Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Yamada Hideo & Morita Keiji are mine!
Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.
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Eliar Swiftfire - Whoa... what can I say? A lot of reviews from you! Thanks! You're right, though I sometimes watch NBA with my brother, I can't say I can apply what I learned from it because NBA rules and high school basketball rules are different. About Morita, his character is someone who desperately wanted to play basketball but he had this experience in junior high where he was shooed from joining the team. It left a feeling on him that no team would want to draft him in because he is a nerd and doesn't look like a sportsman at all, that's why he grabbed the opportunity when he was invited to join Shohoku. I hope I am making any sense. *sweatdrops* There are some parts where I want to show the development of the characters and how things got to be that way. Also on digging into the characters' thoughts. I will apply some of your suggestions and edit those parts. I really appreciate your constructive reviews. *smiles*hibari – Yep, problem is Rukawa doesn't have a clue on what he's feeling and Haruko doesn't know what's wrong with him. Yamada actually lives for revenge. More about Hana and Fujii in the coming chapters.
Ginny W – Things will change. It's inevitable heheh...
Kuroi-Neko-kun – Oh yes! I agree with you 100% on
Bring Me Back To Life. Especially the part 'All of this sight, I can't
believe I couldn't see, kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me'.
Very suitable theme song for this fic. I will see how I can use it here. *grins*
sd
ribyuwer – The thing is I am not an avid basketball follower but
yes you're right, I might get some ideas from watching PBA. I
only get glimpses of PBA when my brother watches it on Channel 13. Yeah, this is
going to be a long fic but it's too early to tell how many chapters it will
have. As for your question, some hints were shown on episodes 11 & 16. I guess many of your questions will be answered in the coming chapters.
libra_gal – Uh...well, what can we expect from a snobbish guy who's never been with a girl? He doesn't even know he is in love bwahahaha! Poor guy.
Rokawa – Thanks! I'm glad you liked the details.
miracle – *hands up* Guilty!
Rook – Gomen. *sweatdrops* Don't worry, defining moments are the turning points in life eheheh...
maggio – Thanks! I wish I could write better. Sendoh comes in this chapter. Not a typical Rukawa and Sendoh rivalry though.
afrokane - Gomen. *smiles sheepishly* Haruko will be angry and all. Yep, she is capable of getting angry.
zidane – Thanks for reading!
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Chapter 5: Signs Of Trouble Ahead
Haruko looked at the horizon from the wharf where she was seated. The sea sparkled under the glare of the afternoon sun. Just a couple of hours more and the sun will start to set. It's funny but instead of forgetting what happened that morning, the orange ball of fire all the more reminded her of the incident.
The things that I did for that jerk!
She was furious. Just because Rukawa Kaede is a famous basketball player, that doesn't mean he has the right to treat her like dirt. He can become the number one basketball player in Japan for all she cares. It doesn't change the fact that he is a jerk.
She knew that he would never apologize. And the truth is she doesn't want to hear any apologies from him. It would be better that way. At least, she can just continue on hating him.
God, what did I saw in him? He's a creep, he's a jerk and he got no manners.
Just how many times had he been rude to her? She cannot count. Not that she counted in the first place. She had forgiven him every time even though he never asked for an apology. And every time, she would forget the incident and acted like nothing happened on the next day. She knew he was rude all along but she never expected him to be this low. The pain on her back will always remind her of his inhumanity. One thing is for sure. He is not going to get away with it.
From that day on, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
I will no longer be the nice and sweet Haruko to you, Rukawa-kun.
Rukawa has been staring into the empty space for the past fifteen minutes. He never liked being in a hospital. The smell of medicines and the atmosphere is revolting. Mizusawa, who helped bring him there, had just left after everything was taken cared of. The doctor said he should be alright by Monday but advised him that he can't play rough for days. Good thing they still have three weeks before the start of the Kanagawa elimination games.
Damn.
If there is one thing that he hates the most, it's being in a state of not being able to play. On top of that, he just received a big blow as a team captain. It was a humiliating defeat knowing Miuradai is not even a seeded team. He knew that when the do'aho comes back from the basketball clinic, he would never hear the end of it. The redhead would never miss this chance to criticize him for not being able to rally the team to victory.
Double damn!
He directed his gaze towards the hospital window. There's no doubt that it was a long day. It was a bad day for him and for the team. Aside from having lost to Miuradai, the team hierarchy was just rocked. The incident at the locker room continued to haunt him. He didn't mean to push Haruko. He maybe cold as many people say he is but he can't be that cruel. There's just something that he doesn't understand. As far as he could remember, he's a calm and collected guy. What has gotten into him?
He knew she was just doing her job. It's something that she would normally do to everyone in the team, not just to him. Ayako used to do the same but something is different. It was eerie. That spark that ran through him when Haruko touched him, he never felt that before.
What was that?
The scene kept on flashing on his mind. Haruko was so close to him. So close in fact that he could feel his bangs were already touching her face. No other girl has ever been that close to him before.
Then the sound of her body banging against the lockers just kept on ringing on his ears. He felt like a big idiot. He would have preferred if she lashed out on him. Maybe then he would feel better. He knew it was his fault, anyway.
What have I done?
Oh boy, you really messed up this time, Rukawa Kaede!
After what happened, he doubted if Haruko would visit him at the hospital. What's certain was that he needed to make amends as soon as he recovers and go on training with the team. How to do that, he doesn't have a clue. What he knew was that the team has to remain intact. They don't need any more trouble or it would be disastrous on their quest to win the Inter-High title.
What was I thinking?
I wonder if she is alright.
When did I start caring, anyway?
Her mobile phone beeped. It was a message from Mizusawa informing her that Rukawa is at the hospital and that the captain is alright. Even though she didn't exactly welcomed the news, she couldn't blame Mizusawa for sending the text message to her. He doesn't know what transpired at the locker room. In fact, she doesn't have any plans of telling anyone about it. It's a matter between her and Rukawa. Other people shouldn't be involved. She's determined to face this personal crisis single-handedly.
She had long stopped expecting that Rukawa would reciprocate her feelings. All she wanted was to have a good working relationship with him. He, being the team captain and she, being the team manageress. After all, for the team to succeed, they would have to have a harmonious relationship and work closely together.
But he treated her like dirt.
It's so unlike of her to harbor so much hatred for anybody. As far as she knows, she tried her best to be nice but she realized that it was useless. Her kindness was most of the time abused and she was labeled by some as naïve, always nice and sweet and is not capable of anger. They must have forgotten that she is an Akagi.
And what happened that morning….
That was the last straw.
All the respect she had for him disappeared.
I am human, Rukawa-kun.
I have feelings. I get hurt. And I deserve respect!
I swear these will be the last tears I will shed for you. You arrogant creep!
"The sea is beautiful, isn't it?"
Haruko, who was shaken out of her thoughts, lifted her head up to see a smiling tall man carrying a fishing rod on his right hand and a box on his left hand.
"Sendoh-sempai!" The Shohoku team manageress was clearly surprised to see the former Ryonan team captain.
Sendoh Akira, the former powerhouse and ace of Ryonan sat down beside her and started working on his rod.
"That is one of the things I like about fishing. I get to enjoy the scenery. First time I see you here, Haruko-san."
"Y-You know my name?"
Sendoh looked at her as if she had just asked the most absurd question ever, then turned his attention back to his fishing rod. "How can I not possibly know the team manageress of Shohoku team? The credit goes to Aida Hikoichi. He used to spy on you, you know." He grinned.
"Oh." Haruko slightly turned pink out of embarrassment. She realized that she had underestimated people and thought that somehow she is invisible, that people do not know her.
Sendoh cast a line on the water. Haruko looked at him, amused. Sendoh smiled at her. "How's Captain Akagi?"
"Oh, he is attending university at Kobe," she answered as she stared into the ripples that were created by Sendoh's fishing lure. "He rarely comes home but he emails regularly."
"I see. I heard Rukawa Kaede is your team captain now. How's he doing?"
Haruko didn't expect that he would ask about Rukawa but then she realized that it's natural since Rukawa is a well-known member of Shohoku team. How is he doing as a team captain? She doesn't even want to start on that. The mere mention of Rukawa's name just made her blood boil once more. She clearly doesn't want to talk about Rukawa Kaede. A frown appeared on her face and she groped for an answer that she would give to Sendoh.
Fortunately for her, Sendoh noticed this and decided to change the topic. "Fishing is a great hobby, you know. It's very rewarding whenever you get a bite. And very relaxing, too!" He looked at her and smiled. "You should try it sometime."
Haruko didn't say a word and just smiled back.
After about twenty minutes, Sendoh got a bite. He lifted the line up and carefully unhooked the fish that was still struggling from being caught.
"Wow!" Haruko gasped. "That's great, Sendoh-sempai!"
"See? Told you. Listen, why don't you come here next Saturday. I always fish here every weekend because that's the time I go back from Yokohama where I attend college. I'll bring an extra fishing rod."
Haruko smiled timidly at the invitation. "Ne, isn't this a bit too far from Ryonan?"
"It's not that far, really. After we get the catch, we could grill them here and enjoy. They have a grilling place over there." Sendoh gestured towards a line of grilling stalls.
"That's neat, Sendoh-sempai!" Haruko exclaimed.
"And by the way, cut out the sempai thing. You're making me feel very old." Sendoh scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "I'm just a year ahead of you. Just call me Akira, alright?"
Haruko smiled back. "Hai, Akira-kun."
"NANI?! WHAT HAPPENED?!" Haruko winced when she heard the redhead from the other end of the line. Obviously, Sakuragi did not take the news of their loss lightly. "Kitsune must have played miserably as usual!" He rattled on.
"Erm…" Haruko cleared her throat. "He- He got injured, Sakuragi-kun. Besides, it only showed that the team needs the tensai, ne?" It surprised her that despite what happened that day, she was still able to kid around. Actually, she already felt better by the time she and Sendoh parted ways.
"How true, very true, Haruko-chan! Nyahahahah!" He then continued in a much lower voice, "Kitsune is injured?"
Haruko detected a tinge of concern in Sakuragi's voice. "Hai. Mizusawa-kun said he's in the hospital now."
"Are you going to visit him?"
"Iie… I- I'm busy this weekend," she lied. The last thing she wanted now is to be anywhere near Rukawa. "Besides, Mizusawa-kun said he would be discharged tomorrow afternoon."
"You know, I actually feel bad for him. I'll try to drop by tomorrow. That guy doesn't even have friends!"
Haruko found it ironic that Sakuragi would say those words about Rukawa, while she, on the other hand can't find any good words to say about the team captain. It's like the world had just turned upside down.
How times change.
And people as well.