when there are jealous fan girls, rivals, an over protective brother and an abusive father to deal with. How will Sendoh win over the feisty, monstrous Student Council President who believes he's just a womanizer?
Warnings: AU, may experience slight OOCness
By: Darthrose a.k.a Crimson Essence
Edited: May 2nd 2010, September 2nd 2011 & May 4th 2013
A/N: Fixed most grammar, spelling, added a new opening and subtracted cluttered description (deleted about 1,000 words). Please read at 3/4 or 1/2 view.
A miniscule slit formed against paled skin before blossoming as specks of crimson. These flecks collected into a single bulb before it cascaded down a finger, only to stop short at a wrinkle of a palm. A woman drew back her hand from the letter that cut her finger to inspect the blood with a dazed curiosity. Then, placed the fine, bone white parchment back into a tattered envelope that seemed to have been many years old. Quietly, she slipped it into a drawer stuffed with similar, aged letters.
The woman was in her early twenties. The straightened ends of her raven locks brushed against a waist that could have been considered anorexic. Her slender wrists too, were bony and marred with old scars. The forth finger on her left hand was lightly adorned with a simple golden band which she mindlessly spun in place. Her features were sharp, angled and empty, matching the deadness in her eyes.
A wise man once said that the road to hell was paved with good intentions. Her hell began with a single suggestion. A simple, quick fix five years ago that should have gone perfectly fine if not for him.
How could she have known that that single little, crazy, idea would have allowed her to taste heaven before shoving her down into the pits of hell like a cynical savior.
Five Years ago...
Ryonan High School, Kanagawa Prefecture: Wednesday, February 8th_
"It's not going to work..."
Eighteen-year-old Megumi V. Kobayashi groaned in exasperation as she stretched her body over her desk, releasing a flow of long, unruly chestnut hair off the wooden top. Being the president of the Student Council, she hadn't gotten much sleep with the Valentine's Dance being next week. The other Council members had successfully put off planning till this very moment. So, the 'Procrastinator's Alliance' began tossing together a mix and mash of desperate ideas.
"But using the gym is a great idea!" exclaimed Kenji Takahashi, the Health and Safety Coordinator, hoping to persuade the others. The blonde second year student had put up the 'great idea' of holding the dance in the gym since it was big enough to hold most of the school's populous and allow them hang out in the field as it was directly outside. Position wise, it was a smart choice and a far more affordable option than renting out a venue. It was as good of an idea as any, but with one major setback.
Coach Taoka.
There was no way that the basketball coach of Ryonan High, the Moichi Taoka, was going to let them use the gymnasium. He was, after all, the strictest, harshest teacher in Ryonan history. The fact that the Spring Tournament was around the corner hasn't helped him loosen up either. Maybe if they had asked sooner they would have been granted permission, but not now.
Megumi rolled her eyes in annoyance. She knew that once Kenji set his mind on something, he was going to get it no matter what. From personal experiences, she knew that arguing was pointless. All she could do was feebly attempt to talk some sense into her junior.
"Good idea, bad timing. I mean, who's willing to ask Coach Taoka's permission now? You know he hates it when we do that. Remember what happened to the last Student Council?" she reminded the group, exasperatedly.
The group paused to think back several months. A similar scenario popped up during the Christmas Party. Back then, Coach Taoka was more lenient and had let the last year's Student Council use the gym –mainly because the Winter Games were over with. But, when the gymnasium was returned in pieces, things became messy. Ever since that incident, the whole student council was in the basketball team's bad books, mainly the president.
The group then exchanged nervous glances, wondering what they should do next. They didn't want a repeat of last year, but they didn't want to ruin this year's Valentine's Dance either. The group couldn't weigh down the name of the student council any more than the past members already have. Any further slip-ups would result in immediate replacements.
They needed someone who had a chance at persuading the Coach. Someone who would try to make a scene but know when to back down. They needed someone who represented the student council and the student body. They needed someone who could think before they acted.
Only one fit the bill.
Kenji piped up, "Let's take a vote. Who wants the Pres to do it?" With that said, his hand shot up in the air before the others followed in sync.
The unwilling president wanted to protest, but before the words could pass her lips, she was dragged to her feet and flung out the door. This was not happening! Mutiny! Mutiny!
"Good luck Pres!" The traitors chorused in cheerful tones as they slammed the door shut and locked it. Obviously, they weren't going to let her in until she completed her 'mission'.
The brunette let out an irate sigh, knowing full well that the only way back in was either through the window, or to kick down the door. The former was too much trouble and the latter was not an option. After all, that was their third door this month and their budget was tight. Normally, this would have been a blessing to be out of there, but the fact that there was a stack of manga on her desk, crying out to be read, she was forced her to complete the errand.
"Dammit..."
Thud! Thud! Thud! Squee—
Megumi shuddered to a halt at the gymnasium doorway when the sounds of squeaking sneakers and bouncing balls broke her out of autopilot. Scanning her surroundings, she took in every detail from the fan girls in the corner to the sweat that ran down the sides of the players' faces as they ran up and down the court. Finally, her gaze landed on her target, Coach Taoka. The man seemed to be in a fouler mood than usual... great.
Inhaling deeply, the Student Council President gathered her courage and stepped through the metal double doors and onto the waxed orange flooring.
The moment her shoe met with the polished surface, it made a loud obnoxious squeak.
Coach Taoka's head snapped about so fast that she thought his neck would break. "You! Take off your shoes!" he yelled, causing her to jolt upright. His beady black eyes narrowed on Megumi as his lips set in a disapproving line.
She hadn't said anything and he was already pissed off. Great.
Megumi could feel the poisonous aura that emanated from his very being. By now Coach Taoka had recognized this intruder. She was the Student Council President –an unwelcomed being.
His scrutinizing gaze intensified. Why was she here? Well, judging by the month, he could guess.
"Ur, yeah, sorry 'bout that," Megumi apologized with a shrug of her shoulders, lacking in respect as she slipped off her shoes and entered. Honestly, it was far too troublesome to act sincere. She noticed some of the basketball players snigger at her, but she ignored the gnats. They were idiots. The whole lot of them.
Sendoh Akira, basketball ace and top bachelor of Ryonan High, was late for practice yet again. Hoping to avoid trouble, the second year student tried sneaking in through the back door. Shoulders hunched, body in a half crouch, he tried to find a group of players he could 'meld' into. All was going smoothly, until he heard his coach yell for him to take off his shoes, he knew right away that he had been caught.
"Sorry coach! I overslept!" the spiky haired ace quickly apologized, bowing his entire being, waiting to be reprimanded.
He remained in that posture for a minute waiting for a fist to the skull, but nothing happened. Slowly, the basketball player raised his head with visible confusion on his face. Glancing about the court, he spotted his coach and a girl who was talking... no, arguing with him? Well that's rather alarming.
From afar, Sendoh began to scrutinize her. Was she in his grade? He cocked his head to side thinking hard before shaking his head. If she were a Second Year student, he would have at least recognized her face. A third year then?
Maybe Uozumi knows her or something. Speaking of which, the current captain should have dug his fist into Sendoh's cranium by now. Where is he?
Scouring the basketball court one more time, he searched for the tallest player in their team. Shouldn't be too hard to find right? Wrong. It took him a whole minute before he spotted his captain strategically placed behind the benches crouching in a fetal position, out of view of both the coach and the girl.
'What's going on?'
Sendoh furrowed his brows, unable to make the connection. Who was she that had the gall to argue with Coach Taoka a few weeks before a tournament? The Spring Tournament may not be all that, but it was a competition nonetheless. Ryonan was going to go all out to defeat a rivaling school, Shohoku. Just thinking about it caused a competitive fire to burn within every member of the boy's basketball team, especially Coach Taoka.
At any rate, what was her relationship with Uozumi? What kind of person could she possibly be to cause him to cower out of her line of sight?
Surely she wasn't that bad, right?
Folding her arms across her chest, Megumi spoke defiantly, "I don't see why you can't give your students a day off on Valentine's Day." This was becoming rather tiresome and she was beginning to grow weary of non-stop arguing. She felt like she on the debate team all over again –not something she liked.
"Look, Valentine-san," Coach Taoka inserted her middle name in order to spite her, make her lose her cool, but that was not going to happen.
Keeping a calm face, she let the subtle insult slide, for now. In the past, her name was the cause of much teasing. It was usually a casual phrase used now and then to annoy her, but when Valentine's Day was around the corner, it became less bearable.
The coach continued his attack as he stated the obvious, "The Spring Tournament is coming up in two weeks. We have to practice or else we'll lose to Shohoku again!" He knew full well that if Megumi were to pursue the subject any further, she might end up being the most hated student in school for being the 'cause' of Ryonan's loss to Shohoku.
"Sir, can't you move the training to a Saturday? Sunday?" Megumi's voice ended on a rather sharp note, ignoring the glares that drilled into the back of her head. She could almost feel the rage seeping out from the 'Sendoh fan club' as they watched her interrupt their idol's training time.
"...We have a practice match against Shoyo, Sunday. And, I don't want a repetition of last year's Christmas Party," the coach reminded her sternly. Surely even she wouldn't think of further continuing this conversation. By the looks she was receiving from Sendoh's fan girls and a couple of the basketball members, it was surprising she hadn't turn tail and run already.
Gritting her teeth, Megumi tugged the corners of her mouth into a forced smile. Finally, she conceded, bringing Taoka a surge of triumph. Though, even with the 'smile', her voice was as stern as ever as she spoke, "Thank you for your time, coach... I will be back, and I hope you'll have a... change of heart."
With those words, she exited the court with most of her pride intact.
When the Student Council President was out of sight, the mood in the gymnasium seemed to lighten. It was as if something foul had been removed from the room.
Coach Taoka let out a sigh of relief that it was over. For now.
Captain Uozumi, who had come out from his hiding spot, acted as if he had been stretching behind the benches the whole time. There were a couple of the third year students that stopped concentrating as hard on their basketballs as they did when she first entered the gym.
'What's up with her?' Sendoh couldn't help but wonder about this mystery girl. 'Valentine-san, huh?'
Without hesitation, the ace player slipped out through the back door, hoping to catch up with the brunette and get to know this ice princess. She sure was a rather... interesting character. Maybe he could have a little fun with this one.
"Excuse me! Valentine-san!" Sendoh called out to third year, waving an arm frantically at her in hopes to catch her attention. Surprisingly enough, she was already halfway across the school field. He couldn't help but wonder why she was in such a rush to leave.
The girl paused in mid step before turning to face the porcupine that was gaining on her. Fantastic. Now there was another idiot she had to deal with. Really, all she wanted to return to her manga; not chat. Running would waste her energy though. So, it wasn't an option.
With her lips curved into a frown, Megumi watched as he caught up with her. Crossing her arms over her chest, she raised an impatient brow before speaking in a clearly irritated tone, "What do you want?"
Her cold, steely tone startled the happy-go-lucky Sendoh Akira, but he quickly recovered from the surprise with another one of his smiles. Reaching out, he took a lock of her coffee colored hair, allowing a few silken strands to slip through his fingers.
"I just wanted to know your name, milady," he said, in a 'princely' manner as he stooped to kiss the brown. He half expected the girl to swoon and turn into puddles of drool like all the other girls he had used that line on, but this one didn't. Instead, she swatted his hand aside and grimaced.
"Are you stupid?"
A/N: For those of you who have started this story before the new intro was added, I'm just going to give you a mini spoiler. No, this series does not end after the Valentine's dance. I've thought through the general idea of the storyline, including what happens five years later. Though I'm debating if I should make it into a separate story as it does become a little... dark. :)
Also, Megumi's last name is not Valentine, it is Kobayashi (a common surname in the Kanagawa prefecture). Valentine has become her middle name since I disliked having her be so 'unique' from the other characters in this story. (I'd remove 'Valentine' from her name fully, but figured there'd be some complaints).
Things that changed was the grammar, amount of description, the new intro, sarcastic style of writing and a slightly toned down Megumi.
Thoughts? Comments? Corrections? Review!