A/N: Incredibly long speeches, pointless rants, and foul language ahead. You have been warned.
--Tuesday, 7:30 a.m., Principal's office--
"Ms. Tanada, thank you for coming this early," Shohoku's principal, Mr. Sato, said as he gestured his newest faculty to sit. "I invited you here to talk about your Social Studies classes, specifically the ones your so-called house-playing project are being tested on."Ms. Tanada nodded.
"Several parents have called me about it," Mr. Sato shook his head.
"No—no way!" Ms. Tanada interrupted, frowning, "You—you're not canceling the project are you?!"
"Well you see Ms. Tanada—"
"You can't cancel the project just because there are several teams who are of the same sex!" the new teacher said, her voice becoming shrill and her head beginning to swell. "Yes, I know that some parents would find this inappropriate but that is not the main point of the program!
"Ms. Tanada if you would just listen—"
Ms. Tanada, however, had quickly reached the peak of her hysteria. "This is real life we're talking about here Mr. Sato. This is the life our students will encounter as soon as they leave our institution. We have such little time to teach them all about it! We must use all our resources to prepare them for what is out there. Our students are not small babies who need cuddling. These are the gangsters who roam the city because they have no one to guide them. These are the teenagers who engage in pre-marital sex because they don't know the consequences of their acts. These are the people who spend so much money shopping for frivolous things because they do not see how hard it is to earn a living."
Fire seemed to come out of her eyes.
"These—these are the future leaders of our land and what do we teach them? To ignore what is right before their eyes. To become cowards who will go back to mommy or daddy when they are hurt. To hide behind other people and let others make decisions for them. To ostracize other people just because they are different. Do you not see, Mr. Sato, the magnitude of our work? We mold these students. We can shape them so that they can try to create a better society. Our legacy will only be seen in what our students will become after they leave our school. If we don't take the initiative to truly teach them then we would have failed in our profession. All our work would be for nothing! If that happens then we are nothing!"
Ms. Tanada shook her fist and a big wave crashed behind her, showering her with water droplets. A halo formed above her head.
"Help me help them Mr. Sato," she pleaded. "Help me. Help them."
There was silence until she was brought back to reality with the clapping of several hands. It was only then that she realized that they had gathered an audience at the doorway. One staff member was holding a piece of round yellow cardboard above her head while another was brandishing a picture of a wave behind her.
Mr. Sato sighed.
"Are you quite through Ms. Tanada?" he asked.
Ms. Tanada realized that she had just given the school principal a very long lecture on teaching, a subject he would be an expert on.
"Eh-he-he," she pushed the audience out, closed the door of the office, and sat down again. "Yes, uhm, sorry about that."
"Oh-ho-ho!" Mr. Sato laughed amiably. "Quite all right. I am glad that you have such enthusiasm for teaching. Few teachers have that nowadays. Regarding the project, no I am not canceling it from the curriculum."
Ms. Tanada clapped her hands in glee.
"I believe that it is truly a good program that will teach our students a lot of things," Mr. Sato continued. "However, I would like to consider some of the concerns of the parents. They feel that this endeavor may promote homosexuality since the partners would have to work together as if, as you said, 'newly married couples.'"
"Well…"
"Might I suggest that you focus more on the equal responsibilities that such a partnership entail rather than on the sexual implications of the words 'playing house' when you talk to your students?" Mr. Sato folded his hands together on his desk. "That is the whole point of this task is it not? To make them aware of the immense work that people have to do to function well in society?"
Ms. Tanada nodded fervently. Her project would not be cancelled!
"Besides," the principal continued, "I think this would be a good opportunity for Mr. Rukawa and Mr. Sakuragi, who seem to have generated much of the talk going around in the school, to try to work better together. Who knows? This new partnership may carry on to their basketball skills and Shohoku may be able to finally bring in the trophy this summer!"
Mr. Sato laughed again. Ms. Tanada joined him.
The light from the windows of the room enveloped the principal and he seemed to glow in an ethereal light. Angels sang hallelujahs in the small room. The room's door was once again flung open and their audience cheered.
--Tuesday, 8:10 a.m., Shohoku grounds—
Shohoku students were treated to a different kind of spectacle at the school entrance.
"Ru-ka-wa," Hanamichi gritted between clenched teeth as he glared at his nemesis.
Rukawa returned the glare in full force.
"Bastard!" Hanamichi spat out. "You are not going ruin my year!"
"Hmp!"
"I'm gonna go to the newbie teacher's room and ask to have a new partner!"
"Like you can do that idiot," Kaede taunted.
"What?!" Hanamichi grabbed Kaede's shirt.
"All of our classmates have partners already and I don't think anyone would give up their current partner for you," Kaede pointed out.
This stopped the redhead enough to let go of the brunette's shirt. His eyes blinked with worry until they lay on his best friend who immediately backed away. He ignored the panic look on Youhei's face and laughed.
"Maybe no one will want you but I'm sure my best friend would do it for me!"
Kaede glared at Youhei, who took another step back.
"Since you don't have any friends," Hanamichi continued, ignoring the scowling brunettes, "I'm sure the newbie teacher will just ask you to work alone like you always do! Nya-ha-ha-ha!"
Kaede hmped then proceeded to their classroom angering the other boy even more.
"Oi you! This genius is not finished talking to you yet! Get back here!"
"Hanamichi I ain't giving up my partner!"
The redhead spun around to face his friend.
"What?! But Youhei!"
"No! You can head-butt me but I'm not switching partners! I like my present condition thank you very much!"
Youhei walked on, stubbornly shaking his head to Hanamichi's entreaties and threats.
"Besides," he thought as they reached their classroom, "I can't ignore this gut feeling that Hanamichi and Rukawa would really be great…if they just manage to work together!"
--Tuesday, 8:30 a.m., Shohoku grounds--
True to his words, Hanamichi stalked out of his classroom during Study Hall and searched for Ms. Tanada. He found her in the faculty room tidying her table before her first class.
"Oi, newbie teacher!" he bellowed. "You will change my name with Haruko's partner so that I will not have to work with that fox-face!" he demanded, glaring down at her.
All faculty members stared at the new teacher who sat still, glaring up at the terror student.
"No. I can't do that," she carefully answered. "If I changed one team then that would not be fair for the others. You will just have to try your best with the current set-up."
There was a collective gasp at her brave words.
"Shit! Why you—" Hanamichi loomed menacingly above her.
Ms. Tanada's patience snapped and Hanamichi was treated with the Terrible Gigantic Head of Doom so early in the morning.
"YOU WILL WORK TOGETHER WITH MR. RUKAWA AND THAT IS THAT! YOU HEAR? I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY MORE WHININGS FROM YOU, YOU PUNK!"
Her head went back to normal.
"Besides," she smirked, "are you afraid that Mr. Rukawa will show everyone that he's the better of the two of you in this team? Is that why you want to change partners?"
Another audible collective gasp was heard.
"What!" Hanamichi shouted. "That fox better than me?! No way! I'll show you! This genius can take on anyone! All right I will agree to this partnership and I will prove to you that I am better than that fox!"
Hanamichi stomped out of the room.
The other faculty members of Shohoku learned that day how such a diminutive teacher had been able to handle Class 2-3. She had the guts plus the brains to get students to work with her. Their next question was, how long would she be able to handle the chaos, especially from the two giant terrors?
-TBC-
A/N:
1. Again, thank you to all who reviewed! ^___^
2. Just a bit of reality check during the first scene. The funny parts may be distracting though. I just had to add them, the scene was getting too dramatic for my taste.
3. I believe that somehow Shohoku's principal would have some redeeming quality or another. Anzai-sensei, a very famous coach, would not have decided to work for the school if he didn't like the head, ne?
4. I had to get some external problems solved first. Yosh, next up the first assignment for the project. Will Hanamichi and Rukawa actually manage to get this one done without killing each other?