Disclaimers: I don't own Slam Dunk or the characters. They are all property of Takehiko Inoue. This fanfic is merely for your enjoyment.
Spoilers: There may be times when a certain character is OOC, but trust me, not too much.
CHAPTER TWO - Practice is Ruined (or A Challenge Issued)
"Alright, everyone! Chest passing! Get spunky!"
Huffing from the exertion, the players continued their practice, with Maléna calling out instructions from the sidelines. Sneakers thumped, shoe soles skidded across the floor, and boisterous yells filled the gymnasium, along with the tell-tale scent of sweat and rubber, creating a rather musty aroma inside.
Maléna didn't mind any of that. She felt right at home with the noise, the smell...the atmosphere. The athlete in her belonged on the hardcourt, having made it her sanctuary for almost four years of her life. She loved the sport, loved the way she could control the ball, loved the way the ball whished into the net when she nailed that sweet shot every time.
Part of her was a true-blue cager. This, she was sure of after trying almost every other sport before basketball. Just as her Grandfather loved playing and coaching the game, so did Maléna. In fact, she had studied every playbook she could get her hands on, watched every local, national, and international game just to learn about plays, and devised her own special ones in her head.
'This is one thing I do best,' she told herself, as she watched Team Shohoku from her position on one of the chairs.
Two players, however, were not around: Rukawa and Hanamichi. This was highly unusual, as they were always the first to arrive.
Akagi seethed, embarrassed that Maléna had to witness their display of behavior. As the team captain, he wanted the team to make a good impression on her, but the problem was not one, but TWO of the important players of the team were either late, or had forgotten about practice.
'When those two idiots show up, I'm going to bash their heads together,' he silently swore as he went through the routine practice with the rest.
Just then, both Rukawa and Hanamichi arrived. Maléna turned to both of them and calmly told them to do 200 push-ups as punishment. Hanamichi glared while Rukawa remained silent.
"You can't do that to me! I'm a genius."
'A self-proclaimed one,' Maléna thought as she nailed his gaze. "Oh? Can't I, Sakuragi?" she retorted icily. "BOTH of you are late, BOTH of you test my limits, BOTH of you deserve it. Or do you want me to double the number of push-ups?"
Rukawa immediately dropped down on all fours, much to the shock of his fan club who just arrived. Hanamichi was dumbfounded.
'Damn her!' he silently cursed, following Rukawa's example and accomplishing the 200 push-ups in record time. They both stood up.
"Done," they intoned sullenly.
Maléna nodded. "Good. You may join your teammates now." Ayako put away her Paper Fan of Doom, much to the relief of everyone.
Rukawa's fans were not very happy with the way their idol was being treated and they grumbled in the background sending hostile glares at the auburn-haired girl.
"Who the hell does this bitch think she is, bossing around OUR Rukawa-kun?!" cried a short-haired girl who was obviously the leader, as she stomped towards Maléna, wanting to confront her.
She changed her mind, however, once she neared the player-turned-coach. Up close, the said girl loomed over her, and she knew that her height of 5 feet wasn't anything close to Maléna's 6'2".
The latter turned around to stare down at the former, ignoring the comments she had heard minutes ago from their group. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she sweetly asked, amused at how the girl visibly quivered under her.
"Um...hehehe...n-no...nothing at all," the shorter girl replied, nervously backing away. Her companions scooted to a far-off corner of the gym and huddled together, casting nervous glances at Maléna and forgetting all about their hero.
Not bothering to suppress her giggles, Ayako patted her friend's arm. "You sure put them in their place, Maléna. Sakuragi-kun makes enough noise as it is. That's why height can be such an advantage."
The tall girl nodded, then frowned when she heard loud knocking. It grew more insistent, and when she pressed her ear to the door, she could hear the faint voice of a TV reporter saying, "We are here outside the Shohoku High gymnasium to confirm the rumors that American basketball superstar, Maléna Hernandez, has agreed to coach their basketball club. She was first spotted at the Tokyo International Airport and some sources last saw her boarding the train to Kanagawa..."
'And you thought nobody would recognize you, even with the Ray-Bans,' a voice scolded her.
Maléna made frantic gestures to signal Ayako. "Aya-chan, there are reporters outside the door, waiting for me to come out. I'm pretty sure they want to splash my face on tomorrow's front page, unless we do something."
"What do you want me to say?" Ayako asked, realization dawning on her.
"If they ask about me, tell them the truth about my agreement to coach you guys. Also, please tell them that I'm not available for interviews now. Promise them a press conference for later. That might help."
With that, Maléna ducked inside a supply cabinet, keeping her eyes both on the door and on the team. Ayako took a deep breath, opened the door and then walked out, quickly shutting it behind her.
A microphone was thrust at her, and other reporters withdrew their tape recorders. One reporter asked, "Where is Maléna Hernandez? We heard she's agreed to coach the basketball club, is it true?"
Ayako held up a hand, hoping she looked professional enough before replying, "Yes, Maléna Hernandez did agree to that. The rumors are true."
"But is she here?" another reporter asked.
Ayako shook her head. "Unfortunately, Miss Hernandez is unavailable for interviews as of now. However, as soon as she is well enough from jet lag, she told me that she will be holding a press conference to answer all your questions. Now, if you will excuse me, the team is still practicing inside and I'm needed in there."
Before they could bombard her with any more questions, Ayako turned and shut the door in their faces, making sure it was locked. Once inside, she breathed a sigh of relief. 'I forgot how popular our new coach is,' she thought wryly.
She called out to her friend, gently knocking on the supply cabinet. "You can come out now, dear...they're all gone."
"Are they really?" a muffled voice asked.
"Yes...Come out now, I'm getting worried you might asphyxiate in there."
The cabinet opened and Maléna stepped out, dusting herself off. She flashed a grateful smile to which Ayako waved off. "No need to thank me, girl. I did like slamming the door in their faces and all."
"Yeah, and you acted quite professional, talking like my agent and all...thanks just the same."
Just then, Hanamichi and Rukawa got into a fist-fight and not even Akagi could pull them out of it. A flurry of fists punctucated each curse that was heard - mostly from Hanamichi - as the two carried on with what was beginning to look like an out-of-their-minds brawl.
Ayako took out her Paper Fan of Doom (from goodness knows where she keeps it hidden) and stalked towards the two boys, veins popping out on her forehead. Maléna, however, was already a couple of strides ahead of her.
"Akagi, does this happen often?"
The team captain snorted. "At every practice. I can't get them to shape up and even after I told them that they shouldn't display this kind of behavior in front of you, they wouldn't listen."
"Well, I can't allow it to continue. I have a feeling that they can win you any game, provided they work together. Grandfather was right when he said they'd be assets to your team."
Mitsui shook his head. "With the way they're carrying on, I doubt that. Bunch of kids if you ask me."
Maléna gave a resigned sigh. If she let the fight continue, it would disrupt them all the more. She had to stop them NOW. "Alright, break it up, both of you!" she said, successfully pulling them apart.
"Mind your own business!" Hanamichi snarled. "You can't boss me around!"
Maléna's eyes flashed. "Watch your mouth, rookie," she warned, her voice low and menacing. Rukawa felt his blood run cold in his veins. She was definitely angry now, except the do'aho didn't seem to notice.
Hanamichi continued to glare at Maléna, who had turned around and had started to walk back to the sidelines. "Damn you! I shouldn't be taking shit from you! You have no right to coach us, bitch!"
She stilled, her hands balling into fists at her sides. The rookie had to be taught a lesson. Walking back to them, she stopped as soon as she was a foot away from Hanamichi.
Her gaze unflinching, she drew back her hand and slapped him. HARD. His head flung to one side and he stood stock-still, too stunned to move.
Rukawa could actually see the red imprint on Hanamichi's cheek that was growing redder than his hair. He had crossed the line.
"That's three curse words, Sakuragi," Maléna quietly stated, breaking the deafening silence that hung over everyone. The team couldn't believe how she could have done that. Hanamichi couldn't easily be subdued by anyone other than Akagi, so hot-tempered was he.
Bringing up a hand, Hanamichi tentatively rubbed his stinging cheek, turning shocked brown eyes to stormy grey-green ones. Ironically, he was thinking a whole lot clearer now. Maléna, however, was still furious.
"If there is one thing I abhor, Sakuragi, it's swearing. I will not hear it again from you, is that clear? If you dare to curse in my presence, I will be forced to remove you from the team until you can learn never to talk with an empty head."
Hanamichi slowly nodded, still rubbing his cheek. Maléna spun around on her heel, walking over to where her things were. "If it will make you feel better Sakuragi, don't attend practice. For now, I'm too disgusted to continue watching all of you. Dismissed."
With that, she unlocked the door and walked out, slamming it shut behind her. Akagi took Hanamichi's shoulders and shook him roughly, angry at the turn of events.
"YOU IDIOTS! What the hell got into both of you this time?! Fighting in front of a professional player and then insulting her?! Hanamichi, I never expected you to act like a spoiled brat!"
"And as for YOU," he barked, turning to glare at Rukawa. "You should know better! If you want to truly become a good basketball player, you will respect your coach and refrain from provoking people!"
"I'll go after her and apologize," Kogure offered. Mitsui volunteered as well.
"NO! These two are the root cause of everything. THEY'LL go after Maléna and apologize," said Akagi, shoving Hanamichi and Rukawa out the door.
~*~*~
"Do'aho...look at the mess you've gotten us into. I don't even think we'll have a coach anymore because of you."
Hanamichi remained silent as they walked out of the gym. He hated to admit it, but the Kitsune was right. He was not, however, about to grovel in front of Maléna.
The sun was beginning to set and already the school was almost deserted, with very few students left loitering around the campus.
Maléna was nowhere to be found.
Hanamichi and Rukawa looked in every classroom and asked the security guards if a red-haired girl had walked out of the gates. They had told the boys that they hadn't seen Maléna walk out and figured that she might still be inside the school.
As they walked down the corridors of the second floor, Hanamichi heard something coming from the Music Room. The door was left ajar, and when they opened it, they found Maléna playing the violin. She had her back to them and she was playing with such an intensity that she didn't hear them enter, until they both spoke up.
"We're sorry."
The violin stopped abruptly and her shoulders shook slightly. A feeling of dread washed over them. Surely Maléna wasn't crying? But she wasn't crying at all. Far from it. She was actually laughing as she turned to face them.
"You caught me," she giggled, gently setting the violin down on a nearby piano stool.
Both boys were confused. "Caught you?"
"It was Papa's idea that my brothers and I learn at least one musical instrument. 'A great stress-reliever', as he would always say," she explained.
Hanamichi stepped forward, cutting off anything else she could say. "I just want to tell you something...Frankly, I don't like the idea of you coaching us. In fact, I'd rather have the old man back."
"I see." She nodded.
"Gori says for me to treat you with respect, but the thing is, he had to EARN my respect. I listen to him because he defeated me when I challenged him to one-on-one. It's the same with the rest of the team."
"So, if you want my respect, you'll have to earn it like he did," Hanamichi continued, ignoring Rukawa's annoyed sighs in the background. "You'll have to defeat me in one-on-one."
"Fine. Is tomorrow afternoon okay with you?"
Hanamichi held up a hand. "I issued the challenge, I state the time." He paused for a more dramatic effect, then said, "It will be tomorrow afternoon."
"She just said the same thing a few sentences ago, do'aho," Rukawa admonished dryly, sweatdropping.
Maléna finally agreed. "Very well, Sakuragi. I'll see you tomorrow."
~*~*~
TBC
Spoilers: There may be times when a certain character is OOC, but trust me, not too much.
CHAPTER TWO - Practice is Ruined (or A Challenge Issued)
"Alright, everyone! Chest passing! Get spunky!"
Huffing from the exertion, the players continued their practice, with Maléna calling out instructions from the sidelines. Sneakers thumped, shoe soles skidded across the floor, and boisterous yells filled the gymnasium, along with the tell-tale scent of sweat and rubber, creating a rather musty aroma inside.
Maléna didn't mind any of that. She felt right at home with the noise, the smell...the atmosphere. The athlete in her belonged on the hardcourt, having made it her sanctuary for almost four years of her life. She loved the sport, loved the way she could control the ball, loved the way the ball whished into the net when she nailed that sweet shot every time.
Part of her was a true-blue cager. This, she was sure of after trying almost every other sport before basketball. Just as her Grandfather loved playing and coaching the game, so did Maléna. In fact, she had studied every playbook she could get her hands on, watched every local, national, and international game just to learn about plays, and devised her own special ones in her head.
'This is one thing I do best,' she told herself, as she watched Team Shohoku from her position on one of the chairs.
Two players, however, were not around: Rukawa and Hanamichi. This was highly unusual, as they were always the first to arrive.
Akagi seethed, embarrassed that Maléna had to witness their display of behavior. As the team captain, he wanted the team to make a good impression on her, but the problem was not one, but TWO of the important players of the team were either late, or had forgotten about practice.
'When those two idiots show up, I'm going to bash their heads together,' he silently swore as he went through the routine practice with the rest.
Just then, both Rukawa and Hanamichi arrived. Maléna turned to both of them and calmly told them to do 200 push-ups as punishment. Hanamichi glared while Rukawa remained silent.
"You can't do that to me! I'm a genius."
'A self-proclaimed one,' Maléna thought as she nailed his gaze. "Oh? Can't I, Sakuragi?" she retorted icily. "BOTH of you are late, BOTH of you test my limits, BOTH of you deserve it. Or do you want me to double the number of push-ups?"
Rukawa immediately dropped down on all fours, much to the shock of his fan club who just arrived. Hanamichi was dumbfounded.
'Damn her!' he silently cursed, following Rukawa's example and accomplishing the 200 push-ups in record time. They both stood up.
"Done," they intoned sullenly.
Maléna nodded. "Good. You may join your teammates now." Ayako put away her Paper Fan of Doom, much to the relief of everyone.
Rukawa's fans were not very happy with the way their idol was being treated and they grumbled in the background sending hostile glares at the auburn-haired girl.
"Who the hell does this bitch think she is, bossing around OUR Rukawa-kun?!" cried a short-haired girl who was obviously the leader, as she stomped towards Maléna, wanting to confront her.
She changed her mind, however, once she neared the player-turned-coach. Up close, the said girl loomed over her, and she knew that her height of 5 feet wasn't anything close to Maléna's 6'2".
The latter turned around to stare down at the former, ignoring the comments she had heard minutes ago from their group. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she sweetly asked, amused at how the girl visibly quivered under her.
"Um...hehehe...n-no...nothing at all," the shorter girl replied, nervously backing away. Her companions scooted to a far-off corner of the gym and huddled together, casting nervous glances at Maléna and forgetting all about their hero.
Not bothering to suppress her giggles, Ayako patted her friend's arm. "You sure put them in their place, Maléna. Sakuragi-kun makes enough noise as it is. That's why height can be such an advantage."
The tall girl nodded, then frowned when she heard loud knocking. It grew more insistent, and when she pressed her ear to the door, she could hear the faint voice of a TV reporter saying, "We are here outside the Shohoku High gymnasium to confirm the rumors that American basketball superstar, Maléna Hernandez, has agreed to coach their basketball club. She was first spotted at the Tokyo International Airport and some sources last saw her boarding the train to Kanagawa..."
'And you thought nobody would recognize you, even with the Ray-Bans,' a voice scolded her.
Maléna made frantic gestures to signal Ayako. "Aya-chan, there are reporters outside the door, waiting for me to come out. I'm pretty sure they want to splash my face on tomorrow's front page, unless we do something."
"What do you want me to say?" Ayako asked, realization dawning on her.
"If they ask about me, tell them the truth about my agreement to coach you guys. Also, please tell them that I'm not available for interviews now. Promise them a press conference for later. That might help."
With that, Maléna ducked inside a supply cabinet, keeping her eyes both on the door and on the team. Ayako took a deep breath, opened the door and then walked out, quickly shutting it behind her.
A microphone was thrust at her, and other reporters withdrew their tape recorders. One reporter asked, "Where is Maléna Hernandez? We heard she's agreed to coach the basketball club, is it true?"
Ayako held up a hand, hoping she looked professional enough before replying, "Yes, Maléna Hernandez did agree to that. The rumors are true."
"But is she here?" another reporter asked.
Ayako shook her head. "Unfortunately, Miss Hernandez is unavailable for interviews as of now. However, as soon as she is well enough from jet lag, she told me that she will be holding a press conference to answer all your questions. Now, if you will excuse me, the team is still practicing inside and I'm needed in there."
Before they could bombard her with any more questions, Ayako turned and shut the door in their faces, making sure it was locked. Once inside, she breathed a sigh of relief. 'I forgot how popular our new coach is,' she thought wryly.
She called out to her friend, gently knocking on the supply cabinet. "You can come out now, dear...they're all gone."
"Are they really?" a muffled voice asked.
"Yes...Come out now, I'm getting worried you might asphyxiate in there."
The cabinet opened and Maléna stepped out, dusting herself off. She flashed a grateful smile to which Ayako waved off. "No need to thank me, girl. I did like slamming the door in their faces and all."
"Yeah, and you acted quite professional, talking like my agent and all...thanks just the same."
Just then, Hanamichi and Rukawa got into a fist-fight and not even Akagi could pull them out of it. A flurry of fists punctucated each curse that was heard - mostly from Hanamichi - as the two carried on with what was beginning to look like an out-of-their-minds brawl.
Ayako took out her Paper Fan of Doom (from goodness knows where she keeps it hidden) and stalked towards the two boys, veins popping out on her forehead. Maléna, however, was already a couple of strides ahead of her.
"Akagi, does this happen often?"
The team captain snorted. "At every practice. I can't get them to shape up and even after I told them that they shouldn't display this kind of behavior in front of you, they wouldn't listen."
"Well, I can't allow it to continue. I have a feeling that they can win you any game, provided they work together. Grandfather was right when he said they'd be assets to your team."
Mitsui shook his head. "With the way they're carrying on, I doubt that. Bunch of kids if you ask me."
Maléna gave a resigned sigh. If she let the fight continue, it would disrupt them all the more. She had to stop them NOW. "Alright, break it up, both of you!" she said, successfully pulling them apart.
"Mind your own business!" Hanamichi snarled. "You can't boss me around!"
Maléna's eyes flashed. "Watch your mouth, rookie," she warned, her voice low and menacing. Rukawa felt his blood run cold in his veins. She was definitely angry now, except the do'aho didn't seem to notice.
Hanamichi continued to glare at Maléna, who had turned around and had started to walk back to the sidelines. "Damn you! I shouldn't be taking shit from you! You have no right to coach us, bitch!"
She stilled, her hands balling into fists at her sides. The rookie had to be taught a lesson. Walking back to them, she stopped as soon as she was a foot away from Hanamichi.
Her gaze unflinching, she drew back her hand and slapped him. HARD. His head flung to one side and he stood stock-still, too stunned to move.
Rukawa could actually see the red imprint on Hanamichi's cheek that was growing redder than his hair. He had crossed the line.
"That's three curse words, Sakuragi," Maléna quietly stated, breaking the deafening silence that hung over everyone. The team couldn't believe how she could have done that. Hanamichi couldn't easily be subdued by anyone other than Akagi, so hot-tempered was he.
Bringing up a hand, Hanamichi tentatively rubbed his stinging cheek, turning shocked brown eyes to stormy grey-green ones. Ironically, he was thinking a whole lot clearer now. Maléna, however, was still furious.
"If there is one thing I abhor, Sakuragi, it's swearing. I will not hear it again from you, is that clear? If you dare to curse in my presence, I will be forced to remove you from the team until you can learn never to talk with an empty head."
Hanamichi slowly nodded, still rubbing his cheek. Maléna spun around on her heel, walking over to where her things were. "If it will make you feel better Sakuragi, don't attend practice. For now, I'm too disgusted to continue watching all of you. Dismissed."
With that, she unlocked the door and walked out, slamming it shut behind her. Akagi took Hanamichi's shoulders and shook him roughly, angry at the turn of events.
"YOU IDIOTS! What the hell got into both of you this time?! Fighting in front of a professional player and then insulting her?! Hanamichi, I never expected you to act like a spoiled brat!"
"And as for YOU," he barked, turning to glare at Rukawa. "You should know better! If you want to truly become a good basketball player, you will respect your coach and refrain from provoking people!"
"I'll go after her and apologize," Kogure offered. Mitsui volunteered as well.
"NO! These two are the root cause of everything. THEY'LL go after Maléna and apologize," said Akagi, shoving Hanamichi and Rukawa out the door.
~*~*~
"Do'aho...look at the mess you've gotten us into. I don't even think we'll have a coach anymore because of you."
Hanamichi remained silent as they walked out of the gym. He hated to admit it, but the Kitsune was right. He was not, however, about to grovel in front of Maléna.
The sun was beginning to set and already the school was almost deserted, with very few students left loitering around the campus.
Maléna was nowhere to be found.
Hanamichi and Rukawa looked in every classroom and asked the security guards if a red-haired girl had walked out of the gates. They had told the boys that they hadn't seen Maléna walk out and figured that she might still be inside the school.
As they walked down the corridors of the second floor, Hanamichi heard something coming from the Music Room. The door was left ajar, and when they opened it, they found Maléna playing the violin. She had her back to them and she was playing with such an intensity that she didn't hear them enter, until they both spoke up.
"We're sorry."
The violin stopped abruptly and her shoulders shook slightly. A feeling of dread washed over them. Surely Maléna wasn't crying? But she wasn't crying at all. Far from it. She was actually laughing as she turned to face them.
"You caught me," she giggled, gently setting the violin down on a nearby piano stool.
Both boys were confused. "Caught you?"
"It was Papa's idea that my brothers and I learn at least one musical instrument. 'A great stress-reliever', as he would always say," she explained.
Hanamichi stepped forward, cutting off anything else she could say. "I just want to tell you something...Frankly, I don't like the idea of you coaching us. In fact, I'd rather have the old man back."
"I see." She nodded.
"Gori says for me to treat you with respect, but the thing is, he had to EARN my respect. I listen to him because he defeated me when I challenged him to one-on-one. It's the same with the rest of the team."
"So, if you want my respect, you'll have to earn it like he did," Hanamichi continued, ignoring Rukawa's annoyed sighs in the background. "You'll have to defeat me in one-on-one."
"Fine. Is tomorrow afternoon okay with you?"
Hanamichi held up a hand. "I issued the challenge, I state the time." He paused for a more dramatic effect, then said, "It will be tomorrow afternoon."
"She just said the same thing a few sentences ago, do'aho," Rukawa admonished dryly, sweatdropping.
Maléna finally agreed. "Very well, Sakuragi. I'll see you tomorrow."
~*~*~
TBC
