By: Lady Harlequin
A "Slam Dunk" Fanfic
Part Uno of the "Rare Tales" Story Arc
Dedicated to: Mainime
DISCLAIMER: "Slam Dunk" is NOT MINE, and never will be!!! I just borrowed them from Inoue Takehiko for a short while. I will return them right away when I am through…though I wish that Fujima-kun were real…
NOTE: This plays up a little what Mitsui did when he was a gang leader. I believe it that it is completely unavoidable for him to do such a thing, especially if he wanted the leadership of the gang. But for all Mitsui fans, I promise, I will make him VERY guilty and sorry about what he did ^_~. I like the guy too, and this isn't bashing him. And I know he wouldn't REALLY do this, but let's just put it this way: HE WAS FORCED.
TITLE: The title of this fic is the same as the title of a poem by E.E. Cummings. If you can find that poem, do read it, and you will see why I used the same title for this fic ^_~.
ON THE WAY THE STORY GOES: I will try to follow the series as closely as possible, but there will be a few discrepancies and mistakes, more than likely, in the way the games go and the scoring. So if any of you know better, I hope you will forgive me for it.
ON THE PERSON I DEDICATED THIS TO: "Mainime" is the author of a fantastic trilogy of SD fics entitled "All in the Game", most of them, in one way or another, revolving around her original character Malena Hernandez. I told her the idea for this fic when we first met on Wednesday, July 3, 2002, and she seemed to like it ^_^.
EMAIL: ladyharley2002@hotmail.com
SUMMARY: Sumire Rowena Villanueva-Hanagata hasn't been to Japan for roughly two years, since the fateful day she was gang-raped on the streets of Kanagawa. Overcoming her fears, she has finally come back, and is living in with her cousin, Toru, and studying at the same school he is. There she is introduced to Toru's best friend, Fujima Kenji, and her experience in basketball paves the way for her to become the manager of Shoyo Basketball Club. However, during a game against rival Shohoku, Sumire comes face-to-face with her worst memories, the memories she swore she would never bring up ever again…
Prologue: There…"Mire-chan!!! Where are you going this late at night?!"
Sumire turned around, and flashed a smile at her older cousin, Toru. He was standing in the doorway of the dining room, his arms folded casually over his chest, his eyes twinkling behind his black-framed glasses as he raised his eyebrow at her. "I'm just going out for a walk, Toru-kun! You don't have to worry, I'll be fine."
Toru shook his head. "I don't think you'll be fine, Mire-chan. You might get hurt. I keep on hearing about these gangs that go out at night, looking for young girls to prey on…"
"Toru-kun!!!" Sumire exclaimed with a laugh as she put on her walking shoes. "I'll be FINE. I can defend myself."
"That's beside the point," Toru said. "I've been living here longer than you have, Mire-chan, and I know what goes on out there at night. This place isn't as safe as the subdivisions you know in Manila."
Sumire shook her head. Jeez, but Toru can be pretty overprotective. "Toru-kun, I'll be okay, I swear. I promise to avoid the dark streets and stay in the well-lighted places. And I also promise that if I see anything or anyone suspicious, I'll come right back."
Toru stared at her for a long time, before he sighed, and lowered his arms from his chest. "Fine, fine, I know better than to challenge you when it comes to these sorts of things." He smiled at her, half in annoyance, and half in pride. "I don't know whether to be proud or irritated of your stubbornness."
"Better to be proud than irritated," Sumire answered flippantly as she went over to the door. "I'll be back in a while, Toru-kun! Don't wait up for me!"
The last thing she heard as she closed the door was Toru's laughter. She had to giggle as she proceeded with her walk, following the path of well-lighted sidewalks that wove in and out of the comfortable suburban area of the Kanagawa prefecture of Japan.
Her father was Japanese, but immigrated to the Philippines when he was younger. There he met and married her mother, a Filipino by birth (though there were strains of the Spanish blood on her part), and had her: Sumire Rowena. The name Sumire was Japanese and was chosen by her father, while the name Rowena was chosen by her mother and sounded Filipino in nature. For much of her life, she had been studying and living in a quiet subdivision in Manila, learning Filipino and English at home and in school, while the Nihongo she learned from her father.
Am I glad I came here for summer vacation, Sumire thought with a happy smile as she started to head back to Toru's house, after having done a couple of rounds of walking. Toru was her cousin, the son of her father's brother. He lived by himself in a comfortable house just walking distance from his school, where he was currently a high school sophomore. Sumire herself was just a sophomore, and she and Toru shared a lot in common, particularly basketball.
I'm happy that Toru was willing to let me stay with him on such short notice. I don't know if I'd even BE here if he hadn't agreed to let me stay with him. Mom and Dad sure wouldn't let me stay here by myself… Sumire really liked her older cousin, finding him rather charming and amusing. Wonder why he doesn't have an entire line of girls at his beck and call? Back in Manila all the girls would be head-over-heels in love with him.
As she rounded a corner, Sumire felt someone grab her from behind. She attempted to scream, but a gag was immediately placed over her mouth, cutting off the sound that would have rocked the silent street. She felt rough hands grab her hands and legs, immobilizing her, and then tie them up with thick rope.
Oh God… Sumire squirmed and wriggled as much as she could in an attempt to escape, but it was all in vain. She was carried to what looked like a dilapidated building, and was dumped onto something soft and yielding. Her blood froze in her veins. A bed…?
There were voices all around her in the shadows. "Go on Mitsui! Here's your chance! We got her especially for you!"
Sumire whimpered and closed her eyes when a finger touched her cheek. "Kirei, ne? And she looks quite young too. She ought to be a treat!"
"I don't know about this," said another voice, this time deeper in timbre, "What if I don't want to do it?"
"You have to, Mitsui. Or else you won't be able to become the leader of our gang."
Silence.
Sumire screamed against the gag when she felt hands touch her waist, quickly skimming in between her torso and her blouse, pulling her top off. She shook her head violently, saying the words, "no, no, no, no" through the gag.
"Gomen nasai…"
Sumire looked up, and peered deep into dark blue eyes. She memorized the eyes, the face, the voice… Someday I'm going to find you, she promised him, and then I'll make you pay.
* * *
Toru sat up, and looked at the watch for the umpteenth time that night. It's getting late… Kuso, where did that girl get to?!
He heard the gate creak open at that moment, and he jumped up in anticipation, heading to the door almost immediately. He opened it, to find Sumire standing there, looking like she was about to enter the door herself.
She smiled brightly at him. "Oh, Toru-kun! What's up with
the worried look?"
"How can I NOT look worried if you don't come home at the time I expected you to?!" Toru exclaimed, half-yelling in his anxiety. "I was so worried for you, Mire-chan! I thought that you had been kidnapped or something!!"
Sumire laughed at him as she waltzed into the room, kicking off her shoes and replacing them with a pair of slippers. "Oh Toru-kun, I told you that I would be fine!"
Oh are you? "What's that red spot on your skirt then?"
Sumire blinked. "Red spot?" She turned to the back of her skirt, and glanced at the huge red blotch there. She screeched, and blushed. "Oh jeez, is it THAT time of the month?!" She laughed again, and ran to her room. "Sorry you had to see that, Toru-kun! Oh God, that was SO embarrassing…"
Toru stared after her, and shook his head, a small smile on his face. There's nothing wrong, she's okay. She just lost track of the time and came home late… She's just fine. She's perfectly fine.
AUTHOR'S OOC:
Harle smirks as she looks at Chibi-Sumire Brilliant little liar, aren't you.
Chibi-Sumire glares at Harle: Well what would YOU do if you were in my position?!
Harle shrugs: I'd have kicked the bastard in the balls and THEN made sure he lost the capacity to reproduce for the rest of his life.
Chibi-Sumire raises eyebrows: And how do you propose to do THAT?
Harle grins evilly: You grab the guy by the balls, and twist. HARD. If you do it hard enough, you not only knock the poor guy unconscious, but you also do serious damage to his reproductive system.
Chibi-Toru looks pretty worried: You can DO that?!
Harle sighs: Let's move on, shall we?