Disclaimer : Everyone knows who Slam Dunk belongs to and it's not me :(
Chapter 3
It's been one week since school started. Everything is going well. Each sports team are getting ready to enter their competitions respectively. And among those who have the most training is the basketball team in Ryonan.
"You call that a shot?! Your opponent would have easily blocked it!" As usual, Taoka-sensei gives the hardest training. He was scolding the year-ones and they were dead scared of him. Even the seniors are afraid of him.
"Sendoh!" he called.
"Huh?" Sendoh looked at him. He was actually taking a short nap on the bench.
"Show them how to make a proper shot!" he ordered.
"Uh, okay," Sendoh smiled. He took his position at the penalty line. Koshino passed him a basketball and Sendoh caught it nicely. Then he began to concentrate on the hoop.
"Now, watch him carefully," Taoka instructed the year-ones.
Sendoh bounced the ball a few times. He then held the ball high in the air and shoot. As the ball leaves his fingertips, it draws a perfect curve line and 'swish'. The ball went in smoothly, dropped on the court and bounced a few times before stopping.
"Sugoi," whispers were heard from the juniors.
"Nice one, Sendoh. Now, I want all of you to follow him." The other year-ones began to try one-by-one. Not all of them are successful which made Taoka really angry.
"That was a nice shot, Sendoh," Uozumi said, patting him on the back.
"Sempai, I just did my best," he flashed his usual smile.
"You're really great. Just 1st year and you're already a starting member. No wonder sensei recruited you," Uozumi continued.
"That's too much, sempai. I just like basketball so much," Sendoh switched his gaze to Taoka who was again scolding the year-ones. Finally, after a few more shots, Taoka said,
"Okay, that's it for today." The others sighed in relief. They were exhausted and too tired to move.
"Tomorrow, training until 7. Don't forget or else," Taoka warned them.
"Hai, sensei!" the whole team echoed. Finally, they get to go home! Sendoh quickly took his bag and started walking.
"Hey, Sendoh. Where are you going?" Koshino asked.
"Somewhere!" Sendoh answered.
"Matte! Sendoh!" Koshino shouted but Sendoh ignored that. He just ran off.
**********
Sendoh was walking around the neighbourhood, humming a tune. Suddenly, he heard basketball dribbling sound. "Hm?" he tried to track down the source of the sound. Then, he ended up in a basketball court. That's where he saw him for the first time. A boy with jet-black hair and pale white skin. He was making a dunk before landing on the ground.
'Sugoi,' Sendoh thought to himself.
Rukawa felt someone watching him. He stopped to look at the intruder. Then, he saw him. The same guy that he saw a few days ago.
Sendoh realized that the boy was looking at him. "Ah, gomen. I didn't mean to spy or anything, I just passed by and…" Sendoh's voice sounded nervous. He stopped halfway at his sentence when he looked clearly at the boy's blue eyes.
'His eyes, it's so scary,' Sendoh thought.
Rukawa just ignored him and continued practicing. Sendoh couldn't help but kept admiring him more. After a few dunks and shots, finally Sendoh asked,
"Hey, you want to have one-on-one with me?"
Rukawa looked at him with cold eyes.
"It's okay if you don't want to… unless you're scared," Sendoh tried to provoke him. That really did it.
"You're on," Rukawa passed him the ball.
"First to 20 wins," Sendoh said. Rukawa nodded as an agreement. Both of them took their positions. Sendoh's on offense while Rukawa's on defense. So, the game starts.
**********
After a tiring 30 minutes, they both stopped. It was a tie, 18-18. Both of them couldn't get the last ball in. They are determined to win and protect that last ball. Finally, due to fatigue, they decided to take a break. It's getting dark as if it's going to rain. Rukawa looked up to the sky.
"I have to go," he said, picking up his bag.
"Matte!" Sendoh called out.
Rukawa turned to see him face-to-face. Perspiration was dripping down their face.
"When can I play with you again?" Sendoh asked.
"Tomorrow. Same time." He began walking.
"Ah! Matte!" Sendoh called out but was too late. Rukawa had already gone.
'I didn't even get his name.'
**********
Time passed and it was already night. At Sendoh's house, he had just come out from the shower. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he reached for his clothes ready on the bed. He put them on and then dried his hair with the same towel. At the same time, he looked at a picture frame, which was located on his study table. It was a picture of him and his parents.
/Flashback/
"Akira-chan, what in the world are you doing?!" his mother screamed as she entered the bathroom. It was in a mess. Bubbles are everywhere. Akira just smiled innocently. He was in the bathtub, naked. A few bottles of shampoo were left opened and empty. Mrs. Sendoh could only sigh.
"Come on, honey. That's enough," she took a towel from the drawer and wrapped Akira in it.
"Ne, okaa-chan. Are you mad at me?" Akira asked.
She just smiled.
"You're too cute to be angry at. But I'm not sure about your father," she dried him with the towel. Then, she dressed him up with a white T-shirt and short pants.
"Next time, I won't let you bath alone again," she warned him in a gentle way.
"Hai," Akira laughed.
/End of flashback/
Sendoh smiled at the sweet memory. His mother doesn't get angry easily with him. No matter what he's done wrong, his mother would always forgive him. The same goes to his father. Sendoh missed them terribly. After the accident, he had been living with his mother's sister until he is old enough to live alone. Then…
"Ring! Ring!" Sendoh snapped out of his thoughts. He reached out for the telephone that was beside the photograph.
"Moshi-moshi. Sendoh desu," he greeted happily.
"Akira, it's me," a feminine voice answered.
"Oba-san, how are you? It's been a long time," Sendoh said. He was glad she called. He missed her.
"I'm fine. Just call to check on you."
"Thanks. I can take care of myself now. I'm not the young Akira you know anymore. I've grown up and changed."
"I'm glad," her voice seemed longing to see him.
"Hey, who's that on the phone?" a sort of rough voice from the distance was heard through the phone.
"Akira, I'll call you back next time, okay?" his aunt's voice was kind of scared and in a hurry.
"Okay, take care of yourself," Sendoh said. Then the other line was cut off. Sendoh sighed.
'It must be him again,' he thought. Her so-called husband. He remembered he was very unhappy at his arrival in the family. Sendoh sighed again.
'Well, I better go to sleep,' he thought to himself.
-tbc-
Please review!!!
Chapter 3
It's been one week since school started. Everything is going well. Each sports team are getting ready to enter their competitions respectively. And among those who have the most training is the basketball team in Ryonan.
"You call that a shot?! Your opponent would have easily blocked it!" As usual, Taoka-sensei gives the hardest training. He was scolding the year-ones and they were dead scared of him. Even the seniors are afraid of him.
"Sendoh!" he called.
"Huh?" Sendoh looked at him. He was actually taking a short nap on the bench.
"Show them how to make a proper shot!" he ordered.
"Uh, okay," Sendoh smiled. He took his position at the penalty line. Koshino passed him a basketball and Sendoh caught it nicely. Then he began to concentrate on the hoop.
"Now, watch him carefully," Taoka instructed the year-ones.
Sendoh bounced the ball a few times. He then held the ball high in the air and shoot. As the ball leaves his fingertips, it draws a perfect curve line and 'swish'. The ball went in smoothly, dropped on the court and bounced a few times before stopping.
"Sugoi," whispers were heard from the juniors.
"Nice one, Sendoh. Now, I want all of you to follow him." The other year-ones began to try one-by-one. Not all of them are successful which made Taoka really angry.
"That was a nice shot, Sendoh," Uozumi said, patting him on the back.
"Sempai, I just did my best," he flashed his usual smile.
"You're really great. Just 1st year and you're already a starting member. No wonder sensei recruited you," Uozumi continued.
"That's too much, sempai. I just like basketball so much," Sendoh switched his gaze to Taoka who was again scolding the year-ones. Finally, after a few more shots, Taoka said,
"Okay, that's it for today." The others sighed in relief. They were exhausted and too tired to move.
"Tomorrow, training until 7. Don't forget or else," Taoka warned them.
"Hai, sensei!" the whole team echoed. Finally, they get to go home! Sendoh quickly took his bag and started walking.
"Hey, Sendoh. Where are you going?" Koshino asked.
"Somewhere!" Sendoh answered.
"Matte! Sendoh!" Koshino shouted but Sendoh ignored that. He just ran off.
**********
Sendoh was walking around the neighbourhood, humming a tune. Suddenly, he heard basketball dribbling sound. "Hm?" he tried to track down the source of the sound. Then, he ended up in a basketball court. That's where he saw him for the first time. A boy with jet-black hair and pale white skin. He was making a dunk before landing on the ground.
'Sugoi,' Sendoh thought to himself.
Rukawa felt someone watching him. He stopped to look at the intruder. Then, he saw him. The same guy that he saw a few days ago.
Sendoh realized that the boy was looking at him. "Ah, gomen. I didn't mean to spy or anything, I just passed by and…" Sendoh's voice sounded nervous. He stopped halfway at his sentence when he looked clearly at the boy's blue eyes.
'His eyes, it's so scary,' Sendoh thought.
Rukawa just ignored him and continued practicing. Sendoh couldn't help but kept admiring him more. After a few dunks and shots, finally Sendoh asked,
"Hey, you want to have one-on-one with me?"
Rukawa looked at him with cold eyes.
"It's okay if you don't want to… unless you're scared," Sendoh tried to provoke him. That really did it.
"You're on," Rukawa passed him the ball.
"First to 20 wins," Sendoh said. Rukawa nodded as an agreement. Both of them took their positions. Sendoh's on offense while Rukawa's on defense. So, the game starts.
**********
After a tiring 30 minutes, they both stopped. It was a tie, 18-18. Both of them couldn't get the last ball in. They are determined to win and protect that last ball. Finally, due to fatigue, they decided to take a break. It's getting dark as if it's going to rain. Rukawa looked up to the sky.
"I have to go," he said, picking up his bag.
"Matte!" Sendoh called out.
Rukawa turned to see him face-to-face. Perspiration was dripping down their face.
"When can I play with you again?" Sendoh asked.
"Tomorrow. Same time." He began walking.
"Ah! Matte!" Sendoh called out but was too late. Rukawa had already gone.
'I didn't even get his name.'
**********
Time passed and it was already night. At Sendoh's house, he had just come out from the shower. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he reached for his clothes ready on the bed. He put them on and then dried his hair with the same towel. At the same time, he looked at a picture frame, which was located on his study table. It was a picture of him and his parents.
/Flashback/
"Akira-chan, what in the world are you doing?!" his mother screamed as she entered the bathroom. It was in a mess. Bubbles are everywhere. Akira just smiled innocently. He was in the bathtub, naked. A few bottles of shampoo were left opened and empty. Mrs. Sendoh could only sigh.
"Come on, honey. That's enough," she took a towel from the drawer and wrapped Akira in it.
"Ne, okaa-chan. Are you mad at me?" Akira asked.
She just smiled.
"You're too cute to be angry at. But I'm not sure about your father," she dried him with the towel. Then, she dressed him up with a white T-shirt and short pants.
"Next time, I won't let you bath alone again," she warned him in a gentle way.
"Hai," Akira laughed.
/End of flashback/
Sendoh smiled at the sweet memory. His mother doesn't get angry easily with him. No matter what he's done wrong, his mother would always forgive him. The same goes to his father. Sendoh missed them terribly. After the accident, he had been living with his mother's sister until he is old enough to live alone. Then…
"Ring! Ring!" Sendoh snapped out of his thoughts. He reached out for the telephone that was beside the photograph.
"Moshi-moshi. Sendoh desu," he greeted happily.
"Akira, it's me," a feminine voice answered.
"Oba-san, how are you? It's been a long time," Sendoh said. He was glad she called. He missed her.
"I'm fine. Just call to check on you."
"Thanks. I can take care of myself now. I'm not the young Akira you know anymore. I've grown up and changed."
"I'm glad," her voice seemed longing to see him.
"Hey, who's that on the phone?" a sort of rough voice from the distance was heard through the phone.
"Akira, I'll call you back next time, okay?" his aunt's voice was kind of scared and in a hurry.
"Okay, take care of yourself," Sendoh said. Then the other line was cut off. Sendoh sighed.
'It must be him again,' he thought. Her so-called husband. He remembered he was very unhappy at his arrival in the family. Sendoh sighed again.
'Well, I better go to sleep,' he thought to himself.
-tbc-
Please review!!!