Disclaimer: As usual, the characters in Slam Dunk do not belong to me and belong to their respective owner(s). Aside from the characters I create, I do not mean to infringe on any current copyrights on the series and this fan fiction is merely a means of promoting Slam Dunk and to serve as a creative outlet for my writing. Thank you.
Authors Note: I'd just like to thank all the readers and writers on Also, thanks to Inoue Takehiko for creating the wonderful series and I hope he knows we are all still expecting that sequel someday.
Reviews:
Firstly, I want to thank all you guys for reviewing. I'd have to say I think the last chapter was like… a record for me in terms of reviews, and really, it was a pleasure to get so many. I thank you all for taking the time to read the story.
Secondly, chapters are going to be taking longer to write because school is starting to give me a major beat down. I apologize for that.
Yun Fei- Yeah, Kiyota is still arrogant and that's just the way he is; like Sakuragi, the two guys have that superiority complex somewhere in their brain that can't be rid of. ;)
Thanks for reviewing.
Kenjiro Akisama- Hey, nice to hear from you again.
There is indeed going to be a pretty long break from basketball, considering that the players have a month off before the Inter-Highs. I thought Inoue didn't elaborate enough on what they did during their month off (maybe not much), so I felt I might as well take the opportunity to use that time and develop the characters more.
The triangle between Sakuragi, Rukawa, and Haruko is likely to be resolved; I can guarantee it… sort of. ;) I have an idea of what I plan to do, so we'll just have to see how it goes.
Sugar-induced chapters? Eh… I'm not sure I can write stuff like that well, but I might give it a shot. But don't lower your sugar intake, because you aren't going to get much from the story. ;)
Yeah, I always feel like smacking Haruko because it's so obvious how much Sakuragi likes her. Still, that's just the way she is, and her naivety is part of her character. The Ryota-Ayako thing should be finished up with by the end of my story (I hope), because the two are graduating and I feel that their relationship needs to be resolved.
Thanks for giving me another great review, and thanks for reading.
Adjustment- Neh… I dropped off lately, so that compensates for my speedy writing from before. ;) Thanks for reviewing.
Demi-Devil-Writer- Rest assured, I will deal with the Ryota-Ayako relationship when the time is right. Thanks for the review.
Migo- Yeah, I figured since the Toyotama starting lineup was almost all seniors, and they have so much trouble when it comes to coaches, that there will be too little chemistry for the team to be all that great this year. Daiei is portrayed as being good simply because Inoue didn't reveal much about them, so I just made an assumption that they were still going strong considering they beat the stuffing out of Toyotama the year before.
Oh well, don't worry about the cookie art. O.o Thanks for the review.
Mitra1- Argh, my bad about the cell phone thing. Thanks for pointing it out. I'm not sure I'll change it, though…
The issue between Rukawa, Sakuragi, and Haruko will develop on its own. ;) And yes, Mitsui is going to play in the summer IH matches… but it will be his last one, since he is going to graduate after that summer. Technically, he's a fourth year in Shohoku; I just let him get held back as to keep him in the story, as I mentioned in my prologue.
And yes, the Rukawa and Sakuragi fight over captain will be done sometime later. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Emberlion- Thank you for both reviews, I really appreciate it.
Haha, you liked the guy from Toyotama? I thought he was cool when he learned his lesson about hitting the other players, but during the game I was just -.-.Mitsui is indeed missing out on most of the scouting and bonding sessions, but it's his fault for hurting his leg. Or not. Whatever. ;)
I agree that the Sakuragi Army cares for Sakuragi more than they let on, despite their teasing. I'm not sure I can write the lovey-dovey stuff well, so I'm sorry… but I'll try! And I'm happy to see you like the chapters.
Do continue your fic., as your writing really is becoming great. :) Update soon!Lonehamster- Thanks for your compliments. Your analysis of Sakuragi is spot on, I think, and I agree with it. Your views about their relationships and their lack of experience in them also rings true, and I think you have a really good view of everything going on in Slam Dunk.
I'll try to handle the storyline appropriately. Again, thank you for reviewing and I hope to hear from you in the future.
Shadowcleaner- Haha, it's okay. I understand how busy school gets. -.-
Eep! Sorry about doing that to Hanamachi… but it had to be done, sooner or later. I figured that doing it now will give me more flexibility with the storyline instead of focusing just on basketball, because Slam Dunk was never just about that but also about the characters.
Thank you for the compliment about the chapter, but as for something nice… eh, we'll just have to see how that goes.
Nigel- Gee, thanks. I'm always happy to have more fans. And having another baller around doesn't hurt. :)
You write too? Cool. I wouldn't mind reading some of your works, unless you're keeping them under wraps for the time being. ;)
Thanks for reviewing.
Scream Out Loud- Ugh. I'm not a Kevin Garnett fan, to tell you the truth. As I said, I'm trying to let Hiroshi evolve into his own character... but I can see where you're coming from, and it's interesting you see that in Hiroshi.
Thanks for reviewing and reading my story for the umpteenth time. ;)Mak- Yeah, poor Sakuragi. And I will do some Ryo-Aya in the future, but I'm not sure when. Thanks for reviewing, man.
Plasmolysed Cell Membrane- Hi there. Nice to meet you, and thank you for your compliments.
Chapter 34 – Compromise
"Where the hell is Hanamachi?"
Miyagi stood impatiently as the players warmed up for practice. Miyagi planned to give the players light practices for a while, as a means to recover from the exhaustion of playing all the games for the season.
Besides, there was someone else that needed some time to recuperate.
"Go, captain," Mitsui jeered sarcastically from the sidelines, raising his arm half-heartedly. Miyagi sighed.
"Hey, injured people, keep it down," Miyagi smiled, and Mitsui quieted, a grin on his face.
Mitsui relaxed, crutches at his side. Mitsui planned to start practicing by next week, and for now was just taking it easy. Still, he couldn't wait to get back to playing… Mitsui felt that there was still so much to do.
Haruko looked worriedly around. "Is Sakuragi-kun sick?"
Ayako also wondered where the redhead was. Sakuragi wouldn't ditch practice without a good reason…
"Well, we can't really wait for him," Miyagi shrugged. "All right guys, let's do some wind sprints!"
Everyone groaned, except for Rukawa and Hiroshi. Hiroshi had a contemplative look on his face as everyone began practice.
"Hanamachi? Where are you?"
The Sakuragi Army wandered around town, looking for their leader. They had tried the pachinko parlors, arcades, parks, Sakuragi's apartment, basketball courts, a string of shops… all to no avail. It was as if Sakuragi had disappeared completely.
Youhei gripped the bouquet of flowers tightly. Hanamachi… what happened?
Noma sighed, Hiroshi's jacket draped casually over his right shoulder. "No good. The sun's setting already, too."
Darkness was slowly creeping up, and visibility was already slackening. The streetlights began to turn on, illuminating the vicinity.
"Should we go home?" Takamiya asked.
Youhei looked at his watch. "Let's look for a bit longer."
The Sakuragi Army nodded and took off again, looking for the tall redhead.
Night. It was nighttime.
Sakuragi Hanamachi looked up at the dark sky. The moon was already shining beautifully, giving off an eerie but comfortable light.
But it wasn't enough. Sakuragi wanted more light. Sakuragi didn't want to be alone, because at that moment he felt so unbelievably abandoned in the world, a feeling he hadn't had since his father died that fateful day at the front door. The day that Sakuragi had become an orphan.
Sakuragi wandered around, walking into town. The lights here were bright. Artificial, but so bright that it made Sakuragi feel just a little less lonely. There were so many people here too; young people, old people, working people.
Sakuragi accidentally bumped into someone.
"Hey! Hey, redhead!"
Sakuragi kept walking, ignoring the voice. A hand gripped his shoulder roughly.
"You deaf, redhead?"
Sakuragi looked at the person. An idiot. Probably someone Sakuragi would have beat up in the past, and considering Sakuragi towered over him, Sakuragi was vaguely amused the guy was even trying to pick on him.
"That does it, you little shit. Come with me."
Sakuragi didn't struggle as the guy dragged him into a dark alleyway.
Sakuragi lay crumpled against the wall.
Pain… there was pain all over his body. Sakuragi didn't mind. Sakuragi knew he could have fought back, and beaten up the guy easily. Sakuragi wasn't even too hurt; after all, he had incredible stamina and a high pain threshold. Still, the wounds were enough to sting.
It was okay. Sakuragi just wanted to feel the sensation of physical pain rather than the mental pain of rejection. Even here, with the guy trying to beat Sakuragi up, Sakuragi felt a little less alone than before.
"You're no fun even to beat up," the guy scoffed. He spit at Sakuragi's direction, missing the redhead just barely. "Go drown yourself, you damn wuss."
The guy sauntered off for a few steps before he was shoved back onto the floor, landing right on his own phlegm in a move of poetic justice. Sakuragi looked up a bit.
Hiroshi stood there, a dark look on his face. His lanky figure and long arms looked menacing at nighttime. By his feet was a plastic bag, and Sakuragi realized it was groceries. Apparently Hiroshi had just stumbled across the two…
…Or not. Sakuragi squinted, and behind Hiroshi stood the Sakuragi Army, looking just as threatening.
"Hey, why are you leaving?" Hiroshi glanced at Sakuragi, judging his condition.
The guy pushed himself back up, wincing a bit. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"Hiroshi shrugged absently. "I don't think I'm anyone special. But the guys behind me, you see… you really made them angry."
Youhei stepped in front of the tall basketball player. "The Sakuragi Army doesn't take the assault on a member lightly."
The other punk looked at the five guys standing before him. In worry.
"What? A five on one?"
"No, we haven't sunk to that level yet," Ookusu said, stepping forward. Ookusu was using the same words he had said right before the Sakuragi Army almost got into a fight with Ryota Miyagi last year. "Come on. One on one, punk."
The Sakuragi Army marched ahead, approaching their victim. Youhei nodded at Hiroshi.
"Take care of Hanamachi. We'll show up at your apartment soon."
"Gotcha."
Youhei strolled up to the other Sakuragi Army members, just as Ookusu got ready to get in a fistfight with the other guy. And for once, Hiroshi didn't try and stop the fight.
Hiroshi walked over to Sakuragi and kneeled. "Hey, you okay? Come on, let's get to my apartment."
Sakuragi turned his head away. "No, Hiro."Hiroshi sighed, picking up the tall redhead and supporting him as the two headed off. "No more arguing, senpai."
"Man, how'd you get yourself into this mess?"
Hiroshi wasn't much of a physician, so all the two had really done was wash Sakuragi's wounds. Sakuragi had refused bandages, for the time being. The two were in Hiroshi's incredibly small apartment, and were sitting on the floor. Hiroshi's apartment was almost barren, with a television in one corner of the room and a stack of books in the other… and nothing else. Not even a table.
Sakuragi looked at the other basketball player, silent. Hiroshi looked at Sakuragi seriously and said one word.
"Haruko."
It wasn't a question, and Sakuragi recognized that. Sakuragi nodded slightly.
Hiroshi sighed. "What happened? Did she reject you?"
Sakuragi looked down at the floor. "Yes… and no."
"Oh? Do tell." Hiroshi stood up, walking over to a kettle of water that had just begun to boil in the cramped kitchen, which was right in front of the door to his apartment.
"I overheard her. She was thinking of asking out Rukawa."
Hiroshi nodded understandably. "Ah. Lots of girls have their eyes out for that guy." Hiroshi reached into the plastic bag and pulled out six bowls of instant noodles, deftly pulling out the flavor packets and pouring hot water into all the bowls, then covering the tops with chopsticks.
"And so… after I heard that, I left. I went around Kanagawa a bit, then I went to town and some guy just wanted to pick a fight with me. That's it; you know the rest."
Sakuragi's voice didn't sound particularly playful or energetic as he spoke, for obvious reasons.
Hiroshi brought over one of the instant noodles to Sakuragi. "Hungry?"
"Thank you." Sakuragi took the hot noodles and lifted the top back up as Hiroshi also took a seat. However, as soon as Hiroshi did, the doorbell rang.
"Probably them," Hiroshi guessed, standing back up and going over to the door. Sure enough, there stood the rest of the Sakuragi Army.
"Hey," Youhei greeted Hiroshi as Hiroshi stepped back, letting them into the apartment. Ookusu looked a bit dirty, had some scrapes, and one side of his cheek was red; but otherwise he looked okay. Hiroshi didn't pursue the details of the fight, but had a pretty good idea of how it went.
"Food!" Takamiya cried, racing over to the instant noodles and digging in before Hiroshi could even shut the door. Hiroshi chuckled.
"Yeah, go ahead and eat up that stuff. It's not much… but it's nice to have some company."
The Sakuragi Army all sat around, and the room quickly became so overcrowded that Hiroshi had to stand near the doorway. Hiroshi quickly told the Sakuragi Army what Sakuragi had told him as they slurped down the noodles.
"You didn't even ask her out?!" Noma demanded as he began drinking the soup.
"Would it have helped?" Sakuragi retorted, giving away a bit of his disappointment.
"Well…" Hiroshi interjected, scratching his head. "But it wouldn't have hurt, would it?"
That drew a silence from all the members, and everyone quietly ate. Youhei finally sighed.
"Hanamachi, I have to confess that we knew about this," Youhei said, dropping the chopsticks into the bowl. "That's why we tried to make you confess earlier… although I can say that even if we hadn't known, it would have been a good idea for you to tell Haruko about your feelings anyway. You are going to have to tell her sometime, or else I don't think the matter can really be dropped. At least see what Haruko really thinks about you."
Sakuragi sat, staring into his noodles thoughtfully. Youhei sighed again.
"All right, thanks Hiroshi," Youhei stood. "We'll take Hanamachi home."
"Right," Hiroshi said, moving away from the door. "And no need to thank me."
The Sakuragi Army, along with its leader, walked back out into the night. Hiroshi stood at the doorway until he couldn't see their figures anymore.
"Please! Please give them another chance!"
Miyagi and Hiroshi were enthusiastically bowing before the teacher, trying their best to convince him.
I can't believe this is happening again… Miyagi thought unhappily as the two continued to plead their case. Behind the two stood Sakuragi, Rukawa, and Mitsui.
Again, exams had come and gone. And again, most of the basketball team's starters had failed more than four subjects. Miyagi, surprisingly, had only failed one subject mostly because he was now captain and felt he had to do his duty and set an example (and secretly, he wanted to impress Ayako). Hiroshi, on the other hand, was the real surprise… as he had passed all the subjects; even though it was rumored he slept almost as much as Rukawa.
Still, the two weren't enough. Mitsui had failed five subjects, Rukawa six, and Sakuragi the same as last year: seven.
"Please give them another chance!" Hiroshi repeated, bowing down to his knees. "Please!"
Miyagi grabbed Sakuragi and Mitsui by their heads, forcing them to bow with him despite the fact that Mitsui was still on crutches. Rukawa got the message and absentmindedly bowed along with the other basketball starters.
"Sensei, please give us one more chance!"
The teacher sighed. "Fine. I will issue you three new exams tomorrow."
Hiroshi and Miyagi burst into a grin. "Thank you! Thank you, Sensei!"
As soon as the basketball players stepped out of the office, Miyagi made a point to kick the three who failed in the rear.
"Dumbasses! We are going to bust our asses tonight studying this stuff! And don't think you can get out of it!"
Hiroshi looked at Sakuragi out of the corner of his eye, bickering with the Sakuragi Army members about his failure. Sakuragi acts like nothing happened yesterday… how strange…
Sakuragi burst into laughter, a bandage on the side of his face. "Don't worry! This Tensai will definitely pass the re-exam!"
Miyagi kicked Sakuragi again. "Why didn't you just pass the first time, then?! You could have saved me some trouble!"
"Aya-chan!" Miyagi hailed Ayako, who was just passing by. Miyagi quickly explained the situation, and Ayako sighed loudly.
"You guys are such dummies," Ayako frowned. "All right, I can help with the tutoring tonight. Who's house is it going to be at?"
Everyone was speechless.
"Let's go to Rukawa's house," Mitsui suggested, drawing a surprised look from Rukawa.
"Rukawa? Do you mind?" Miyagi asked. Rukawa shrugged.
"It's your choice."
"Fine, meet at Rukawa's house after seven, then," Miyagi replied. "We need your address, though…"
Rukawa announced his address to the other players, after the Sakuragi Army walked off to make sure none of the Rukawa Brigade members were listening. Rukawa didn't really care about—or even acknowldge— his fans, but stalkers…
"Okay, see you guys there," Ayako waved. The other basketball members went off on their separate ways too, with Sakuragi walking off with the Army.
"Damn fox," Sakuragi muttered, slowly pedaling his bike around the neighborhood. Sakuragi was surprised, though… he had always considering Rukawa to be a really rich kid, but although the neighborhood they were in was for those with stable incomes, it was by no means a mansion or whatever.
Sakuragi looked down on the back of the candy wrapper he had written Rukawa's address on, then looked back up. The house he was standing in front of was pretty nice-looking; not wealthy or particularly huge, but…
Comfortable. That's the word Sakuragi was looking for. Nothing extravagant… but comfortable.Sakuragi pulled his bike up to the doorsteps, where most of the other bikes had been parked. Sakuragi timidly knocked, and a woman opened the door.
"Oh, are you here to study too?"
Sakuragi was struck at how pretty the lady was, although she was pushing her forties. Dark hair cascaded down a sharp face, with warm, kind eyes looking carefully at the tall redhead. "Yes, ma'am…"
"Please," the lady stepped aside while Sakuragi quickly kicked off his sneakers as he walked in.
"Excuse me," Sakuragi said as he stepped in, trying to remember all his manners when entering another person's house as a guest. There were no maids or servants, which was what Sakuragi was expecting from all the rumors; it was just another normal house, maybe with a few nice material luxuries and nothing more.
"Hey, Hanamachi! Late as always," Miyagi grumbled as Sakuragi walked into the room. Miyagi, Ayako, and Hiroshi were sitting on one side of a table and Rukawa and Mitsui were facing them as they received one on one tutoring. Hiroshi was tutoring Rukawa, Miyagi was tutoring Mitsui, and so…
"Take a seat, Sakuragi," Ayako offered as the redhead sat down. The lady that had opened the door walked up to the group.
"All your friends are here, Kaede?" Sakuragi finally made the connection—the lady was Rukawa's mother.
Rukawa just nodded.
"Oh, I'm glad to see you still have so many friends!" Rukawa's mother smiled, tiny wrinkles appearing at the corner of her eyes. "You haven't brought any of your friends over since middle school, and I was getting worried. You really need to learn to get along with your friends more."
"Right, mom," Rukawa muttered embarrassingly, his head down.
"Well, I'll stop bothering you guys," Rukawa's mother turned. "If your friends plan to sleep over, be sure to get some blankets for them." Rukawa's mother disappeared upstairs, and as soon as she was out of earshot, Miyagi grinned.
"Friends?" Miyagi prodded Rukawa. "Does she even know that we're all on the basketball team?"
"Fox, treat your mother better!" Sakuragi punched Rukawa on the shoulder. "She really cares about you!"
"I don't need you to tell me that, dou ahou," Rukawa countered. Ayako smacked both of them in quick succession with the paper fan she always brought along.
"Start studying! I don't want to stay too late!"
The Honor Student Army began drilling the Red Mark Army, bombarding them with equations, formulas, and problems until the Red Mark Army were exhausted and dizzy.
"Man, I don't think my brain can fit anymore," Mitsui sighed, pushing the makeshift test he just took back towards Miyagi to correct.
"Where's your dad, fox?" Sakuragi asked out of curiosity, scribbling on the test Ayako had for him.
Rukawa was already getting groggy. "Tokyo." Rukawa didn't elaborate, and no one else bothered to push the matter.
"Not too bad," Hiroshi said to the tired Rukawa, showing Rukawa the corrected test. "You made a few common mistakes on these physics problems, though. Don't forget to change mass to weight on this, here…"
Sakuragi handed his test over to Ayako. Ayako yawned as she slowly went over the problems. The clock in the room already read 12:15 A.M.
"Man, Mitsui, what the heck is this?" Miyagi showed Mitsui a problem. "You didn't even try it! Don't you remember the equation for a simple pendulum?"
"No," Mitsui shrugged, crutches leaning against his chair. The group kept going, and the clock kept ticking away the night. 1:20. 2:12. 2:31.
"All right, that's it," Miyagi leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "My brain hurts."
"Your brain hurts?" Mitsui shot back after he finished yawning. "I can't remember all these formulas!"
"You guys are all doing well," Hiroshi complimented his seniors timidly. "If you guys don't make avoidable mistakes it shouldn't be a problem to pass tomorrow, so we might as well all get some sleep."
Ayako was already asleep on the table, her curls dancing down her delicate face. Miyagi felt his heartbeat speed up a bit when he saw her asleep, and reluctantly switched his vision back to Hiroshi.
"You're right, Hiroshi," Miyagi sighed. "Might as well get some sleep. There's no way we can make it home at this hour."
"I, Sakuragi, the re-exam terminator, don't need any sleep!" Sakuragi laughed, resulting in a smack on the head from the half-asleep Rukawa.
"Dou ahou, keep your voice down. Don't wake up my mother," Rukawa muttered. Sakuragi looked at Rukawa with interest as he rubbed his welt.
"Where are the blankets, Rukawa?" Miyagi stood, stretching a bit. "We'll just crash on your couch. No need to wake Aya-chan up."
Rukawa stood, and stretched a bit. "I'll get them. There are bigger couches in the living room, so sleep there," Rukawa suggested as he went upstairs. Mitsui labored over to one couch and collapsed, leaving his crutches on the floor. Hiroshi stretched his lanky body out on the floor, leaving the other couch for Miyagi.
"Thanks, Hiroshi," Miyagi said as he sat down. "Are you sure you won't be uncomfortable?"
"It's okay," Hiroshi assured. "I sleep on the floor in my apartment, anyway."
Rukawa walked back downstairs, blankets in hand. Rukawa quickly passed them out to his teammates, his eyes already losing focus due to fatigue.
"Thanks," Mitsui muttered as Rukawa tossed a blanket in his direction. The other players all said their thanks to Rukawa as they prepared to rest up.
"Be sure to take care of Aya-chan," Miyagi mumbled as he began to drift off. Rukawa didn't answer the point guard as he walked back into the room the team had been studying in, carefully placing a blanket over the sleeping manageress in her seat.
"Where's my blanket, fox?" Sakuragi asked. Rukawa gave him a look.
"You said you weren't sleeping."
"Oh, that's right," Sakuragi said, looking back at the open book before him that Ayako had been using to tutor. Rukawa collapsed into the chair next to Sakuragi, then rested his head in his arms, ready to go to sleep.
"Hey, Rukawa."
Rukawa opened one eye, knowing that Sakuragi sometimes had something to say that wasn't idiotic. "What?"
Sakuragi looked down in his lap, contemplative. Sakuragi's eyes had no mirth in them, and his face was deeply serious. Sakuragi had thought about this decision since last night, after the Sakuragi Army took him back to his lonely apartment. Sakuragi finally pushed out the words that he desperately didn't want to say… but thought it would be for the better. For all of them… or at least, for the ones involved.
"Rukawa… can you go out with Haruko?"