Credits: Slam Dunk was created by Takehiko Inoue. It is owned/licensed by IT Planning, Toei Animation, Geneon Entertainment (USA), Shueisha (manga).
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk characters borrowed for the love and joy of the writing, and not for acquiring profit. The members of the Haneda family and other members of Sachiko's posse are mine. As with all fics, while the goal is to stay as in character as possible, the author cries "mea maxima culpa" to any discrepancies that the discerning reader may find.
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"Hai. Domo, oneechan."
Haneda Hikaru hung up the phone with a thoughtful expression in his deep brown eyes. A fit man in his early forties, he easily stood at six feet in his socks - which were on feet currently stretched out before him as he lounged on the living room sofa. He had just ended a call to his elder sister, in which they had discussed a matter that had been troubling Haneda for almost a fortnight.
"Anata?"
Haneda looke up at the sound of the sweet voice that addressed him from across the room. A grateful smile broke across his face at the sight of his wife, who approached him with a glass of something cool and refreshing to drink. Haneda Masako returned her husband's smile, though concern filled her dark amber eyes as she perched herself on the edge of the sofa.
"Is everything all right with Midori?" she asked, as her husband too her hand in his.
"Everything's fine," said Haneda. "Now that it's late summer, business at the inn is slowing down a little. She was asking us if we wanted to come up and keep her company for a few days."
"If only it were possible," sighed Masako, with a tender smile for her husband. "You work far too hard as it is."
Haneda squeezed his wife's hand affectionately, allowing himself to enjoy looking at her. Time and the demands of running a household had done little to mark the lovely features of the woman before him; a legacy of beauty that had been passed down to their daughter Sachiko.
Life had not always been easy for the Hanedas. Masako's family, descended from minor daimyo nobility, was proud above their station in life. When Masako had chosen to elope with Haneda shortly after they had graduated from university, many years passed before Masako's parents would consent to see her again, let alone accept Haneda and their daughter. A situation that could be credited to the meddling of various relatives -- creating a tempest that kept Masako in tears during the early years of their marriage.
But fortune had been kind to the newlyweds. If Masako's family refused to accept the situation, the Hanedas welcomed their newest member with open arms. Masako was sent to live with Haneda's older sister Midori, helping run the family ryokan in Hakone while Haneda hunted for a company that would accept a newly-graduated architect. It had been a year before he felt secure enough to send for his wife and baby daughter; from that moment on, the little family rarely spent a moment apart.
"Aaah...I don't mind the work. Once Sachi-chan places in a university, we'll be all right, and I can afford to ease off a little." Haneda smile reassuringly at his wife, bringing the back of her hand to his cheek so that her slender fingers brushed against it. His smile faded, however, at the remembrance of his pretty daughter, and his concern for her. "How is Sachi to you, these days?"
"She hasn't been the same since the basketball team came back from Hiroshima," sighed Masako, her voice full of motherly concern. "Her marks went down a little this grading period -- but nothing to worry about. But something's missing."
"I've noticed she doesn't talk much about her friends on the basketball team," nodded Haneda. "Kogure-kun, too, doesn't come by as often as he used to."
"I've seen that, too. Do you think they've quarreled?"
"Hard to say. Our Sachi was never the secretive sort, until now."
"I remember being somewhat secretive about certain things at that age," said Masako. A smile touched her lips as she recalled that she had been exactly Sachi's age when she met Haneda for the first time.
"I've been thinking that maybe a change of scenery would do her good...give her time alone to sort herself out." Haneda nodded at his wife's startled expression. "As it happens, when I told Midori we couldn't get away, she asked if I could send Sachi up there for what's left of the summer."
"All by herself?" asked Mrs. Haneda doubtfully, making her husband laugh softly.
"Sachi is quite the young woman now, my darling. She would have no problems at all, making the trip to Hakone all by herself, and Midori will be on hand to meet her. If Sachi agrees, it would certainly be the best thing all around. Our daughter gets time to think and breathe the fresh air of the country. Midori has company in the slow season. And we, my love, get some time alone."
Masako chuckled at the gleam in her husband's eye. "You're wicked, Haneda-san. You know I could never resist an offer like that. When will you tell Sachi?"
"Tonight, over dinner."
.../tbc