Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own SlamDunk…

Chapter 1

Meet Rukawa, Kaede Rukawa

"Shohoku! Shohoku! Ryonan! Ryonan!" the crowd was going wild! The ball was bouncing against the hard wood of the basketball court. The expensive shoes of the players are rubbing and squeaking against the floor.

'Sendoh… Watch out, I'm coming…' Rukawa inwardly swore.

'Rukawa, let's beat that airhead once and for all!' Rukawa's chibi , a small version of himself as another personality inside his mind, cheered him on. Rukawa was annoyed but instead chose to ignore it. This game was important for him. It was important for Shohoku.

"Offense! Offense!" the Shohoku benchwarmers egged them on.

"And the number one rookie, Kaede Rukawa, gets the ball! Looks like Shohoku is on fire!" the commentator shouted, hyping up the crowd.

Rukawa rushes forward bringing the ball with him. He flashes past the Ryonan players. 'Tch… Easy… Now, for Ryonan's ace…'.

Ryonan's Sendoh and Uozumi stood side by side, ready on the defense. Anticipating the incoming onslaught of the hurricane, Sendoh and Uozumi stood ready to face a worthy challenger.

'Hm… They think they can face a genius like me?' Rukawa sneered inwardly. He stopped the train of thoughts, 'I'm starting to think like the idiot Sakuragi! Concentrate Rukawa! Concentrate!'

Ryonan's Ace's and Captain's faces held frowns of concentration. 'Let's see how good you are, Rukawa', Sendoh's frown deepens.

Running faster now, Rukawa looks for an opening. None. There's no one to pass the ball to. Not that Rukawa likes passing the ball and assists, no. He works alone, he had always been alone, and he likes to stay alone.

'Tch… All that "alone's" will make you a widow…' chibi-Rukawa pointed out.

'Shut up…' Rukawa retorted.

Mitsui and Miyagi have their hands full, Captain Akagi is still lagging behind him from his recent rebound, and Sakuragi… well, hell would freeze over when Rukawa would pass the ball to the idiot. So, he's going to be working solo again, much better for him then.

"It's 81-80 in favor of Ryonan, ladies and gentlemen! Let's see number 11 pull this off!" the commentator said.

It fell on deaf ears as Rukawa finally faces Ryonan's most prized players. Jump… Now!

Rukawa aimed for a jump shot as both Ryonan players jumped to block him.

'Is that all, Rukawa? You're underestimating us….' Sendoh thought.

Just as two hands began crashing down on the ball, Rukawa held the ball backwards, barely missing the two blocks.

'Fade away!'

Then Rukawa simply pushed the ball towards the ring and…

"SCORE! IT'S 83-82 TO SHOHOKU!! UNBELIEVABLE!! IT'S THE BATTLE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN HISTORY!!" the commentator shouted frantically amidst the thundering noise of the crowd.

"Nice fade away, Rukawa!" Sendoh held out his hand to Rukawa. Rukawa watched him from the corner of his eyes, and then walked away.

'Lucky bastard," Sendoh just smiled and shook his head at Rukawa's retreating form.

'No use talking to losers, in your face Sendoh!' chibi-Rukawa cheered. 'You kicked their asses's men!'

'I know…' Rukawa inwardly smirked.

'Did you see their faces!? Faces man! Faces!' chibi-Rukawa crowed.

Rukawa could feel the ego boost in him now. The crowd was already going down to the court as he headed towards Shohoku's benches.

"YOU BASTARD!! I told you I'd face Sendoh by myself! You just want the limelight do you! You're actually no match for the true genius, Sakuragi!" Sakuragi practically screamed behind him.

"Do'aho…" that's right, cool and collected Rukawa.

"WHAT!!" Sakuragi fumed.

Suddenly, "RUKAWA-KUN!!"

'Oh no! Run for it, Rukawa!' chibi-Rukawa shouted frantically.

'Too late!-' the fan girls had already cornered him. 'Ahoy! Mates! Abandon mother ship!', and with that, chibi-Rukawa disappeared.

'Hey! Don't leave me now!', Rukawa frantically thought.

"Rukawa-kun! Can I have your autograph!"

"Please Rukawa-kun!"

"I love you Rukawa-kun!"

"No! I love him!"

"What do you mean you love him! I love him!"

'Annoying… They should get a life…' Rukawa thought.

Just then, chibi-Rukawa appeared again after signs of peace. 'Like you? Like I was saying before the game, have you ever thought about a girlfriend?' chibi-Rukawa raised his eyebrows suggestively.

'Shut up…' Rukawa felt the beginnings of anger swell inside him.

'You know Rukawa, you've been after her for God knows how long! Give up already! Find someone else!' chibi-Rukawa ploughed on.

'I love her and I will love no one else…' Rukawa stood his ground.

"Rukawa! Let's go! Victory Party! Sakuragi's treat!" Kogure beckoned at him while he was pulling up his sports bag.

"WHAT!! HEY EYEGLASS-BOY! I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT!" Sakuragi shouted again!

"And besides, why are you inviting Rukawa? You know he won't come anyway, he's too…. CHICKEN! CHICKEN! CHICKEN! NYAHAHAHA! Besides, he'll be off sulking alone in his mansion about his all-around miserable life. What with no women, no beer, just basketball and basketball, maybe if his head is orange--

"I'm coming…" Rukawa cut him off eerily.

"WHAT!!"

"I said I'm coming idiot…" Rukawa glared at him.

'How did that guy pass high school? Blackmail, perhaps?' chibi-Rukawa commented.

'Whatever…' Rukawa thought as he headed to the showers with his team. He remained oblivious to the excited voices of his teammates as they talked about that night's victory party.

Rukawa didn't fancy a victory party at all, but since he had no photo shoots and celebrity work scheduled that time, he might as well indulge himself. Besides, photo shoots always put his patience to the test. The clothes they made him wear were always itchy and uncomfortable, normal men didn't even wear them. The photographer always wanted this and that and one shot wasn't good enough. A whole day's work and only a few photos are going to be published. It was such a waste of film and time in Rukawa's opinion.

Shooting for commercials and advertisements took longer than most would think they would. The directors were so annoying he had to control himself from throttling them.

Alright then, to the victory party it is.

Meet Haruko, Haruko Akagi

"Paging Doctor Haruko Akagi, paging Doctor Haruko Akagi… You are badly needed at the Operating Room. Again, Doctor Haruko Akagi, you are badly needed at the Operating Room…" a cool female voice echoed through the hospital walls.

"Haruko-chan! Wake up! Operating room! Now!" Fujii woke her exhausted friend. Poor Haruko had been working at the hospital for 24 hours already. Really, the injuries people get these days; they have the hospital running 24/7.

Haruko immediately stood up and headed for the door, straightening the creases on her laboratory coat. She hurriedly dashed along the clean, white halls of the hospital, making her way towards the Operating Room.

'Oh dear, what do we have now? I hope it's nothing serious.' Haruko thought to herself.

'Well, anything that happens to the patient is probably all his or her fault. They're so clumsy…' chibi-Haruko, another small Haruko with a personality far from it's host, haughtily commented.

Haruko gasped, 'Don't say that! I'm sure it was all an accident!'

"Haruko-san, the patient has a broken arm… Crowds in front of the Basketball stadium." The intern shook his head disapprovingly.

Haruko felt sorry for the teenage boy. He had obviously tried to get front seats at the stadium. She sighed and started to work, this is all because of the basketball season. Just like the football season and the baseball season, these sports always seem to send more and more people to the hospital these past few months. Maybe they should replace shark accidents to seat accidents… rephrase… seat predation accidents… in the stadium, I mean.

"He is quickly loosing blood; we need to work on this immediately." Haruko hurriedly said. He was a dreadful sight, there was blood everywhere.

"He needs blood quickly! We need to work on the bones…" Haruko started handing out instructions.

Haruko was now starting to panic. Because of too much blood loss, the condition of the boy was far from stable. They needed to mend the boy's bones fast or they'll risk losing him over a stupid game of basketball.

'Haruko, you can do this…'

Haruko was now starting to sweat profusely while trying to clean the gash on the boy's arm. There were bits of his once sturdy bones everywhere. She has to pick out the splinters with the tongs before she could start mending the damage.

Haruko finally managed to clean it all up and started putting in the bone replacement. Whew, the wonders of modern technology.

"Beep… Beep…"

'Oh no!' Haruko panicked!

'Calm down, Haruko! Calm down… Everyone's counting on you… Don't let them see a hopeless, disgruntled Haruko or they will think of the worst…' chibi-Haruko soothed her.

She took a deep breath and started giving them instructions again. Haruko could visibly see the growing tension and apprehension now. She could see hopelessness looking at her from their eyes. Their heads bowed down as if there was no way out of this miserable predicament.

Well, Haruko was not about to give up that easily. She would show all of them what it truly meant to be a life-saver. She wanted to save the boy from an early death. He had so much more to see. He probably has someone waiting for him to get through this alive. She wouldn't give up so easily. She wanted to face death again and pull someone out of his grasp and taunt him in the face. She wanted to save a life again.

And this boy is one of the lives she is hell bent on saving.

"Beep… Beep…" Heads turned towards the monitor. The boy was in a stable condition. With renewed vigor, they stole a glance at Haruko and smiled beneath their clinical masks. 'What a woman…' they all agreed inwardly. If she was determined, then everything would surely pull through. They finally resolved to work harder this time, helping Haruko save the boy's life, all of them admiring Haruko for her persevering attitude and her dedication in serving people.

'At last…' Haruko felt relieved.

'I thought you wouldn't make it…' chibi-Haruko commented.

'Do you doubt my abilities? Huh?' Haruko teased, she felt better now that the boy was finally stitched up and bandaged.

'Humph… Show-off…' chibi-Haruko grumpily chided her.

At the adjoining room inside the Operating Room, the washroom, interns and nurses alike congratulated Haruko for her hard work and amazing effort in saving the boy. Haruko was happy with their comments. After a few minutes of washing her hands, she headed out and started walking towards the private quarters. She needed to tell Matsui and Fujii about her recent adventures.

"You'll never guess what I did today!" Haruko enthusiastically shouted at the Nurse's Lounge.

"Let me guess. You saved another life today?" Matsui said in a bored tone.

"How did you know? Well, word sure travels fast in this hospital. But I'm pretty sure I was the first one to get out of the Operating Room and tell somebody about the operation." Haruko mused.

"It's not that Haruko, it's because everytime you go through those doors shouting, "You'll never guess what I did today!", it always means you saved another life. It's become quite a routine." Fujii joined their conversation by saying so.

"Oh… Am I really that predictable?" Haruko asked as she heade towards an empty chair.

"Hmmm… Yes you are. By the way, you have a nice spacious office in this exclusive hospital, why do you hang out at the Nurse's Lounge?" Fujii asked.

"It's so lonely up there!" Haruko complained.

"And speaking of loneliness, Matsui and I were just talking about our recent boyfriends…

"No… Fujii…-", Haruko sighed dejectedly.

"-and it came to our notice that it would be unfair if the two of us had love lives and a certain good looking friend had none. So, how about a blind date? I know lots of good looking; handsome guys out there who would love to see some of those long legs and perfect body, Haruko!" Fujii said excitedly.

"Absolutely not, Fujii!" Haruko promptly declined.

"Why not? It's been ages since you went out with someone you know! For all we know, you might be a lesbian!" Matsui argued.

"I AM NOT!" Haruko said indignantly.

"Then you should prove it." Fujii pressed on. Pushing Haruko's buttons were one of their favorite past times.

'Accept the challenge Haruko! An Akagi doesn't back down from a dare!' chibi-Haruko urged her.

'W…Well… You do know what happened to that last blind date right?' Haruko argued weakly.

'That was three years ago! But they're not really inviting you to a blind date, suggest clubbing. That way, you'll have them as your bodyguards.' Chibi-Haruko advised wisely.

"Alright then, we're going clubbing."

Going Clubbing

'This is such a waste of time…' Rukawa thought.

'How could you have fallen for the idiot's trap? Huh? Now we're sharing the same fate!' chibi-Rukawa whined. Rukawa had had to put up with his whining for more than half an hour now.

The "Spinner", the hottest club in all of Japan, gave not the slightest interest to the handsome super-rookie. In all its glory, it showed off its lights and great ambience, but the stoic genius showed not the slightest interest in the place. Instead, he felt it was partly his fault for entering in the first place. At this hour, he would have already been sleeping soundly in his comfy feather bed with happy thoughts of playing basketball the following morning. But no, he had to stoop so low as to be affected by the taunts of a certain red-headed idiot.

The club wasn't really the reason Rukawa is so peeved at the moment. There were actually only three main reasons:

1. His supposed to be amazing, professional teammates, were acting a lot like Sakuragi. 'Do'aho'.

Really, agreeing to go to the victory party was enough, but to be with 'just won' men with a recent ego boost was certainly a bad idea. He had had to put up with the rowdy crowd while they were heading to the club. With the scenes Mitsui, Miyagi, Sakuragi, and Akagi were making, it was hard not to be embarrassed, humiliated, and mortified, even for the seemingly unaffected 'unfeeling bastard' that he was.

Who wouldn't duck down in shame when a particularly ecstatic Hanamichi Sakuragi was shouting at random people about how much of a genius he was and constantly throwing in snide remarks about Rukawa and how inferior Rukawa was to him, the genius Sakuragi. It must already have been a world record of how many times Rukawa had to say the word 'idiot' over and over again. And each time Sakuragi would just get more irked and tries his very best to annoy Rukawa again. Not to mention the record of Akagi punching him on the head in just one day.

Honestly, the Captain was getting on his nerves too. They already stood out because of their height. The Captain needn't announce their presence furthermore by punching someone on the head every now and then.

And there was Mitsui and Miyagi. The two weren't really on Rukawa's hit list (which consisted only of Sakuragi's name, then maybe followed by banana cake) but the way they got easily provoked by Sakuragi's taunts was clawing for a headache. Mitsui got easily pumped up with the slightest mention of Coach Anzai's name (old man) and Miyagi was easily taunted with the mention of one of his girlfriends.

Miyagi had the most number of girlfriends in the gang. Sakuragi had none (well, no surprise there), Mitsui had… none (he was a well reputed gangster, tch… and he took care of his reputation very well), Akagi had… none (two words… scary gori), and Rukawa, well, he was the one who could easily catch all the fish in the ocean, but he went vegetarian (literally speaking, he chose none). Rukawa already had his eyes for a certain girl, too bad her eyes weren't on him too.

Back to the problems, Kogure has secretly told him that the headache would only double up once they were all drunk. Joy…

2. Fan girls were everywhere (even up on the ceiling).

Need he explain more? Not only that, but the club gave them the opportunity to show some skin to their beloved rookie. Not that they weren't showing skin outside already, but the club gave them reason to show 'more' skin. That is simply disturbing, the word that kept going around and around Rukawa's mind.

He had spent the first three hours inside the club fighting off fan girls who stuck like superglue to him. He had finally seated himself at the far end of their table and took up his usual 'get away from me' position. A glare, crossed arms, and crossed legs completed his look before he finally took notice of the club. He was a distance away from the neon dance floor ('good') and his 'slowly getting drunk' teammates.

The club wasn't that bad, the place had a great color theme and there were speakers everywhere, a raised podium for the DJ, a bar that covered up most of the right part of the wall, VIP sets of tables and compartments, a wide dance floor, really big disco balls, the great ambience, the dark lights, and was well ventilated.

3. The Media

Needless to say, there were reporters already lurking about the place, ready with their deadly cameras and infamous pens. They were probably waiting for an opening in the famous and well reputed Shohoku team, lurking about in case of a scandal or a breach to that clean slate. Rukawa felt that uncomfortable feeling of always being watched. It was creepy actually, people waiting to attack you. They were particularly many tonight since they had just won against Ryonan. If it was the other way around, it would probably be Ryonan who would have the media breathing down their necks tonight.

There were actually stories circulating around the Japan Basketball Association that most of the teams' downfall had been because they were hunted and wolfed down by the media.

'This is so tiresome, and were not even doing anything!' chibi-Rukawa sighed and huffed.

'You know I can't sleep here. What if those fan girls get to close to me and take advantage of me?' Rukawa thought horridly.

He needs to stop thinking about those possibilities. Possibilities? No, absolutely not. Little did he know, he himself would be giving the media their field day.

'I told you this was a bad idea!' Haruko whined to her chibi.

'It is not! You're just whiny because you're wearing such a sexy dress and you feel as if you're not doing it justice. Well dear, I have never seen anyone wear that black concoction as good as you do. You're just not doing it justice by not boasting your stuff at the dance floor!' chibi-Haruko urged.

"What do you mean HOT! That's it! I'm going home!" Haruko stomped.

Matsui and Fujii had immediately left her alone the moment they had entered the Spinner, the hottest club around. It was for the better for Haruko since the two wouldn't notice that she had disappeared. She had hurriedly stepped out of the crowd and headed for space where there weren't many boys and she could blend in with the wall. Blending in with the wall wasn't easy if you were the most beautiful girl in the entire room. Almost half of the male population (and still counting) had already asked her for a dance but she would immediately decline using really good excuses about the weather.

After almost an hour of just looking around her surroundings and blending in with the wall, Haruko heard a really rowdy crowd entering the club. They were all wearing basketball sweaters over assorted shirts and simple jeans, casual for a boys' night out.

'Ooohh… They're humungous! Especially those four in front! And the biggest of them all looks like a gorilla!' chibi-Haruko said.

'Oh no! They're coming this way! What am I going to do!?' Haruko panicked.

'Relax… You're too hot for them…' chibi-Haruko snickered.

'This is no laughing matter!' Haruko reprimanded her chibi.

'Who was laughing? Blend in with the wall; you're pretty good with it now anyway.' Chibi-Haruko sarcastically commented.

And that's what Haruko did, blend in with the wall. Thankfully, the large men didn't notice her; apparently they were too immersed with talking about a certain game. Haruko didn't know them but she was sure it was basketball. She visibly frowned, basketball was the reason she missed precious sleeping hours for injuries associated with the darn game. They were too loud for her liking, well, sure it was a club and all, but they didn't need to be that loud. Especially that red head, he was the loudest of them all. There was also a short one who was obviously in league with the red head loud-mouth, but he was obviously no match for the latter. There was the gorilla-guy, he seems to be the leader, and with that size he sure made a good leader. He was occasionally bonking the redhead on the… er… head. There was also another who was enjoying the commotion and gulping in large amounts of liquor like he was already used to it. Haruko cringed at the amount he was taking in, any moment now a normal person would already turn out like a light. The others were the normal people in the group, just cheering and enjoying the scene caused by their companions.

Haruko had already checked all of them out until she noticed someone from the rowdy group not a meter too far from her. He, like her, was trying to blend in with the wall. He, like her, was trying to shut out the rest of the world and the rest of the noisy club. And he, like her, was failing miserably for being the most handsome guy in the vicinity. He was certainly the most handsome one in their group, followed by the expert drunkard (who was still drinking, mind you). With a fair complexion; dark, mysterious, brooding eyes; strong, long, nose; kissable lips set on a grim line; and a sleek, black crowning glory. He is certainly the Adonis of every woman in the world. He sported a body every man would kill for and a cool and calm posture of someone who was as unaffected as a person in a comatose state. He was exuding a cool and confident aura, something that says 'I'm too cool for you so don't come near me'.

He was exactly Haruko's type! She had immediately fallen for a complete stranger. She had never met someone like him for the past three years of her love life (with Kenji Fujima as an exception). She feels as if she already knows the guy. He was almost perfect, 'almost' because his perfect forehead was set in a deep frown.

'What's making him frown so?' Haruko asked herself.

And that's when she noticed the numerous girls within the four corners of the club were eyeing the handsome guy too. 'Uh! How could I have thought I was the only one who thought he was handsome? Of course other girls have eyes too. And sharp ones too, the way their stares and flirting glances drilled holes at the mysterious guy.'

And not only were there girls, reporters and the like were too! Is he some kind of celebrity or something? Haruko wouldn't be surprised if he was and she didn't know about it, what with the inhuman schedule she has at the hospital, she knows almost nothing about tinsel town.

After a few minutes (or maybe hours) of staring at Mr. Mysterious, Haruko noticed a change of the atmosphere. She looked around and saw, to her utter dismay that the girls weren't looking at Mr. Mysterious so much now. Shivers went down her spine when she saw that the girls were glaring daggers at her. Apparently, being a meter away from Mr. Mysterious was considered a mortal sin. And not only girls, there were media men too; Haruko shrank under their scrutinizing gazes.

After a few moments, Rukawa finally noticed someone was sitting beside him, and that someone was a girl. He was surprised to not notice her before because she was certainly and undeniably eye-candy.

'Wait… What! Did you just say EYE-CANDY! So you're not homo!' chibi-Rukawa cheered.

'I was merely acknowledging her presence and her attractive appearance.' Rukawa retorted.

'Awww men… You're no fun!' chibi-Rukawa complained.

From the corner of his eye, Rukawa saw the girl was the most beautiful one he has seen in this club so far. She had a fair, pale complexion; expressive, chocolate brown eyes; a cute nose; full pinkish lips which he was sure were always smiling; and silky brown locks for the hair. And like any normal man, he saw that she was also the sexiest one in the club too. She was wearing a short black sleeveless dress that showed off her creamy white skin and those eye catching curves. She carried her dress in a gentle, feminine and innocent way that contrasted with the revealing girls that dominated the club. She was obviously different.

He noticed that, like him, she was trying to avoid attention. He smirked; he noticed that with her beauty and body, she was failing miserably at her attempts to stay unnoticed.

Ever so slightly, he noticed that Ms. Mysterious was shrinking a little in her seat, so not feminine-like. He turned to look for the cause of her unease and found that girls were glaring at her. They were probably jealous because she was sitting next to him. He was a little disturbed when he also saw the media men and some boys looking at him, he knew they were expecting him to make a move. Any normal man would never let a beautiful and sexy woman slip by. Well, unfortunately, Rukawa wasn't a normal man, to the media's utter dismay. He stood up and walked away, heading towards the bar where Sakuragi and the others were. He didn't like what the media might say about sitting beside a beautiful girl in a club, and he didn't like the way he was affected by Ms. Mysterious' stare.

Haruko sighed as Mr. Mysterious got up and walked away. There was nothing that entertained her and she was getting bored with sitting around. So she got up and went to look for Fujii and Matsui to tell them that she was going home and that nothing could force her to stay. After hearing their whines and complains for nearly an hour, she finally managed to force them to let her go. She started to turn around for the exit which was on the other side of the room and began walking towards it. As she passed by the bar, she noticed she was going to walk by the rowdy basketball people and… wait… Rukawa! Just like what every normal girl would do, walk slowly and take your time passing them.

Suddenly, howls of laughter erupted from the part of the bar where the team was. She got curious and decided to not meddle in as she continued walking towards the exit.

And just as she was passing by Rukawa-

"Rukawa-chan! Join us!" an obviously drunk Sakuragi called out to him.

'Oh… the reporters are going to have a field day with this one… The headline: "Sworn Enemies Gone Homo"' chibi-Rukawa remarked sarcastically.

'Joy…' Rukawa retorted sarcastically too.

"Come on Rukawa-chan! Stop being a grouchy old maid and enjoy your youthfulness while it lasts!' Miyagi slurred dazedly.

'Miyagi? Rukawa-CHAN! What the heck!' chibi-Rukawa screamed.

"Miyagi's right -hic- smell the enticing aroma of this beer and you'll fall in -hic- love…" Mitsui dreamily said.

'The beer has taken a toll on Mitchi…' Rukawa commented.

"Speaking of -hic- l'amour, I, the GENIUS Sakuragi, has fallen in love with a beautiful maiden -hic-" Sakuragi announced.

"And who might your lady love be my knight in shining armor?" Miyagi said.

"Sakuragi-master, let your wisdom enlighten my sullen and morose world!" Mitsui called out.

'This is why you should never drink alcohol. The damage it has done to the team… Where's Captain?' Rukawa thought.

"Wait no longer! For the maiden that has captured my waterproof heart is none other than….. tadada-hic-tada… GORI!" Sakuragi proudly announced.

"IDIOT! Stop it! You're drunk and we should get home." Captain Akagi stated, although Rukawa noticed he didn't have his infamous Gorilla Punch. He must be drunk too, only he's hiding it better than the others.

"So this is love… hmmm… so this is luuurve--hic!" Miyagi sang.

Not to be outdone, Mitsui held a beer and made it into a make-shift microphone, "Why -hic- don't yoou say dat yoou love me…"

Suddenly, Sakuragi noticed something totally out-of-the-blue, "Rukawa-chan, why aren't you expressing your undying -hic- love for me Rukawa-chan! And why don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Iknow! I know! He's GAY! Isn't it?"

"Teacher! Teacher! Why is he alone? No woman, no wife, no anything, maybe even a female grandmother would do…"

"Everyone! Take a bet!"

"A bet, Teacher?"

"Yes, Michi-chan. We should all practice healthy gambling once in awhile. It's good for our health."

"Let's start with 5,000 yen if Rukawa is ends up to be a 40 year old virgin."

"That's too low, Miyagi. 10,000 yen if Rukawa ends up alone until 60 years old, that's a sure one."

"30,000 yen and Rukawa is a GAY!... Okay! I win!"

That sure struck a nerve to the already fuming Rukawa.

"Captain! What about you! You'll be an instant millionaire with these bets…"

"IDIOT! I don't participate in such foolishness."

Rukawa breathed a little sigh of relief to know that at least the Captain wasn't that idiotic. He saw the girl sitting beside him earlier about to pass by.

Captain Akagi faced his team seriously and said, " 50,000 yen and Rukawa is going to die alone…"

The bar exploded with howls of laughter. Sakuragi, Miyagi, and Mitsui were laughing so hard they were practically rolling on the floor. Rukawa wouldn't take any of this anymore.

"THAT'S IT!"

Blinded by fury, he quickly thought of a way to show them all how wrong they were and that he could easily snag any woman he wanted.

From the corner of his eyes he could make out the form of a woman passing by him. And without any second thoughts stopping him, he quickly turned around, grabbed the arms of the girl and…

HE KISSED HER.