The morning slowly turns to afternoon with the rising of the sun amid the crystal blue sky. The weather is hot today, hotter than the day before. Perhaps it is because of the changing seasons. Oh well, the real summer's coming on the next week, so everybody should be ready to face the stinging heat of the sun. The lunch break bell had rang, and soon as that the classroom were half-vacant. Students were rushing out of the class to scatter out across the school building. Some were heading for canteen, and some were going to other classes to meet their good friends or lovers. To them, recess time is the time to socialize. But that aspect doesn't go on with Rukawa, though. Break and lunch times to him were a moment where he could have a peaceful sleep on the school top without being bothered with teachers or any other students.

Stretching his arms in the air while yawning, Rukawa made his way through the hallway. Just like usual, he's going to go to the roof and sleep there. He's going to skip the next session, which is chemistry, his least-liked subject, too. Chemistry, it's his worst failing subject ever since the previous year (oh well he's failing on few subjects…). Not only to him chemistry is just a nonsense things that he didn't need to learn, the teacher, Akihara-sensei, herself dislikes Rukawa. It all happened because once when Rukawa was sleeping in class, Akihara approached him and tried to wake him up. But it all ends with Rukawa unconciously hitting her on the face, causing her cheekbone to crack. And since then, she became so sentimental with Rukawa Kaede.

The brass door that leads the hallway towards Rukawa's private kingdom, the school rooftop, now stood before him. To his surprise, it wasn't shut properly. Sunlight shone through the line gap that separates the door from the doorway. Someone must've been there. Somebody must be out there. But who? Everybody knows that the school rooftop was Rukawa's palace for sleeping, and nobody would've dared to occupy the place. The air around him soon filled with curiosity. He slowly reached out his hands and pushed the rusty door slightly with his fingertips, making a hell lot of unpleasant noise. When the door was fully open, he almost jumped back in surprise when he saw the view beyond the doorway. "A girl?"

Yeap there was a girl, laying there before the door opening. To Rukawa, it seems like she was sleeping, and enjoying it. It was unusual to find a girl in Shohoku sleeping here. Is there any, who's crazy enough to sleep here? Rukawa swallowed his saliva and walked closer. He put his hands inside his trouser uniform's pockets. Lifting up his toe, he nudged her ribs carefully with it, but hard enough to wake anybody up. To his surprise, she didn't response. "Baka…" Seems like bumping his feet won't work, he'll now try kicking. Thank goodness, she's awake with his kick. Or else Rukawa wouldn't know any other way to wake her up.

"That's rude…" She lifted her back and sat up straight, her face still covered with her long, straight, black hair. Rukawa expected her to be the type of female bandits or a boyish girl, careless enough to take a nap here. But when she pulled the strands of hair from her face to the back of her ears, Rukawa felt a shocking jolt on the sight of her face. It's not like what Rukawa had pictured her in his mind, it's a 180 degrees of difference. She had those bright temples with soft, clear and light skin, and deep dark blue eyes. Her lips were the colors of cherries, not full and not too small. In other words, she's pretty, not like what Rukawa had expected her to be like. "You should be treating me more like the way you treat ladies." She shot a stare that cuts deep through Rukawa's indigo eyes, descripting her angst towards him inside.

The Shohoku ace caught himself stunned by her looks. With that, he threw his pair of eyes away from her and turned his head to his side, avoiding her gaze. "Lady? I never knew a lady could sleep and snore on the school's rooftop. Is that what you call a lady?" He retorded in his cold, icy voice.

"Now you know…" And with that she twisted her hips, giving her back to the raven-haired lad. "Hey… Who are you anyway? Are you a messenger sent by that old bitch Akihara, telling me that I got suspended because of skipping her class?" Without turning her back off Rukawa's face, she asked him while stroking her hair from her face.

"No… Why? You wanna get suspended?"

"Yup! So that I can take a peaceful nap at my comfy bed… Bye, I'm going back to sleep…"

"Hey, wait a minute." The words that Rukawa spattered out halted her from sleeping. "Who do you think you are…? Why are you here without my permission?"

"What?! YOUR permission?" She looked at Rukawa from her shoulder and gave him a penetrating deep look. "Who do you think I am? And who do you think you are? You sound like the deputy headmaster or whatever when you're not! You're just one of my classmate… Now bug off…"

Classmate? Is she his classmate? Does it mean that she was there within the rooms that he was in all the time in school? How come he never noticed her? "…Are you in my class?"

"D'uh… I don't know… Ask yourself! I'm busy tryin' to sleep here, now excuse me…" Before she managed to rest her face on the tiled surface, the door slammed open and Akihara-sensei come rushing in. "Uh oh… Now what does this old hag want?"

"Old hag?! That's it! That's enough!! You two!! The two of you, Rukawa Kaede, Ririku Carmenita!! Come to the head office at once. I had enough of you guys!!!" Her hand was on her hips, and her she was squealing like an old witch.

'So her name is Carmenita Ririku… No doubt she's in my class, I heard that weird name a lot of times… What the hell is Carmenita and why did she sound so awkward??' Igonoring Akihara's unpleasant babbles, he took a glance at Laurenzia who was dusting off her skirt. She looked back at him and shrugged, instructing him to surrender and follow what the old witch wanted. So with that he walked beside the girl who was 20 cms shorter than him to the office, ready to face some trouble that they will face.

***

Ever since they stepped into the headmaster's office, the chemistry instructor, Akihara, hadn't stop her shrieks for even one minute. She was a short-tempered woman, no wonder most of the students hated her. Well, except for those who's really devoted to knowledge and education, though. The two of them haven't been listening to any crap that she spits out. Even the headmaster seemed to be irritated by her. "Umm… Akihara-sensei. Please calm down and just let me finish with the problem." He tried to sound cool but there were veins popping out on his forehead. Thank goodness Akihara nodded and obeyed him. She barks loudly like a mad dog and I bet it could be heard outside in the hallways, or even the classroom next door. The old chemistry instructor sat down on a coach beneath the air conditioner. She may be silent but her eyes were still staring at them, filled with glower.

"What's up with that witch right there?" As both's eyes were pinned on her slightly, Ririku bent down his back lightly to whisper in Rukawa's ear.

"Ssh," warned the fox-eyed male as his attention then turned towards Yoshihiko-sensei who was taking the seat before the wide ivory desk.

"Sheesh… What's wrong with you…" She grumbled to herself as she drew back.

"I see that you two know why you are here. So then I guess I didn't remind you that you violated the proper school law."

'You just did, you idiot…' Ririku started to bit her lips impatiently. She had hoped that they would finish the nonsense soon enough.

"I don't know what to do with you guys. I don't know how to help you be a better person. I heard from a lot of teachers, not only Akihara-sensei, that you two often sleep and skip lessons. I'm asking for truth… Why is that?" Yoshihiko inquired aloud with growing curiosity.

"…Bored." His tone was dreary, but he seems that he didn't mind to tell the truth. Rukawa Kaede wasn't afraid of punishments.

'This guy must be crazy,' Ririku exclaimed in her head, 'I think it's either because of he have guts, or he doesn't have brains…'

Astonished by Rukawa's reply, Yoshihiko rubbed his graying mustache with his thumb and his index. Then he closed his eyes and slumped back on his leather-coated mobile chair. "Bored, huh? I know that school is boring, but it is a major thing in life. Hmmm… I just want to wrap this up as quick as possible, Rukawa-kun, Ririku-san. I think it's best for the two of you to be suspended for a few days, with assignments and extra works given, though. I want you two to think of how to improve your poor attitude and I expect you to change it when you got back in the next fifteen days."

"Fifteen days? Is that how long we'll be suspended?!"

"Yes, Ririku-san… It is all because of your own lack of discipline." Patiently he replied.

"Demo… Fifteen? It would be so awkward… I mean, 3 weeks? Why not make it one month?" She said it distinctly with innocence. She sounds like she meant it though. Rukawa, Akihara and Yoshihiko's face were blank. There were huge beads of sweatdrops on their forehead.

"One month will be too much. If that is what you expected, I guess you wanted expulsion, my dear." Slim fingers with red-coated nails ran through Akihara's chin as she smiled devilishly. The look on her face, it tells everybody that she wants them to be expelled. What an evil thought she has as a teacher.

"Please, witch… Mind your own business! Don't think too much or your wrinkles on your horrid forehead will add up…" Ririku stuck out her tounge at her.

"Ririku-san… I see that you have inadequate manners. I believe it's because you're in need to socialize more than you used too. Teachers told me that you barely join the activities in the classroom." Headmaster was patient. He had seen enough of this feeble-mannered children ever since he was positioned to be the principal of school. Not only Shohoku, but other schools in Kanagawa and Japan. "Therefore I will give you a small duty. It will be a group project. I'm expecting you to work it out with Rukawa-kun and have it finished by the time you get back to school on the sixteenth day. Any questions?"

Rukawa, who had been silent all the time, raised up his pale hand. "Yoshihiko-sensei… What about the club activities? Will it be halted too?"

"Aah… Yes… I know that you cared so much about Basketball, Rukawa-kun… Demo, I'm sorry to say that if you are suspended, you must not step into the schoolground unless you have permissions. I'm sorry, Rukawa-kun… And Ririku-san… During suspension days, you wouldn't be able to attend the singing club meetings too. But I will allow you to be there in the club activities today."

The two nodded in understandings even though their heart was filled with disappointment. Yoshihiko-sensei handed them a brown folder after he came back from the resource room and handed it to them. Inside were papers with questions and assignments that they must make. And since the period 8 had started, it will become the last of the week, since it is the last of the day before dismissal bell rings.



a.n :: hmm… I don't know… This idea popped out in my head while I'm reading the first issue of Slam Dunk comics by JC publishing. Yeah, it's when Rukawa was aslept out in the roof and was awakened by Mitsui's gang that had threatened Sakuragi. Hehehe… I'm sorry to say but about the two other on-going fics that I'm writing at, I'll be stopping updating them for a while, but don't worry… I will continue as soon as possible... Ne, ne! Review, plz~!