Disclaimer » Slam Dunk and all it's characters belong to Inoue Takehiko, not me. So don't sue.
A/N » Thanks Sofia/3sh for the review. ^^ I agree, Sakuragi's really super weird, in my story of course, he might appear mild in the anime itself. Depends on your pov.

Basketball Love Revolution

Chapter 2 » Meeting the Basketball Club Members

            Rei knocked softly on the door before entering the office. The principal of Shohoku was a bald man in his forties.

            "Ah Rei. It took you so long to reach here I thought you were lost." Smiled the principal.

            "Uncle Hirameto! How have you been? I haven't seen you since I left Kanagawa 6 years ago." Grinned Rei excitedly.

            Hirameto Shun was the principal of Shohoku High, and also the uncle of Rei.

            "I've been fine. Glad to see my second favourite niece is studying here. Is Reina at Ryonan?" asked Hirameto.

            "Nani! Second favourite! Reina's your favourite right? I'm so insulted." She pouted, and then smiled again. "Just a joke! Yah, she's in Ryonan. Do you know why Otousan and Okaasan want to put us in different schools?"

            Hirameto shook his head. He took note of the time and asked Rei to hurry to her class.

            "Hai Hai. Can't wait to get rid of me ne? I've one last question though. Why doesn't Shohoku have a female basketball club?" asked Rei.

            "Because none of the females in this school is interested in playing basketball, with only one or two exceptions." Hirameto answered flatly.

            Rei stood rooted for a moment. "I will change that."

            With that, she smiled at her clueless uncle a.k.a the principal, and skipped happily to find her first class, which she's already 30 minutes late for.

            Rei looked at the class sign outside. It says CLASSROOM 1/10. Classroom 1/10. I'm here now. She thought.

            Sliding open the door, she walked sheepishly into the classroom. Partly because she's a new student with a very mini skirt, partly because she's 30 minutes late.

            "Gomenasai sensei. I couldn't find the principal's office just now." Mumbled Rei softly.

            "It's alright." Said the kind looking sensei. "Watashi wa Inusha sensei."

            Turning to the class, she introduced Rei to them. "Mina, this is the new student, Hikorou Rei. She recently came back to Kanagawa after spending 6 years in different countries due to her parent's job. So please make her feel welcome."

            Turning back to Rei, she motioned for Rei to seat beside Shinomori Aoi, the bishonen second to Rukawa. Inusha sensei thought that if Rei didn't seat beside the sleeping kitsune, the girls of 1/10 wouldn't be mad at her, but then again, if Rei didn't seat beside Rukawa, she would have to seat beside Shinomori, which would make the girls mad too. She sigh and prepared to face hell after the lesson for making this arrangement.

            "Ohaiyo, Watashi wa Hikorou Rei." Said Rei as she smiled at Shinomori Aoi beside her. Aoi wasn't as icy as Rukawa, so he introduced himself to her too.

            "Ohaiyo Hikorou chan, watashi Shinomori Aoi." He said and gave her a weak smile. The rest of the girls in the class shot daggers at Rei. Rei received the cue and started concentrating on the lesson. Somehow, she couldn't stop herself from looking around the class. She chanced upon a table, at the far end of the classroom, with someone's head on it. The table looked wet too. Rei squinted her eyes at the sleeping person.

            Isn't he the guy I dragged to the nurse's office? I didn't know he was in this class. What did the nurse say was his name again? Rukuwa Kaedi? Rukawu Kede? I think it was Rukawa Kaede? Are we allowed to sleep in class? Why isn't sensei waking him up? Thought Rei as she turned her head back to look at the board once again.

            RING!!

            The bell rang. By the end of the day, Rei had already made friends with a few of her new classmates, Toka Ayuki, Mamoii Sakura, Ishiya Mia and of course, Shinomori Aoi.

            "Rei! You are so lucky to be able to seat beside Shinomori kun. We are so envious!" said Ayuki enviously.

            "Yah Rei, other than Rukawa, Shinomori is our class's second bishonen! He hardly talks to girls you know! The difference between him and Rukawa is that while he only speaks to guys, Rukawa doesn't speak." Said Sakura, her face red from repeating countlessly the names of the two class/school bishonens.

            "Hn… By the way, you girls play basketball?" asked Rei.

            "Nah, Rukawa's too difficult to interact with, besides Shohoku doesn't even have a female basketball club. Shinomori is in the school's track team! So we are trying out for the team too." Said Mia with hearts replacing her eyes.

            "Oh, so you girls are the real joining-this-school-for-the-bishonens people then, not me. Reina is wrong." Smiled Rei as she left her friends pondering over what she meant.

            "Ne, Rei chan, what activity are you going to join? Track? Choir? Science Club?" asked Sakura.

            "Actually, I play basketball. I really wanted to join the basketball team, but there's none in Shohoku for me. I guess, maybe the track team is the second best thing for me." Sighed Rei. She had been playing basketball since she was 4 years old. Her father introduced it to her. At that time, the Hikorou family still didn't need to travel all over the world for their job, so they managed to spend lots of quality time together as a family back then. Now, Rei plays basketball for the interest, and for the memory of the times her father and her shared while playing basketball.

            "Eh! You play basketball! No wonder you are so tall! I was thinking maybe you went for a stretching operation to reach that height." Said Mia absentmindedly as Sakura and Ayuki turned chibi and started pulling the legs and neck of chibi Rei to make her taller.

            "Can we go check out the basketball team first before going to the track tryouts?" asked Rei with a hint of plea in her voice.

            "Sure Rei! I wonder what sparked off your interest in basketball though, all I could think of it is there are lots and lots of bishies playing basketball, but, that doesn't seemed to be the thing to heat you up ne?" asked Ayuki.

            "… My father. He was the one who taught me basketball when I was 4. We spent so much fun time together as a family back then. Now, okaasan and him have to travel all around the world frequently for their jobs. So much so that, we cannot accompany them or we might be suffering from a huge overdose of jetlag almost everyday. Now I live alone with my twin sister, Reina, who goes to Ryonan." Said Rei sadly.

            "Oh, sob story. At least your parents are still alive. You would thank god for that ne? By the way, why are you in Shohoku and your sister in Ryonan?" asked Mia.

            Rei shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. Then the four of them headed in the direction of the basketball club.

            In the basketball court

            "Rukawa! Rukawa! L-O-V-E Rukawa!" shouted 3 girls in ridiculous pink skirts and pompoms with the letters, Ru, Ka, and Wa on a their forehead.

            Rukawa Kaede ignored them as he resumed shooting his three-pointer.

            Perfect. Thought Rukawa.

            "Teme Kitsune! Why do you always get your shoots in! Tensai Sakuragi can no longer stand it! I'm going to win you kitsune!" shouted Sakuragi across the court.

            "Do'aho." Rukawa resumed his shooting pose and tried to shoot again, but a large paper fan came down on his and Sakuragi's head.

            "Itai Ayako! How dare you hit the Tensai!" muttered Sakuragi angrily.

            "Get back to practice Hanamichi! Or I make sure Anzai sensei replace you with Yasuda as a starting member!" shouted Ayako.

            "My Aya chan! Don't get angry." Whispered Ryota Miyagi to himself.

            "Yare yare! Sakuragi and Rukawa fighting again? History is repeating itself." Smirked Mitsui Hisashi. He smoothed his hair back and began walking towards Sakuragi.

            "Ah Micchy! Ore wa Tensai! Rukawa no Kitsune will surely lose to me in basketball! Nyahahahahaha" Sakuragi started his boisterous laughter and veins could be seen popping out of Mitsui's head.

            "Da'me Mitsui kun, Akagi wouldn't want a fight among us." Said Kogure Kiminobu as he tried to stop Mitsui from attacking Sakuragi.

            Rei and her friends could hear the commotion happening in the basketball club.

            "Ne, do they do this everyday?" asked Rei and everybody sweat dropped.

            "… I think so. Heh heh." Replied Ayuki.

            "Soka…" said Rei, and again, everybody sweat dropped. 

            Rei slid open the door of the basketball court. Immediately, the members of the Shohoku basketball club stopped what they're doing and looked at her.

            "Ah! Girl who can shout! I see you came to support the Tensai! Nyahahahahaha!" laughed Sakuragi. This time, even the basketball members sweat dropped too.

            "Watashi… HIKOROU REI! Not girl-who-can-shout BAKA!" burst out Rei.

            Sakuragi sweat dropped, and then went 'nyahahahahaha' again.

            "See? I told you! Girl who can shout! Gomen! You are Hikorou san. Nyahahahahaha." Sakuragi said again.

            "You know Sakuragi?" asked Ayuki.

            "Erm… well, sort of. Bumped into him first thing in the morning." Replied Rei.

            "Sakuragi, at least you have one decent friend." Smiled Ayako.

            "Ohaiyo Hikorou chan, watashi wa Ayako, manageress of this crazy basketball team." Introduced Ayako.

            "Huh? Oh, Ohaiyo Ayako chan, I'm Hikorou Rei, so you can just call me Rei instead of Hikorou. So you are the manageress of the Shohoku basketball team eh?" asked Rei as a mischievous grin escaped her face.

            "Ok Rei chan then. I have been the manageress for some time. Do you play basketball, because for a girl with your height, it's hard to think it was genes that brought you to this height." Asked Ayako in a bit of awe.

            "Well, I DO play basketball, it's a pity that Shohoku doesn't have a girls basketball team though. Uncle Hirameto, or to you, principal Hirameto said that none of the girls in this school is interested in basketball with one or two exceptions. I guess you are one of the exception ne?" Rei smiled.

            "Uncle? So the principal is your uncle? Sugoi. Haha. Maybe you can appeal to him to ask him to start a female basketball team, I'm sure you can find at least 10 girls who play basketball in this school. You've already found 2." Said Ayako as Akagi Haruko walked in.

            "Ha…Haruko san." Said Sakuragi dreamily as the girl of his dreams walked past him.

            "Ohaiyo Sakuragi! Ohaiyo Ayako sempai, Mitsui sempai, Miyagi sempai, Kogure sempai." Said Haruko. "Ohaiyo Rukawa kun." Said Haruko blushing furiously.

            "Ne, Ayako sempai, who's that?" asked Rei as she looked at Haruko.

            "She? She's Akagi Haruko, sister of the captain Akagi Takenori. And she has a huge crush on Rukawa, but Sakuragi likes her." Answered Ayako.

            "Sodane… Hi Akagi, watashi wa Hikorou Rei. Classmate of Ru-Ka-Wa." Said Rei as she said the words Rukawa slowly, pausing after each syllable.

            "Ohaiyo Hikorou chan, you can call me Haruko. Are you really a classmate of Rukawa?" asked Haruko timidly.

            "Ok Haruko then, you can call me Rei too. And I'm really a classmates with Rukawa, and Shinomori Aoi too." Grinned Rei as Haruko's heart began thumping hardly.

            Rei amused at the reaction of Haruko suddenly remembered about her friends standing at the door.

            "Eh! Ayuki chan, Mia chan, Sakura chan, gomen ne! Let's go to the track tryouts now." Said Rei apologetically as she bid goodbye to the basketball people.

            "Good that you remembered us. You were so engrossed talking to them you almost forgot about us." Joked Mia.

            "Heh heh, gomen. Let's change into our attire first ne?" With that, the girls rushed to the changing room to change into their sports attire.