*************************
*Disclaimer: Slam Dunk isn't mine, it's Takehiko Inoue's. None of the characters in this chapter are mine.
*************************
A Pale Shadow by tsongmandude
Chapter 1: Moving On
"W-would you like some water, Rukawa-kun?" the petite brown-haired Akagi Haruko shyly asked Rukawa Kaede, Shohoku's ace
player.
Without a word, Rukawa took the bottle off her after staring blankly at the girl for a little more than just moment. He opened
the bottle and gulped down the contents. When he finished, he gave the bottle back to Haruko who stood in the same spot just
staring at him. Haruko was startled and took the bottle. Rukawa just left and sat at the edge of the bench away from his
teammates, his face buried in the towel in his hands.
Haruko sighed but had gotten used to this kind of treatment from the raven-haired basketball player. Haruko had become
assistant team manager after the graduation of her brother and his batchmates from Shohoku highschool last year. This was
her second year in the high school and was also the second year of her knowing Rukawa. Rukawa had seldom given any signal
to show her that he knew she even existed last year. This year was much worse. Even so, Haruko was able to justify Rukawa's
actions, or lack of, towards her.
Mitsui, Kogure and her elder brother Takenori had graduated last year. Mitsui and her brother played a huge role in bringing
the team into the championships. Their absence was being felt by the team. She told herself that Rukawa must feel the added
burden upon his shoulders. He was trying extra hard to keep Shohoku in contention for the championships in the Kanagawa
prefecture. Rukawa, Sakuragi, and Ryota were the only ones left from the original team. They were hard-pressed every game.
Nothing came as easy as before. There were plenty of new good players on the team, now that Shohoku was gaining popularity,
but the team still had a long way until they became as fluid as last year's team. It was their single-mindedness and ability
to act as one unit that made the old team such a great threat to other teams. The new team still had to train together long
and hard to even come close to the greatness of that team. If only she knew where to start...
Haruko's obsession with Rukawa was actually waining by now. She didn't think he was a jerk or an idiot or anything like that.
She just realized that there was no place for her, or any other girl for that matter, in his life. He just was not interested
in girls. He desire and focus becoming the best in Japan and bringing the team to the championships made sure of that she
thought. The realization wasn't really painful -- just extremely disappointing. She just learned to let go and move on.
After finishing his own bottle of water, Hanamachi was instantly at Haruko's side. "Haruko! Did you see the perfectly
executed alley-oop the genius made just before the end of the second half?! That fox Rukawa surely cannot do the same!!!
Nyahahahahahaha!!! Top that, kitsune!!!" Hanamichi shouted almost into the ear of Rukawa.
"Do'aho..." Rukawa muttered under his breath. Haruko could not help but smile at the two bickering teammates. She knew that
though these two were almost always at each others throats, they had the greatest respect for each other. Both knew the great
contributions of each in every game. Hanamichi had an incredible jumping ability. He was known to match up against the
tallest players in the prefecture. He was the King of Rebounds as he called himself. Hanamichi had learned to play basketball
only in his first year of highschool yet was able to become a threat to other teams in such a short period. It was really was
amazing. He was probably some sort of athletic genius, if there was such a thing . If only he could stop praising himself all
the time...
Ryota had, by now, started running towards the two players... not quite convinced that he would be able to stop them but
willing to try, nonetheless. As usual, Hanamichi suddenly slugged Rukawa upside the head which signalled the start of their
almost weekly fights. The whole Shohoku team was used to the sight by now. They were sure that nothing serious would really
happen. Haruko always worried that one of them might get hurt badly but she also felt that this was how the strange
friendship of the two players would be for some time. Hanamichi despised Rukawa for some reason and Rukawa felt the same for
the fiery-maned player but there was an undeniable respect and admiration between the two.
"What the -- ?! You two punks are still at it?!?!" boomed a voice that appeared out of nowhere. Haruko instantly recognized
the voice as her onii-chan's and began running towards him. "Onii-chan! You never said that you were coming today! What a
pleasant surprise!" She gave her brother a hug. Takenori gave a hug back in spades. He couldn't help but smile and suddenly
recalled the times when they were kids that he would always have to be by her side because of her clumsiness. His sister meant
the world to him. She would always be his cute little sister that he would do anything to protect.
Haruko suddenly noticed that her brother wasn't alone. She saw the smiling faces of Kogure and Mitsui behind her brother. She
noticed that all three were dressed in their basketball gear. "Mitsui-sempai, Kogure-sempai...! I'm so glad you all came!"
Both Mitsui and Kogure couldn't help but smile at the girl. She was like a little sister to them and they were like elder
brothers to her. They felt very protective of her, silently sharing in her joys and sufferings. They were glad that she had
gotten over Rukawa. She didn't need that kind of pain so early in life.
"We heard that the team's having a hard time meshing. We're here to help out. After all, we can't let Shohoku become a
pushover again." We're at the top of the food chain guys. Let's make sure we stay there. Since our load isn't really that heavy,
we figured we'd just give the team the workout they'll need to survive." Taking Haruko aside, Kogure and Mitsui smiled and said,
"Just leave everything to your extra onii-chans, Haruko. We'll see our team through."
Haruko had e-mailed her brother at university often. After becoming co-manager of the team along with Ayako, she asked her
brother for advice in dealing with the team. She just found that the group wasn't jiving well. Her responsibility for the team
grew because Ayako was now dealing with her studies more seriously in hopes of entering a good university. She aimed high
enough -- UCLA. Ayako still came quite often but was unable to devote as much time to the team as before. Haruko understood
all this. She would be in the same situation in her third and last year in high school. At the moment, however, it was her duty
to keep the boys in top condition through hard basketball drills and training. She was hard-pressed though because she didn't
have an all-powerful fan, the mere sight of which made sure the boys were in-line. She had yet to prove herself in a manner of
speaking. The sight of the old members of the team somehow rejuvenated her.
When practice ended, Takenori told his sister that Mitsui, Kogure, and he would be visiting some other batchmates at a local
hangout. She wished them well and left the gym. Hanamichi, Rukawa and some other team members were cleaning up the gym at the
time she began packing up.
"Haruko-chan...?" a familiar voice asked her rather quietly.
She looked up and saw a trembling Hanamichi holding a mop and a bucket of water. "Yes, Sakuragi-kun?" she asked him.
"H-Haruko-chan... I was wondering if I could w-walk you home today. I still have to f-finish cleaning some parts of the gym
but I'm s-sure I could finsh up pretty quickly... please?" Sakuragi stuttered. He had summoned all his will just to say tell
Haruko this and was sweating profusely.
"Sakuragi-kun, are you feeling cold? Are coming down with something?" Haruko touches his forehead with the back of her hand.
"You're hot! I think we should just go home now. I think you just caught something. Hmmm, I didn't know there was something
going around. Gosh. I'll just let the others know that you'll be going home early. We can't have the tensai basketball man
going around sick, can we? Whatever would Shohoku do!" Haruko said rather teasingly. She went towards the others who were
cleaning the gym as well and told them that she'd walk Sakuragi home. They all said it was fine since Sakuragi's crush with Haruko
being known to everyone in the school save for Haruko herself they thought. They began to chat about Sakuragi's antics when the two
left for home.
Sakuragi was blushing furiously. He was so happy. Haruko said she wanted to walk him home! Of course, he wouldn't allow this
and would, in fact, walk her home. He couldn't allow Haruko to walk the streets of Kanagawa by herself, after all. There were
just to many gangs that could possibly pick on a sweet angel like Haruko.
They were pretty silent the whole trip with small talk going between them from time to time. Haruko being the one would talk
from time to time to praise Sakuragi for his wonderful improvements. Sakuragi could just smile and say "Thanks! You can't
expect anything less from the tensai basketball man..." then silence. Sakuragi was just happy being with her. He truly was in
love with this girl. Sakuragi hadn't allowed Haruko to walk him home. He walked her home instead saying that her house was
much nearer and that he wouldn't need her help getting home after all. Haruko had just offered token resistance and eventually
gave in to Sakuragi's request. She actually felt rather tired for some reason. She was still concerned for Sakuragi and told
him to send her a text message on her phone when he got home. Sakuragi almost fainted with the idea of Haruko being so concerned
with his welfare. They said their goodbyes and Sakuragi made his way home.
Haruko actually liked Sakuragi's company. He was someone who was always there for her. She could tell him anything and
everything. He was one of the most understanding, kind-hearted, and thoughful people she knew. He was right up there along with
her own brother and Kogure-sempai. She was thankful that she had him for a friend. Also, she knew that he liked her a lot.
She wasn't really that dense. She just didn't have the heart to put him off even if she did like Rukawa. Now that she had
accepted that nothing would come from her affection for Rukawa, she had entertained ideas of actually going out with Sakuragi.
He was nice enough, after all, and she always had a good time whenever she was with him. She was extremely proud of him for the
rapid progress he was making playing basketball for the Shohoku team. He had become a irreplaceable member of the team. She had
already pushed back all her dreams of ever becoming even close to Rukawa to the deepest recesses of her conscious mind. She would
from time to time slip, of course, but she no longer hoped for anything at all with him. She had accepted her fate and was willing
to move on now.
Hiding in the shadows, a tall figure was watching the two friends talking in front of the Akagi residence. None of the words
could have reached him but he saw them quite clearly. He saw Sakuragi leave and Haruko enter her house.
"Thank you for seeing her home safe... do'aho."
************************
* some feedback would be nice.
* i know my writing isn't that great but i've read so many fanfics in this site that i just had to put one myself
* please show me any inconsistencies and any suggestions to make this thing a little more interesting are welcome
* thanks to you all
************************
*Disclaimer: Slam Dunk isn't mine, it's Takehiko Inoue's. None of the characters in this chapter are mine.
*************************
A Pale Shadow by tsongmandude
Chapter 1: Moving On
"W-would you like some water, Rukawa-kun?" the petite brown-haired Akagi Haruko shyly asked Rukawa Kaede, Shohoku's ace
player.
Without a word, Rukawa took the bottle off her after staring blankly at the girl for a little more than just moment. He opened
the bottle and gulped down the contents. When he finished, he gave the bottle back to Haruko who stood in the same spot just
staring at him. Haruko was startled and took the bottle. Rukawa just left and sat at the edge of the bench away from his
teammates, his face buried in the towel in his hands.
Haruko sighed but had gotten used to this kind of treatment from the raven-haired basketball player. Haruko had become
assistant team manager after the graduation of her brother and his batchmates from Shohoku highschool last year. This was
her second year in the high school and was also the second year of her knowing Rukawa. Rukawa had seldom given any signal
to show her that he knew she even existed last year. This year was much worse. Even so, Haruko was able to justify Rukawa's
actions, or lack of, towards her.
Mitsui, Kogure and her elder brother Takenori had graduated last year. Mitsui and her brother played a huge role in bringing
the team into the championships. Their absence was being felt by the team. She told herself that Rukawa must feel the added
burden upon his shoulders. He was trying extra hard to keep Shohoku in contention for the championships in the Kanagawa
prefecture. Rukawa, Sakuragi, and Ryota were the only ones left from the original team. They were hard-pressed every game.
Nothing came as easy as before. There were plenty of new good players on the team, now that Shohoku was gaining popularity,
but the team still had a long way until they became as fluid as last year's team. It was their single-mindedness and ability
to act as one unit that made the old team such a great threat to other teams. The new team still had to train together long
and hard to even come close to the greatness of that team. If only she knew where to start...
Haruko's obsession with Rukawa was actually waining by now. She didn't think he was a jerk or an idiot or anything like that.
She just realized that there was no place for her, or any other girl for that matter, in his life. He just was not interested
in girls. He desire and focus becoming the best in Japan and bringing the team to the championships made sure of that she
thought. The realization wasn't really painful -- just extremely disappointing. She just learned to let go and move on.
After finishing his own bottle of water, Hanamachi was instantly at Haruko's side. "Haruko! Did you see the perfectly
executed alley-oop the genius made just before the end of the second half?! That fox Rukawa surely cannot do the same!!!
Nyahahahahahaha!!! Top that, kitsune!!!" Hanamichi shouted almost into the ear of Rukawa.
"Do'aho..." Rukawa muttered under his breath. Haruko could not help but smile at the two bickering teammates. She knew that
though these two were almost always at each others throats, they had the greatest respect for each other. Both knew the great
contributions of each in every game. Hanamichi had an incredible jumping ability. He was known to match up against the
tallest players in the prefecture. He was the King of Rebounds as he called himself. Hanamichi had learned to play basketball
only in his first year of highschool yet was able to become a threat to other teams in such a short period. It was really was
amazing. He was probably some sort of athletic genius, if there was such a thing . If only he could stop praising himself all
the time...
Ryota had, by now, started running towards the two players... not quite convinced that he would be able to stop them but
willing to try, nonetheless. As usual, Hanamichi suddenly slugged Rukawa upside the head which signalled the start of their
almost weekly fights. The whole Shohoku team was used to the sight by now. They were sure that nothing serious would really
happen. Haruko always worried that one of them might get hurt badly but she also felt that this was how the strange
friendship of the two players would be for some time. Hanamichi despised Rukawa for some reason and Rukawa felt the same for
the fiery-maned player but there was an undeniable respect and admiration between the two.
"What the -- ?! You two punks are still at it?!?!" boomed a voice that appeared out of nowhere. Haruko instantly recognized
the voice as her onii-chan's and began running towards him. "Onii-chan! You never said that you were coming today! What a
pleasant surprise!" She gave her brother a hug. Takenori gave a hug back in spades. He couldn't help but smile and suddenly
recalled the times when they were kids that he would always have to be by her side because of her clumsiness. His sister meant
the world to him. She would always be his cute little sister that he would do anything to protect.
Haruko suddenly noticed that her brother wasn't alone. She saw the smiling faces of Kogure and Mitsui behind her brother. She
noticed that all three were dressed in their basketball gear. "Mitsui-sempai, Kogure-sempai...! I'm so glad you all came!"
Both Mitsui and Kogure couldn't help but smile at the girl. She was like a little sister to them and they were like elder
brothers to her. They felt very protective of her, silently sharing in her joys and sufferings. They were glad that she had
gotten over Rukawa. She didn't need that kind of pain so early in life.
"We heard that the team's having a hard time meshing. We're here to help out. After all, we can't let Shohoku become a
pushover again." We're at the top of the food chain guys. Let's make sure we stay there. Since our load isn't really that heavy,
we figured we'd just give the team the workout they'll need to survive." Taking Haruko aside, Kogure and Mitsui smiled and said,
"Just leave everything to your extra onii-chans, Haruko. We'll see our team through."
Haruko had e-mailed her brother at university often. After becoming co-manager of the team along with Ayako, she asked her
brother for advice in dealing with the team. She just found that the group wasn't jiving well. Her responsibility for the team
grew because Ayako was now dealing with her studies more seriously in hopes of entering a good university. She aimed high
enough -- UCLA. Ayako still came quite often but was unable to devote as much time to the team as before. Haruko understood
all this. She would be in the same situation in her third and last year in high school. At the moment, however, it was her duty
to keep the boys in top condition through hard basketball drills and training. She was hard-pressed though because she didn't
have an all-powerful fan, the mere sight of which made sure the boys were in-line. She had yet to prove herself in a manner of
speaking. The sight of the old members of the team somehow rejuvenated her.
When practice ended, Takenori told his sister that Mitsui, Kogure, and he would be visiting some other batchmates at a local
hangout. She wished them well and left the gym. Hanamichi, Rukawa and some other team members were cleaning up the gym at the
time she began packing up.
"Haruko-chan...?" a familiar voice asked her rather quietly.
She looked up and saw a trembling Hanamichi holding a mop and a bucket of water. "Yes, Sakuragi-kun?" she asked him.
"H-Haruko-chan... I was wondering if I could w-walk you home today. I still have to f-finish cleaning some parts of the gym
but I'm s-sure I could finsh up pretty quickly... please?" Sakuragi stuttered. He had summoned all his will just to say tell
Haruko this and was sweating profusely.
"Sakuragi-kun, are you feeling cold? Are coming down with something?" Haruko touches his forehead with the back of her hand.
"You're hot! I think we should just go home now. I think you just caught something. Hmmm, I didn't know there was something
going around. Gosh. I'll just let the others know that you'll be going home early. We can't have the tensai basketball man
going around sick, can we? Whatever would Shohoku do!" Haruko said rather teasingly. She went towards the others who were
cleaning the gym as well and told them that she'd walk Sakuragi home. They all said it was fine since Sakuragi's crush with Haruko
being known to everyone in the school save for Haruko herself they thought. They began to chat about Sakuragi's antics when the two
left for home.
Sakuragi was blushing furiously. He was so happy. Haruko said she wanted to walk him home! Of course, he wouldn't allow this
and would, in fact, walk her home. He couldn't allow Haruko to walk the streets of Kanagawa by herself, after all. There were
just to many gangs that could possibly pick on a sweet angel like Haruko.
They were pretty silent the whole trip with small talk going between them from time to time. Haruko being the one would talk
from time to time to praise Sakuragi for his wonderful improvements. Sakuragi could just smile and say "Thanks! You can't
expect anything less from the tensai basketball man..." then silence. Sakuragi was just happy being with her. He truly was in
love with this girl. Sakuragi hadn't allowed Haruko to walk him home. He walked her home instead saying that her house was
much nearer and that he wouldn't need her help getting home after all. Haruko had just offered token resistance and eventually
gave in to Sakuragi's request. She actually felt rather tired for some reason. She was still concerned for Sakuragi and told
him to send her a text message on her phone when he got home. Sakuragi almost fainted with the idea of Haruko being so concerned
with his welfare. They said their goodbyes and Sakuragi made his way home.
Haruko actually liked Sakuragi's company. He was someone who was always there for her. She could tell him anything and
everything. He was one of the most understanding, kind-hearted, and thoughful people she knew. He was right up there along with
her own brother and Kogure-sempai. She was thankful that she had him for a friend. Also, she knew that he liked her a lot.
She wasn't really that dense. She just didn't have the heart to put him off even if she did like Rukawa. Now that she had
accepted that nothing would come from her affection for Rukawa, she had entertained ideas of actually going out with Sakuragi.
He was nice enough, after all, and she always had a good time whenever she was with him. She was extremely proud of him for the
rapid progress he was making playing basketball for the Shohoku team. He had become a irreplaceable member of the team. She had
already pushed back all her dreams of ever becoming even close to Rukawa to the deepest recesses of her conscious mind. She would
from time to time slip, of course, but she no longer hoped for anything at all with him. She had accepted her fate and was willing
to move on now.
Hiding in the shadows, a tall figure was watching the two friends talking in front of the Akagi residence. None of the words
could have reached him but he saw them quite clearly. He saw Sakuragi leave and Haruko enter her house.
"Thank you for seeing her home safe... do'aho."
************************
* some feedback would be nice.
* i know my writing isn't that great but i've read so many fanfics in this site that i just had to put one myself
* please show me any inconsistencies and any suggestions to make this thing a little more interesting are welcome
* thanks to you all
************************