Date last modified: 23/05/2009 (of this word document when I opened it on 07/06/2010, 7 June 2010)

Lol...

I recently reread Slam Dunk which gave me enough inspiration for this chapter. Thank Kaiser Washington for this chapter too since he asked me to upload it...

I watched the anime too. Well I got further than last time. But the voices are all wrong for me... the basketball teams of all the high schools are sort of like the show choir group Vocal Adrenaline from Glee. They don't sound like high schoolers... well, they sound even less like high schoolers than they look, and they look even less like high schoolers than they did in the manga lol.

As for updates about me, if you cared, well I graduated from high school and all that XD


Part VII. The White-Haired Demon

The three days pass quicker than he cares to admit. Kiyota isn't really sure just what he does in that three-day lull, but when he returns to Shohoku, his posture may be brazen, but he's still as unsure as before.

The moment he takes his first step into the halls of Shohoku High, though, he knows that things are different. His classmates, who once looked up to him, were afraid of him, or both, have done an abrupt about-face. He is finally recognised for who he is and whenever he enters a classroom, no, whenever he enters a room in general, he catches the tail-end of a conversation, and it's always about him. Many first-years look up at him in awe and he swears he's got even more girls looking at him now. This would all have been fine and dandy, but now that people have realised that he's had to repeat the year, the sniggers have increased as well. And behind every question there's always one question lurking: If he was the Super Rookie of Kainan last year, why isn't he playing basketball here? It's always about the ball. Kiyota's frankly getting tired of it.

"Hey... Kiyota-kun?"

"What?" he says irritably. Just because it was refreshing for someone to have the balls to ask him something to his face didn't mean it was welcomed. Especially not now.

Ayako holds her hands up in alarm and Kiyota belatedly realises who she is. The manager of Shohoku's basketball team, the older one with more experience anyway. His morals are screaming at him to apologise, but his pride counters with such a devastating attack to his feeling of self-worth that, in the end, he just says, simply, with hands up, "What?"

Ayako, to her credit, is unfazed.

"I hear you have an exam in a month," she says easily.

"Yes..." he concedes reluctantly. He can see where this conversation is going. "So?" She's probably going to strike a deal, to exchange help in school for rejoining the basketball team. Well no thank you very much to that. Kiyota isn't so stupid that he can't study on his own...

"Chill out," Ayako advises him. Years of playing manager for teenage boys have given her a deep understanding of their behaviour, and she can practically see the barriers rising up around Kiyota's mind as he connects the dots. "I'm not here to make you join the basketball club. Though you're such a good player, I don't know why you wouldn't... but!" she adds hastily just as she sees that spark in his eyes. "I just wanted to offer you my services in tutoring, that's all. If you need any more persuading here are my grades." She takes out an unblemished folder from her schoolbag, her recent test grades and homework assignments neatly tucked in, and offers it to him.

Kiyota takes it and flips through slowly. Damn... he may have thought earlier that he wasn't stupid, but Ayako... Ayako was smart. Smart enough that Kiyota knew that she'd be able to get him to bend to anything she wanted (the fact that he really needed her help was noted, but conveniently ignored). Might as well say yes while the stakes were low.

"Fine," he says brusquely. "Whatever. But I can't join the basketball club now. I need to study for this exam."

It's a lame excuse, and he knows it, and Ayako's twinkling eyes as she nods and schedules their lessons (twice a week, starting this week, her place) tells him that she does too. It actually makes him feel a little bit guilty as he watches her retreating back.


It's been a month since the new school year has started, and two days since he's accepted Ayako's offer. Basketball practice is going on right now, but Kiyota isn't there. He can't go to practice; Ayako's first lesson is tomorrow, and he needs to study for the exam. Actually, who is he kidding. Kiyota is lounging on the rooftop, staring into the distance, at the first vestiges of orange appearing on the horizon. He was trying to read his Japanese History textbook a few hours ago, but none of the information was going in so he decided to take a nap instead. The textbook is currently flat on his bag under his head and his thoughts are a few months into the past.

A creak as the door opens and slow, plodding footsteps brings Kiyota back to earth, from his millionth re-enactment of Kainan winning the Winter Inter-High back to something much less pleasant. He turns, brain already formulating a response to any of the possible people it could be – a snappy insult for his fellow students, conciliatory remarks for his teachers and grudging acknowledgement for Mr. Janitor. But the portly man who emerges is the person Kiyota had expected least. Well, more like not expected at all – he had thought it physically impossible for this person to be able to move his bulk up the multiple flights of stairs to the roof. And now Kiyota can't turn around and pretend not to have seen him now since it's clear that he already has, and to be rude to this man's face is something Kiyota just can't do.

While Kiyota is wrestling with what to do, Anzai decides to take the initiative. "Hello, Kiyota-kun," he greets him pleasantly, his small eyes crinkling up and his growing smile marking ridges into his tubby cheeks. Kiyota responds with a sullen muttered greeting and turns back towards the sunset, ears turning a slight shade of pink. Despite Anzai being entirely responsible for the fact that he still has a school to go to, Kiyota just doesn't want to talk to him. A conversation with him would be awkward. What would he say? Oh, thanks for inviting me to this school, Anzai-sensei. To thank you I've made a bunch of new friends and have especially tried not to get into fights. I've also avoided probably the sole reason you brought me here in the first place. Truly can't thank you enough.

In Kiyota's reverie, he somehow fails to notice Anzai settling himself comfortably next to him. Actually, he had no idea how he missed that and it is quite a shock when he turns his head to find his large benefactor sitting right there. If he'd been the old Kainan Kiyota he'd have started hopping and yelling right about now.

Anzai speaks. "It's a nice sunset, isn't it?" he says conversationally.

"Yeah," Kiyota replies. It isn't a lie; the orange-turning-red is especially vivid today and there are no clouds to obscure the view.

"Sometimes, I wonder... if I made a mistake," Anzai continues as if that conversational development actually made sense. His eyes are fixed on the sunset, yet his words are fixated pointedly at Kiyota. Well, this wasn't exactly unexpected.

"Mhm," Kiyota replies noncommittally. Any more would only lead him further into the trap he sees Anzai weaving for him before his very eyes.

"I apologise, Kiyota-kun," Anzai sighs. "I was just thinking about a choice I had made. I once had a student like you, you know."

"Oh?" Kiyota manages just the right amount of interest for his answer not to sound sarcastic and over-enthusiastic. He's still wary about where the conversation is going.

"Yes," Anzai muses, eyes firmly facing forward. "I personally recruited him. I had high hopes for him, just like I have for you. He was incredibly skilled at basketball. It was his future, you know."

"Ah..." The parallels between this person (unless Anzai was pulling a variant of the 'my friend' trick) and Kiyota are clearly meant to be noticed. Because of this, Kiyota ignores them resolutely.

"But somewhere along the road, he went astray," Anzai continues. "I tried to help him... I approached him once to try to put him back on the right path. But he rejected my offer even though I know that it was the opposite of what he desperately wanted. I wonder why he did that?"

"Hmm." Kiyota actually has a pretty good idea, but he also knows that to 'enlighten' Anzai would just to be fall into his trap.

"What do you want, Kiyota-kun?" Anzai turns to him, glasses glinting momentarily in the sunlight before he shifts and his jolly eyes become visible again.

"I dunno..." Kiyota says, making this the fifth non-reply he's given Anzai. He feels pretty bad now: though he has a pretty good idea of Anzai's motives, Anzai is still his senior and one to whom he owes a great debt at that. "I guess I want to pass my exam and get promoted to the second year. The principal's giving me a chance to promote," he amends and explains his answer to be more considerate, so that the conversation won't be so ridiculously one-sided.

"Mmmm. My student was focused on other goals too. Of course, they weren't nearly as important as your upcoming exam. Instead, he fell into the wrong crowd... he fell deeper and deeper." He pauses, as if waiting for a reaction from Kiyota, but there is none. So he continues. "That was when I resolved I wouldn't make the same mistake again. If I ever fell into the same situation, I would do anything to prevent it from happening." The last statement has an edge to it that makes Kiyota look back at him, just in time to see twin glints reflecting off the edge of his glasses frames. Anzai's hair even starts to fly upwards for good measure. Of course, in a matter of seconds, Kiyota's staring at the same old placid Buddha again.

Shit. Now Kiyota knows why they once called Anzai-sensei the 'White-Haired Demon'. His resolve begins to weaken. What is it with him and submitting to bespectacled people?

"Would you agree with me, Kiyota-kun?" Anzai's expression may be superficially pleasant, but now Kiyota can see the true evil that lurks beyond. His smiling eyes, creased by many wrinkles of fat, may seem jolly and genial to most, but to Kiyota they are cunning and devious (and also carry a risk of heart attack).

"...yes," he finally says, cursing at himself as he speaks. Why, why, why, why, why? Even if he did agree to this condition before, when Anzai came to his old house... it didn't mean that he liked it. "I guess." Kiyota Nobunaga, you spineless brat.


Looking up panel of scary Anzai-sensei for reference - Trying to find the correct volume of the Sannoh game (it was a lot earlier than I expected... 6 minutes in 3 volumes ftw) - Inevitably getting caught in the beauty and passion of the match - Continuing forwards grinning like a madman instead of going backwards to find that panel - OMG Mitsui (especially chapter 271! AAHHH!), OMG Rukawa, OMG Sakuragi, WTF Uozumi, etc. - Forgetting all about scary Anzai-sensei...

PS. Personal observation: the Sannoh match is 55% ball, 35% shocked expressions and 10% cheering. WHICH IS WHY IT'S SO AWESOME!

I still don't like my writing... but I could care less! I actually like it a lot more now in August than I did in June. Diminishing standards?