** I do not own the characters of Slam Dunk. The story line and the minimal characters that are present in the 'Fade Away' project belong to me**
Fade Away
Chapter 02: The Hand and the Hit List
~Jadis
"Rukawa Kaede? Rukawa Kaede!! RUKAWA KAEDE!!"
There was complete silence in the classroom of thirty students; all except the thirty-first student. He was snoring softly in the background.
A blood vein popped out of the teacher's forehead. He reminded himself to keep his composure and decided to go on to other names.
"Eh… lemme see … Kaede Gwen?"
There was an instant murmur of female voices.
"…Kaede?"
"…Kaede?"
The teacher looked up from his roll sheet.
"Kaede Gwen! She isn't here?"
At that moment, the classroom slammed open. All thirty-one, including the teacher, turned to see none other than a new face.
"Are you.. eh… Kaede G-wen?"
"Yes sir," the new face sprang a fresh smile that cooed the teacher's temper and wooed the classmates' woes.
"Take whichever seat that is open and make sure that you aren't late anymore. I don't tolerate any-" There was another loud snore from the background. Gwen pursed her lips to hide her giggle.
"Thank you, sir."
She looked around for a seat that was open and sat down. It was the nearest to the back door and directly to the left of a sleeping giant. While she was looking downwards at her book bag to get out her supplies, everyone in the classroom, except for the snorer was looking at her. All eyes wandered elsewhere when her eyes were set back on the chalkboard. Gwen felt a rush of goosebumps race through her spine as she received the mixed signals of the room. Gwen immediately shook off the feeling and settled in.
The class took its course very slowly and painfully. Gwen began to understand why the classmate next to her would fall asleep so soundly. Gwen peered over her right arm to see who it would be. They guy, as if on cue, turned his head towards Gwen.
Gwen froze. It was the one and only Rukawa Kaede that she encountered a week ago at the park.
"What a coincidence. Luck or curse?" whispered Gwen. She yawned twice and focused back on her work.
The noise was silent at first … and then it was a like a … light drumming of fingers. Gwen peeped over to Rukawa's hand to see it shaking on it's own. She frowned in concern. She extended her hand to calm his hand when his eyes burst open.
Gwen cocked her head to peer eye to eye at Rukawa.
"Too much caffeine is bad for you," whispered Gwen while she gently touched hand to calm it down.
Rukawa looked at Gwen with inquisitively eyes.
"So.." Gwen looked back at the chalkboard. Noticing that a few girls were constantly looking back to where she sat, Gwen opened her mouth really wide and at an angel, stuck her tongue out, opened her eyes really wide, and flared her nostrils. The girls, having seen this, immediately turned the other way.
".. what did you think? Yup, it's a gift," Gwen self-effacingly smiled, showing her charming dimples.
Rukawa balled up his hand into a fist and stood up. His chair shot out from his knees and crashed down on the wooden floor. Now, including the teacher, the entire classroom looked at Rukawa.
"I'm sleepy. I'm going to sleep in the library."
"Wha-wha-wha-" the teacher only stuttered as he watched the famous Rukawa Kaede leave the classroom, hands clenched tightly together, like he was the king.
* * * * *
Lunch …
"So, have you been in touch with Sakuragi during the summer?"
"Of course! He told me that his back was getting better. Hearing him say that he need some more time … I guess he really needs the time to recuperate." Haruko sighed over her delectable lunch of rice, egg rolls, and spinach. "I just hope that we can recruit enough players before our team makes any commitments." Haruko popped a miniature egg roll into her mouth as she looked at the new names of the talents. "We have lots of freshmen names. Plus, Rukawa is coming back. There was a slight tinge of red gathering on her cheeks. "We'll use this off-season to rest, train, and train."
"Haruko! Get with the program. Looks like your going to have some competition this year. Did you hear about the new girl in school?" asked one of her new freshman new comers as he passed by Haruko's classroom.
"Hey, Kane! Really? No, I haven't."
"I think her name was Kaede Gwen. She even has his first name as his last name. Pretty strange, eh?" Kane's brown eyes began to twinkle like a diamond. She's in room 3-5. Doesn't look too good for her though, she's on the hit-list."
"What for?" asked Haruko. The hit-list was a list of hits, girls or guys that don't seem to quite fit in or just flat out doesn't impress a certain person, that one time or another that day – they would be bossed around or beat up.
"And you call yourself a Rukawa fan!"
"I'm not!"
"Yeah… well, something like, she touched his hand or something like that. I'll see you at practice, manager Haruko."
The two friends that were sitting by Haruko flinched.
"Haruko, I'm telling you… you took too long~ come on, we'll finish our lunch and go to class 3-5 and check this girl out. We'll tell her a piece of our minds and go home – rest since it's Saturday!!" The friend, seeing Haruko finish her last egg roll, pulled Haruko to room 3-5.
Classroom 3-5 was almost empty except for a three girls crowding around the desk nearest to the back door.
"Girls, do you know who this Kaede Gwen is?"
"She's got off earlier than us. That wench! Touching Rukawa's hand like that. She'll pay!!" screeched a girl with long pigtails.
Haruko gloomily looked down at the ground.
"She'll what?" called out a new voice. Haruko's ear's pricked at the amazingly fresh voice behind her. Haruko turned to the most incredible smile. It automatically brought joy to her face as well. The next thing that Haruko picked up on was how warm her gray colored eyes were. Her black hair was tossed up in a messy but edgy bun. In fact, the girl was a head taller than Haruko –all supported by a slim and toned body. Slung loosely across was her bulky red colored tennis bag; Haruko observed that despite what this girl looked like, by the looks of her bag, she wasn't as prim and proper as she seems. Which is good – this girl wasn't about playing around with what's in or 'I'm the center of the universe!' crap… she was about playing hard, her rewards were given with each bead of sweat that drops. Just like basketball…
Haruko slightly shook her head. She felt the slight skip of her heart and heat on her cheeks.
"Oh look~ it's the new girl." Whined the girl with the pigtails.
"Yes, I'm the new girl and?" Haruko noticed such a confidence that she would never have in the new girl's voice.
The pigtail girl opened her mouth to say something… but nothing came out – instead, she turned to leave when the new girl called her back.
"Oh, and San, I didn't touch his hand. He has some habit with caffeine, that's all. If you want to touch his hand then do it. No one is stopping you. Oh wait, maybe the hit-list is?"
Haruko broke out in a smile as the pigtail girl stalked out of the room.
"I'm Haruko," Haruko extended her hand out to the new girl.
"Thanks, I'm Gwen. I thought I would drop dead if I kept that up any longer!" Gwen began to fan herself. Haruko even noticed the redness that spread into Gwen's dimple. "Nice to meet you! Well, I'm so sorry for just leaving but.. I need to get to the tennis courts ten minutes ago and everyone seems to be giving me the wrong directions."
"Tennis courts? They are right next to the basketball courts. I'm going there right now! Come with me,"
"Thank you so much. You are the first person in this whole school to really talk to me. I don't understand why everyone is giving me the evil eye. I mean, I'm used to the cold shoulder but.."
"It's because you and Ru-" Her friend was just starting when Haruko nudged her into the ribs.
"So are you a tennis player?"
"Nah, just trying out."
"Ah, I see. You see there? Across the field, there. Do you see the gym? You know, our basketball team is really something."
Gwen giggled rapidly. "I know…, my dad used to go here."
* * * * *