Ok pips, sorry bout the LOOONG DELAY. Was really busy with school and some other stuff. Some good news though, my manga's nearly finished (ok, first edition).

I can't believe it. I have a total of 15 reviews….I know, I know, pathetic number, but still!!! Please keep them coming. Well, most of them are "please continue with the story" stuff…that's still encouraging.

Last chapter had lots of typos…kuso. I will replace it soon. Probably didn't notice, ne? Aghhhhh, let's get it on. Mind you, I play basketball but that doesn't mean I can write that well about it. It's all a blur while you're playing really. There's no slow mo or anything like in anime or in the movies. This chapter is weird. Don't flame me coz I warned ya.

I do not, cannot, and will not own Slam Dunk. Saves me the death threats….if you know what I mean.

Requiem for the Dead

Chapter VI

Memories of the Wrong Kind

            Miyagi slowly dribbled the ball, letting it hit the floor with a satisfying thud. He wondered how he was going to go through with it. Can he take it? He eyed Hanamichi nervously as he let his wrist do the magic with the ball. He decided to take a chance and threw the ball at the redhead. Oh god, please catch it.

            For a moment, he was facing an unbelievably tall guy with glasses when suddenly, his own hands shot out in front of him to catch the ball. What? He was surprised and he didn't know what to do for a second. Then in a blink of an eye, his feet carried him towards the end of the court. Hanamichi gasped as he managed to elude Hanagata and find his way there.

            Hanagata was amazed at the speed of the recuperating redhead. How could he have done it? I guess the reflexes are still working nicely. He saw Hanamichi dribble the ball, switching from hand to hand. What the hell am I still doing here? He felt like an idiot, standing there with his mouth agape. As Hanagata was running towards him, the most astonishing thing happened. Hanamichi stepped back from the three-point line and let the ball sail into the air. It went in without a single hindrance, a shot so perfect that it didn't even touch the net.

            The crowd was silent, and so were the players. They all knew of the extent of Hanamichi's skills, and they were sure that three-pointers were out of his league. Haruko pressed her hand to her mouth to muffle a strangled cry. Then, the crowd went wild. Their initial cheers for Hanamichi doubled and soon Youhei found himself irritated by them.

            Shit. This was the Hanamichi he knew, and he didn't like it a single bit. Everything had its consequences, and this one's were grave. Youhei bit his lip and slowly made his way to Anzai-sensei to try to work something out.

            Ayako glanced at her watch and found that no less than one minute had passed. It had only taken that long for him to score, and three points at that. Kogure was off his seat, standing up as if he were drawn by some strange power. Even Anzai-sensei paled a little. He found himself wondering who Hanamichi really was. Had he stumbled on a gem?

            Hana…He knew that the do'ahou was good…but he didn't think he was that good. In a brief moment, he considered leaving Sendoh to go to Hanamichi but he killed the thought as he saw Sendoh in possession of the ball. His eyes flitted distractedly towards the redhead and the Ryonan ace found it a good opportunity to elude him. He was back on his feet, trying his best not to let his rival get the better of him. Rukawa was too late, as Sendoh smashed the ball into the hoop with much flourish.

            9-23, in favor of Ryonan-Shoyo. Mitsui put them back in business as he scored another three points. Seemingly unfazed by Hanamichi's weird performance, he soon found himself face to face with Koshino, who muttered curses under his breath for letting the former-MVP score. Mitsui grinned, making his scar slightly more visible. Just you wait…

            Another four points were scored by Rukawa, and soon, almost five minutes had passed. He glanced over his shoulder to Hanamichi, who seemed to be perfectly fine, save the fact that he seemed to know maneuvers even he hadn't risked doing in the eliminations. He was no coward, but he knew the difficulty of those moves and intense concentration and skill required to pull them off. Did Mizuki-sensei inject him with a super-basketball potion or something?

            Just down by 10 points, the Shohoku players found themselves filled with a new strength. Miyagi sidestepped Fujima, and managed a jumpshot, while Akagi settled for his Gori dunk. Mitsui threw another three-pointer, and Hanamichi did the same. Now they were even.

            Youhei patiently weaved his way through screaming spectators and tapped Anzai-sensei on the shoulder. "Anzai-sensei, I need to talk to you. It's about," he said, gesturing over his shoulder, "It's about Hanamichi." The coach nodded his head, wanting explanation for the performance level of Hanamichi. Not that he didn't like it though, but he felt that it was dangerous. As he played, he didn't find the child he remembered seeing in the redhead. He saw a calculating youth, one whose thoughts were best known by himself, totally the opposite of him before the accident. Youhei shared the same sentiment, as he replayed images in his head.

            "Youhei! Youhei! Matte!" He laughed as Hanamichi had trouble keeping up with him, thanks to a cast on his leg. "Youhei, you're mean!!!" They were in their first year of junior high, and they simply basked in the fun of it, getting into squabbles here and there, a few great adventures and a lot of detention. Hanamichi had gotten into a minor accident and fell down small cliff while hiking with his dad. He wasn't hurt in any other way, but his father was worried sick over him. He had even gone to the extent of banning him from holding a basketball.

            "Mou, oyaji's so unreasonable sometimes." He managed to prop himself up with one hand as Youhei tried his luck with some shots Hanamichi had taught him. He knew how much his friend was itching to grab it from him, but he wasn't about to pass the chance of finally beating him at basketball.

            Hanamichi's father loved the sport, and he raised his son to love it as well. Through the years, he mastered it and even defeated his father once or twice. Yet he felt no desire to join the basketball club and wanted to stay as free as his bestfriend. Youhei knew this, and thanked him silently, promising to return the favor.

            And then, it happened. Tragically, Hanamichi lost the person he depended upon the most….

            Dead on arrival was what the paramedics told him when he questioned them about Hanamichi's oyaji. He found Hanamichi huddled in a corner, tears streaming down his face. Youhei felt something stir in him, as if his soul was hurt as well by his loss. He knelt down and held the redhead close to him, trying to share his pain. Hanamichi…

            Slowly, Hanamichi lost it and he turned to slashing himself for comfort. It took Youhei about a month to discover this and he was enraged at Hanamichi's actions. "You baka! Why the hell are you doing this?" He was met with a glare and Hanamichi only stomped off.

            Youhei looked for him and found him at his father's grave, crying his eyes out. He was disgusted with himself, unable to help him in any way. Finally, as he had done before, he cradled Hanamichi in his arms, allowing him to get some rest and sleep at peace. If only you knew how much I care for you…

            After waking up, Hanamichi cared nothing for the sport that had tied him to his father. As if those memories had died with his father, he completely forgot about his promising basketball skills and settled for the rambunctious life he led with Youhei and the rest of the gang.

            Youhei at first tried to remind him of the past, but he was taken aback by the flashes of Hanamichi's haunted face. He knew that Hanamichi did not want those memories, and neither did he. He thought that everything had been accounted for, but he never knew that Hanamichi continued slashing himself. The pain of his loss was still there, and he felt a huge weight bear down on his shoulders, the feeling of guilt.

            The years passed and he knew that Hanamichi was still empty inside, despite the laughs and the smiles that graced his lips. The others fell for his mask, but Youhei knew him too well. Senior high came almost too soon, and Youhei watched in amazement as his friend was transformed by the basketball club. Slowly, the void inside was being filled, and Youhei was grateful for that, even though he ran the risk of plunging him back to the dark past the moment the game triggered his lost memories.

            Again, another accident happened, and this time, it wasn't his leg that suffered but his head. God had given him a second chance and left his mind a blank slate, with it Youhei hoped to give his Hanamichi a better future. But then, fate was against him and the shadows of the past rose to the occasion.

            Youhei blinked and was transported back to the present wherein Ayako silently kept track of the time that had lapsed. He glanced at the scoreboard in amazement as he saw Shohoku leading by two points. Anzai-sensei followed his gaze, and told him that it was all thanks to Hanamichi who gave them back the drive to win.

            "Two more minutes", muttered Ayako, breaking his train of thought. Youhei realized his original intention, and turned back to Anzai-sensei and said, "You have to pull him out, now. I know he's still under the limit, but please you have to."

            As if God answered his prayers, Hanamichi suddenly felt a wave of nausea wash over him, and struggled to stay on his feet. No, not now, not when I feel that it's so right…Hanagata's eyes widened as his opponent fell towards him. He caught him and yelled at the referee. Confusion ensued as the other players crowded around them. Rukawa pushed his way through and grabbed Hanamichi from Hanagata's arms. Hana…

            "Hanamichi! Hanamichi!" He shook the redhead, who tried to open his eyes but couldn't. He was limp in Rukawa's embrace, and soon the stretcher was brought out by the paramedics to take him back to the hospital.

            The other players watched with concern as he was laid on the stretcher and taken away. This can't be happening…Rukawa sprang to his feet and ran after them, abandoning the game. He was followed by Youhei, and they went in the ambulance with Hanamichi.

            The court held the deafening silence, and the game was continued but without its former excitement that hung in the air joyfully. Shohoku managed to pull a one-point victory, but nobody was happy anyway. All thoughts led to the hospital where once again, Hanamichi was fighting for his life.

To be continued….

Sorry to keep you hanging once again. Sorry if you found the chapter crappy, still, it's something right? A little unexpected flashback by Youhei…we're back to square one…I know, I know, when is this gonna get going?

This was the first time I wrote a chapter directly on the pc, without using my *notebook*….the almighty compilation of notepaper from my formerly 'spiraled' notebooks. So once again, English is not my native language, nor is Grammar my forte, so please bear with me. Thanks people!!!

Please read and review, but no flames, onegai. Thanks a lot people, and God bless!