I just love how easygoing Sendoh seems to be, and I also love Haruko's sweet and kind demeanor. There isn't really any hint of romance between them, so this is my take on how it would be if Akira Sendoh grew up next to the Akagi siblings. Also, these snippets have long since been written by my 18-year-old self and I think it's time her works get published. (Not to mention, it's my first ever Slam Dunk fic) I hope you enjoy! Comments would be very much appreciated.
DISCLAIMER: This fic is based on my very little knowledge (or what I can remember) from much of the anime. Characters aren't mine.
HARUKO AKAGI
Kaede Rukawa, the black-haired best friend and star-crossed lover of my life, is… not so good at basketball that it hurts sometimes. But everything I've said up to this point is a lie. The truth is he probably knows me, if he even cared at all, as the team captain's younger sister.
"GANBATTE, RUKAWA-SAMA!" the girls from his fan club scream as Rukawa-kun receives the long pass from Miyagi-san to score. The whole gym shakes as he earns Shohoku yet another point against Kainan. As he jogs to their half of the court, he looks up briefly at my direction. The girls beside me are ballistic while I freeze to the spot. Was he looking at me? I hope so, because my heart stopped. But then onii-san called for his attention and he hastened his pace to the other side. My breathing starts to even. I whisper a small cheer.
"Rukawa sure is on fire, huh." Akira, my real childhood friend and arguably Ryonan's MVP, says beside me. His towering figure is hunched easily over the railing as if the energetic and tension-filled game was nothing but a relaxing stage play. I notice he was starting to get the attention of some girls around him. He's good-looking, so it must be his popularity. So unfair.
"What's unfair?" he asks and I realize I said it out loud.
"What? Nothing." I tuck a strand of my hair and focus back on the game. Mitsui-san is already going for the three-point line, which made me wonder how much of the game I've already missed because of Akira. "I sure hope Shohoku wins though," I mumble under my breath.
"It's still too early to decide," he replies a matter-of-factly and straightens his back to cross his arms. A few people behind him start to complain but he probably doesn't hear them because he's too focused. "Kainan would never want to lose, especially in a practice game."
I smile. "Well Shohoku won't lose either." I cup my hands on the sides of my mouth and scream. "GO SHOHOKU! GANBATTE, NII-SAN! GANBATTE SHOHOKU!"
The crowd goes wild again, so do the people behind Akira. He even earns some cuss words. But when he turns around to apologize with a goofy smile, the students freeze. "Shit. He's from Ryonan." I hear one say before Akira hunches back against the railings again. A proud smile graces my lips before I turn my attention back to the game, in time to see Kainan's captain dunk.
Minutes later, the game ends with a final score of 94-93 in Kainan's favor. When the basketball players shake hands, the crowd of spectators start dissolving, leaving only me, Akira, and Sakuragi-kun's friends.
"Nice foul out, Hanamichi!" was their initial greeting, which led them to their usual bickering. I was about to congratulate him myself, but my focus was pulled out from them when Rukawa-kun emerged. I gave him a small wave and greeted him instead, but I don't think he heard. Was my voice too small? I put my hand down immediately before anyone else could notice.