"Good afternoon everyone," Ms. Tanada bowed before the assembly of parents and teachers. "I'd like to thank you all for coming."
"Right, right," one father said from the back. "Let's start this thing so we can end early. I still have a meeting today."
"Hush Kuromatsu!"
"But dear I still have to—"
"Quiet dear!"
Ms. Tanada cleared her throat and looked away from the dark haired couple who were now quarrelling quietly.
"As I was saying…uhm…where was I?"
"You were about to tell us the reason for this stupid project!" the dark-haired man quipped, looking up from his argument with his wife.
"Hush!"
Ms. Tanada looked straight at the man. Somehow the haughty dark blue eyes reminded her of one of her trouble pupils. She glowered at him.
"I think we all have partial knowledge from our children of what this project is all about," a small lady in front with auburn hair spoke up. "What we'd like to know are the details—the why and the how most especially."
Ms. Tanada broke off her staring match with the father at the back and gratefully smiled at the woman. She then proceeded to tell the assembly the history of the project and what the final task involved.
— 0 —
"This is it guys!" Ryota announced solemnly to his team. "The moment we've all been waiting for—the Winter Championship. We've worked so hard. We took the trophy last summer and we can get it this season too!"
"YEAH!"
The lockers rattled with the force of the group's shout.
'LET'S GO OUT THERE AND WIN! SHOHOKU!"
"FIGHT!"
People started piling out of the small room. Ryota pulled Hanamichi aside and let the others pass.
"I know you and that Oda guy have this long-standing rivalry between you," he whispered to the redhead. "I guess I don't have to tell you to do your best out there."
"Of course! This genius will not let the team down! Oda will fall again!"
"He has become better than before. Some say he's the new Sendoh."
"Hmp! I defeated Sendoh last year and this year too! I can defeat Oda or any other star player anytime!"
Ryota patted Hanamichi's shoulder.
"Guess I don't have anything to worry about you. You're still overconfident as usual."
"Of course!"
Hanamichi laughed heartily, not minding the implied insult in his captain's words. Inside his head a bubble of happiness spread. He saw himself defeating Oda, taking the trophy, and getting not just Haruko's love but Yoko's as well. Just as the two girls were about to approach him a shadow loomed and burst his dream—
"Idiot, are you going out to the game or are you just going to stand there all day?"
Hanamichi blinked and saw that only he and Kaede were left.
"Ahh! Those morons left the genius behind!" he growled as he rushed out of the room.
"You were too busy daydreaming to notice," Kaede answered, easily falling in step with the redhead.
"Why didn't you say something?"
"I did."
Hanamichi stopped a moment.
"Oh yeah. You did," he said before resuming his brisk walk and his argument. "Well why didn't you say something earlier?"
— 0 —
"I did say something earlier, I gave all those letters through your sons and daughters, didn't you get them?" Ms. Tanada answered, hiding her frustration. Somehow she knew that the Terrible Gigantic Head of Doom would not be appropriate for the crowd she was facing. But she was considering using it every minute that passed by.
"Well my daughter told me about it but she never showed any letter," a mother said.
"That's not important! What I want to know is should my son and his partner have the same room and sleep on the same bed too?"
— 0 —
"Noooo!" Hanamichi wailed.
Ayako whapped his head with her fan.
"Coach Anzai thinks this is the only way so you better follow him!" she shouted.
"But I want to defeat Oda all by myself! The fox will only get in my way!"
"Idiot! You're the one who's going to get my way," Kaede muttered.
Coach Anzai stepped up to the two glaring teammates.
"Sakuragi. Rukawa. You two proven time and again how much better you play when you work together. You both have the same goals right?"
"Of course!" Hanamichi yelled.
"Our goal is to win!" the two cried in unison.
— 0 —
"What?! My boy has never had to lift a finger all his life! And now you want my darling son to actually follow that ridiculous schedule just so he can pass your class? Preposterous! Kuromatsu tell this woman that what she is asking is impossible!"
The dark-haired woman stood imperiously from the back.
"It will just be for two days. And the weekend schedules are not that loaded. They will just do the dishes and the laundry and mostly just take care of the baby."
"Baby?" the woman shrieked. "You want my boy to become a nursemaid to some snotty brat?"
"It won't be a real baby!" Ms. Tanada quickly said. "It will be the same dolls that they brought home before."
"Oh those things again!" an elderly man said. "I liked the idea that young people know how hard it is to take care of babies. Maybe they will think twice about having one. Lady, you got my vote for this project. I'll even allow my daughter and her partner to stay at my house. Heck that Youhei kid practically stays there all the time. And he even brings his friends too!"
The elderly woman beside him smiled.
"My daughter has never had much friends until this project started. I agree with my husband, this weekend part of the project will also be good for them."
Many other murmurs of assent were heard.
"Wait! I still refuse. I will not let my son be sullied by—"
"Ah! Cut the crap lady and let your son grow up!"
The dark-haired woman slumped back into her chair with a stupefied look. She had never been treated so rudely before. Beside her, her husband looked at the speaker and smiled.
"I'm glad to hear that," Ms. Tanada sighed. "Well then why don't we move on to the next part of the meeting? I'll call on the parents of each teammates so that you can all know each other and talk about special arrangements for your sons or daughters."
— 0 —
"This time I will certainly defeat you Sakuragi!" Oda yelled as his three-pointer hit net.
Kaede and Hanamichi glared at the boy then eyed each other. Ryota, who was dribbling the ball between them, eyed the two players and smirked. He bounced the ball towards Kaede who spared one last glance at Hanamichi before rushing off towards their end of the court.
Oda quickly guarded Kaede but the boy didn't stop. He kept rushing towards the goal. Oda firmly planted his feet just under the net daring Kaede to make a slam dunk.
Kaede glared at his opponent. Without looking, he passed the ball to his back and executed a turn-around letting Oda see Hanamichi executing a perfect jump shot. Oda watched the ball sail in smoothly then turned to see Hanamichi and Kaede with identical smirks on their faces. The two turned around and jogged away.
Away from the three, Ryota also wore a smug look on his face. His two war-freak players were psyched and primed. The game was theirs.
— 0 —
Ms. Tanada started the roll call and soon parents were mingling with each other.
The auburn-haired lady from the front approached the dark-haired couple.
"Hello, I believe my Hanamichi is your son's partner."
— 0 —
The buzzer sounded. Kaede and Hanamichi landed together after securing the last rebound of the game. They glared at each other then at the ball they held between them.
All around them Shohoku players and supporters shouted with frenzy.
The two continued to glared at each other.
Everyone in the stadium noticed the crackling energy surrounding the two players and silence blanketed the whole area.
Kaede raised an eyebrow. Hanamichi knitted his. They simultaneously dropped the ball then, in front of hundreds of spectators, they took a step forward, shared a high-five, and clasped each other's hands firmly.
— 0 —
"So, Mrs. Sakuragi, tell me about your daughter."
-TBC-
ARC:
1. One down, two to go...
2. Yes, the arguing couple are Rukawa's parents and the auburn woman is Mrs. Sakuragi, and the elderly couple who liked the doll idea are Mina's parents. Ain't they all nice?
3. Kuromatsu = Japanese black pine.