Disclaimer: Slam Dunk is not mine.

Author's notes: The italics are flashbacks of how Kaede and Hanamichi became friends. I hope it's not too cheesy. But I have to be honest, this is my favorite part of the fic (the flashbacks I mean). There will be more flashbacks in the upcoming chapters.


"Faster, Hanamichi!" the Sakuragi guntai yelled as they cheered their friend. The guntai was already in the train bound for Okinawa. The redhead woke up late so when he arrived at the station, the train was already running to its destination.

The train picked up speed, leaving the running boy in its wake.

Hanamichi panted as he looked at the leaving train hopelessly. If he hadn't got the back injury, he would have been able to outrun the train. But unfortunately for him, he had just gotten out of the hospital last week with the painful news that he won't be able to play basketball anymore. The news was heartbreaking for Hanamichi but his friends gave him a present; a vacation in Okinawa for a week before the new school year starts. The redhead was very eager but, due to getting use to waking up late, he was unable to make it to the station before the train left.

He knelt down in defeat and a new wave of depression made him cry and sob in the train station.

"Oi, do'aho."

The redhead perked up at the familiar voice. He turned slowly and glared at the newcomer. "Rukawa," he growled.

Kaede raised his eyebrow at the redhead. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously. He studied the tear-streaked face with no emotion on his face. He glanced up at the disappearing train.

Hanamichi stood up and walked up to the raven-haired boy. "You..."

"I'm late."

"Eh?" Hanamichi was suddenly confused.

Kaede Rukawa looked at Hanamichi blandly. "It left without me."

Hanamichi blinked then started laughing. Kaede stared at him coolly.

"Serves you right, you stupid fox," Hanamichi said. "I bet you fell asleep as you made your way over here." In his fit of laughter, he didn't notice that his ticket to the resort in Okinawa slipped out of his pocket.

Kaede stared at the ticket, and calmly picked it up. "Island Paradise Resort," he read out loud.

Hanamichi quit laughing and snatched the ticket away from the fox. "Give that back, you..."

Kaede glared at the do'aho. "Do'aho," he murmured before he turned to his heels and walked away.

Hanamichi flamed at the nickname and immediately ran after Kaede. "Who you calling 'do'aho', you stupid fox!"

Kaede ignored the boy continued walking out of the station. He stopped at his bike and unlocked the chains around it.

"Oi! Don't ignore the tensai!" Hanamichi stopped in front of Kaede and shook the bike to get his attention. "I SAID..."

"Don't ignore the tensai," Kaede supplement. He stood up straight and glared at the redhead. "I'm going to Hokkaido instead of Okinawa."

"So? Do I look like I care?" Hanamichi retorted. The feeling of depression was back again.

"Wanna come?"

"What!" Hanamichi thought that he's hearing things. The fox couldn't be inviting him to Hokkaido.

Kaede sighed exasperatedly. He was currently questioning his sanity on why he invited the do'aho. He shrugged when he couldn't find any answer.

"I said do you want to come to Hokkaido?"

"With you?" Hanamichi stared at Kaede incredulously.

"Of course," Kaede replied with a careless shrug. "I invited you, didn't I?"

Hanamichi studied Kaede with narrow, suspicious eyes. "What are you planning, fox?"

Kaede didn't reply. Instead he mounted his bike. "If you don't want to come, just say so." He started moving out of the small parking space.

Hanamichi was left blinking at the weird action. But, as he thought of it, why not go to Hokkaido? The stupid fox would probably be sleeping all the way so he will not be pissing Hanamichi off.

"Oi! Rukawa!" Hanamichi yelled at the biker. He waved his hands desperately. It didn't occur to him that he was facing Kaede's back. "Wait! I'll go to Hokkaido with you!" The redhead dropped his hands when the biker didn't even look back. He looked sad at first but he became angry. How dare Rukawa ignore him so casually just right after he accepted the offered vacation to Hokkaido! With a war cry, Hanamichi ran after the fox.

Suddenly, a cargo truck was running towards Kaede. Hanamichi was surprised when the raven-haired baka didn't even swerve. He quickened his ran when he realized that the stupid fox had fallen asleep. His back screamed in agony but it was muffled by Hanamichi's desperation to save his teammate.

Kaede woke when he felt a heavy body landed on him. The weight of the body made him lose control of the bike's balance so they both fell on the pavement. He hissed in annoyance.

"Get off me, do'aho!" he ordered. He pushed himself up and was surprised that the body over him was lighter than before.

"Stupid fox..." Hanamichi groaned. His body was packed with pain and he was fast losing consciousness.

Kaede heard the groan and felt the body went limp. "Oi! Do'aho! Wake up!" He twisted his body so he would be facing Hanamichi before he moved underneath the body as not to further injure the boy. "Are you okay?"

"I hate you..." Hanamichi whispered before finally succumbing to the pain.

Kaede panicked. He feared that the boy died on top of him. What a very scary thought!

He shook the shoulders, and noted that the muscles that once resided on there were missing. He sighed when he saw the pain-filled frown on the redhead's face. He shifted a bit so he could slide out underneath the body without joggling the body much. He groped for his cell phone and calmly called an ambulance.

Bleary brown eyes opened to regard the blue ceiling with a confused look.

"Where the hell am I?"

"You're in my room."

Hanamichi twisted his head and stared at his rival, who was sitting on chair beside the bed. "What...?" he croaked. He wanted to sit up but thought against it. His body was still reluctant to move because of the promised pain.

"You fainted," Kaede answered coldly. "Right after you saved me."

Hanamichi closed his eyes and lay back again. He remembered seeing the truck running towards the sleeping fox and he jumping to save his stupid ass. "SHIT!"

Kaede smirked. That's more like the Sakuragi he knew. A helpless Hanamichi Sakuragi was not something he liked to see. He was so used to the spirited do'aho to settle for a pathetic one. Life would be back to being boring again if he loses a sparring matched. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a faint bell. He stood up and walked to the door.

"You'll be staying here until your injury heals," he said to the redhead before he walked out of the door.

"Like hell I am," Hanamichi muttered under his breath. He breathed in deeply and was pleasantly surprised to smell flowers. He opened his eyes and looked around the room. He smiled when he saw a bouquet of roses in a table in front of a huge window. He frowned when he noticed that the whole room was bigger than his whole apartment.

"Shit!" he cursed again. He knew from Ayako that the fox was rich, but visibly seeing it was another matter. Surprise would be a mild word for what he's feeling. The richness of the room also made him feel like a cockroach in a dinner table, insignificant and a pest.

He closed his eyes as he breathed in and out the pain in his chest. Tears formed and fell even as he fought them away.

The door opened and in came the fox with a tray filled with food.

Hanamichi hastily wiped the tears away. He glared at Kaede as the boy carefully pushed the tray near his bed. He sat up slowly and was a bit surprised that the pain was only minimal.

Kaede pretended that he didn't see the tears. "My parents are in Okinawa. I'm supposed to meet them there," he conversed.

Hanamichi was baffled at the odd behavior of his teammate. He was thinking that maybe the fox was up to something.

"What do you want from me?"

"...?"

Hanamichi made an exasperated sound. "Look," he started. "You never liked me. But now you're helping me. I bet that you knew already that the hospital would not take me in because they knew that I could not pay them and that I don't a have a home that's why I'm now in your room."

Kaede calmly stared at the redhead.

"Answer me, damn it!"

Kaede sat on the chair and placed the tray beside the redhead. "I think it would be better if you eat up before the food gets cold."

Hanamichi frowned. He wanted to insist that the fox answer him but his stomach growled in attention.

'Fine! I'll ask him later,' he thought as he nibbled pieces of food. He glanced at the fox suspiciously. Kaede was just sitting there and staring at him while he eats. It was unnerving.

"Have you eaten?" Hanamichi asked to break the tension he felt.

Kaede shook his head.

Hanamichi looked down at his meal then back at the fox.

"It's not poisoned," Kaede reassured. "If I wanted you dead, I would have not let use my bed."

"What a reassuring thought," the redhead replied sarcastically. He looked at his food again and then back to Kaede.

Kaede sighed. "I told..."

"Share it with me."

"..."

Hanamichi pouted as he looked at the pile in the tray again. "There's too much food."

Kaede frowned. "I thought that you eat a lot."

"I used to eat a lot," Hanamichi replied. He shrugged his shoulders. "But those medicines I took would make me vomit if I ate too much."

Kaede thought for a minute then stood up. Hanamichi glanced at him as he sat on the bed. He calmly picked up a fork and started eating. The redhead smiled then began eating as well.

The room was silent except for the occasional arguments between the two on who's going to eat which part of the chicken.

"Why did you help me?"

"I pity you."

"Shit! I don't need it."

"I know."

"Honest, fox, why did you help me?"

"I don't know."

Hanamichi shifted in the bed and glared at the boy lying on the foot of the bed.

"You're such an asshole."

"Hn...I know."

A vein ticked at Hanamichi's forehead. Kaede glanced at the redhead briefly before ignoring him again.

Hanamichi decided to not allow the fox to ruin his night. So he lay back on the soft bed and stared up at the ceiling.

The whole room was dark and lighted slightly by the full moon. Hanamichi was lying on mountains of pillows while Kaede lay around his feet. The bed was so huge that even at their impressive height, the two could lie in it in an inverted T form.

Hanamichi raised his head when he felt Kaede sat up.

Kaede crawled beside him and reach on the bedside table. He took a bottle, opened it, and got two tablets out of it. He stood up and walked to a table with a water pitcher on it. He poured a glass of water and walked back to the bed. He motioned for Hanamichi to sit up. When the redhead sat up, he opened his palm and placed the tablets on Hanamichi's.

"What's this?" the redhead looked at the tablets but could not recognize them.

"It's your medicine."

Hanamichi looked up at Kaede. "How'd you know?"

"Your doctor prescribed them," Kaede replied. He stared intently at the redhead. "He told me you didn't take them."

Hanamichi grimaced. "It's not that I don't want to take them. They're just too expensive." He raised his hand and threw the tablets into his mouth.

Kaede offered the glass of water and Hanamichi accepted them gratefully.

"If you want your injury to heal, you have to take your medicine."

"I know that," Hanamichi answered as he lay on the bed again. He stared after Kaede as the boy returned to his place on the bed. "I just don't have the resources that I need."

"You have a trust fund, don't you?"

"How'd you know that one?"

"Your doctor told me."

"Sheesh! I do have a trust fund. But if I used it now, I'll kiss goodbye my chance on going to college."

"You want to go to college?"

"Of course, I want to. And please don't sound so surprise!"

"I am."

Hanamichi snorted. "I don't want to be poor for the rest of my life, you know."

"No, I don't."

"What'd you mean?"

"I didn't know you're poor."

"There are a lot of things that you don't know about me, fox."

"Hnn..."

"Fox?"

"Hnn..?"

"Why did you help me?" Hanamichi stretched his legs so they touch the fox's ribs.

Kaede slapped the blanket over the feet. "I really don't know."

Hanamichi stopped his stretching and recoiled slowly.

"I envy you, I guess."

"What crap are you talking about, fox?" Hanamichi sat up again and looked at the prone Kaede.

"You're not perfect."

Hanamichi scowled. "And you think you are?"

"People think I am." Kaede moved his head to stare at Hanamichi. "Even YOU think I am."

Hanamichi blinked. Is he dreaming or is the fox really sounded lonely? He blinked again when Kaede returned his gaze to the ceiling.

"My parents gave me everything. I have everything, yet I feel so..."

"Empty?"

"Yeah, empty."

Silence blanketed the two.

"When I lost my parents, I thought that I'll die soon too," Hanamichi said. "First, it was dad then mom just weathered away after five months. I was only fourteen when that happens."

"A year ago?"

"HN?"

Kaede shifted in his position but continued looking at the ceiling. "You're only fifteen, are you not?"

"Yeah."

"Must be hard."

"Only during dad's death." Hanamichi clacked his tongue in the roof of his mouth loudly. "Mom was already long gone before I reach ten. She had an accident that turned her into a vegetable."

"I see."

"Most of my father's earnings went to her medication," Hanamichi said. "He loved her so much; it didn't matter even if we don't have food anymore. He only wanted her back."

"My parents are weird," Kaede admitted.

Hanamichi was startled at the sudden change of topic, and then chuckled. "You're weird too."

"..."

Hanamichi chuckled again.

"The medicine I bought would be good for two months. I also bought painkillers. The doctor said that you'll need it for a few more months."

"You're too kind."

Kaede frowned as he tried to decipher if the redhead was being sarcastic. He didn't sound like it.

"Thank you."

Kaede nearly fell off the bed at the two words.

Hanamichi chuckled when felt Kaede tightened his hold on the comforter. "I really am grateful, fox."

Kaede smiled.

Hanamichi woke up the next day feeling rested. It had been months since he felt this way. He looked at the door when he heard a gentle tap.

"Come in," he called out.

The door opened and revealed an elderly gentleman. "Master Kaede said that he would meet you in the breakfast room." The man bowed then walked out of the room.

Hanamichi frowned. He shrugged and looked around the room. His eyes easily fell to a pile of clothes on the table beside the vase. He grinned and stood up from the bed.

"Anou.."

Kaede looked up and regarded Hanamichi a blank look. "What?"

"When are we going to Hokkaido?" Hanamichi's face glowed at the possibility of seeing mountains and hot springs.

Kaede stared at Hanamichi in an expressionless face.

"Oi!" Hanamichi pouted. "You didn't forget, did you?"

"I did."

Hanamichi nearly fell off his chair. He scowled at the fox but he just ignored Hanamichi. He grudgingly returned to watching the television. He took control of the remote and surf the channels.

There were hundreds of channels so it took him nearly half an hour before he found the daily news. He always watched the news since it was the only thing that was shown in the hospital television.

Kaede invited him to breakfast and left him a pile of new clothes in the room so he could change. The room had a connecting bathroom, and Hanamichi made proper use of the facilities quite enthusiastically. He never enjoyed such a shower as he had that day.

Hanamichi sighed as he remembered that he should have been in Okinawa now and not beside the snoozing fox. He should be on the beach with babes and eating corn with his guntai.

Kaede opened his one eye to look at the disappointed redhead, and only shook his head at the absurdity of the situation. If someone had told him yesterday that he'd be entertaining the psychotic redhead, he would have told that person to kill himself so the world will have lesser maniacs. He inwardly grinned as he heard the faint sigh. He returned to his nap and let the redhead manipulate his personal television.

"SHIT!"

Kaede woke up when Hanamichi suddenly jerked beside him. He stared at the redhead, confused at the action, but he was ignored. He frowned when he saw the horrified expression on the redhead's face. He wordlessly followed the wide eyes and stared at the television.

"Yesterday afternoon, the bullet train bound for Okinawa had exploded in a reason still unknown," the news anchor said calmly in the television. The view changed, and the news anchor was replaced by a horrific scene of the blown up train. "The counted number of death had tolled to over five hundred and forty eight. The rescuers were still trying to search for survivors, but so far no such luck." The camera zoomed in and they could see a dead person being pulled out of the rubble.

"That's Youhei."

Kaede turned sharply to the source of the voice. He was worried for the voice seemed so different. 'He sounds dead,' he thought with dread. He went into action and took the remote from the redhead's grip and turned off the television.

Hanamichi remained staring at the television even though it was already off. He was breathing in short gasp and his eyes were glazed with unshed tears.

"Do'aho?" Kaede asked hesitantly. He never saw the redhead in this condition before, and he honestly didn't like it.

Hanamichi turned to him with blank eyes. "They died."

Kaede suddenly felt pain in his chest. He had never felt sympathy or empathy to people, even towards his own parents. It was true that he's a cold person, and he never denied it. But unexpectedly, the redhead's pain became his own.

"Don't say that," he managed to croak out. He cleared his throat. "They're still searching for survivors. One of your friends could have survived."

Silently, the redhead's tears pooled down his eyes. No sound, no emotion could be seen on the usual radiant face.

"They died."

Kaede flinched as if he was whipped with the words.

"They died."

Hanamichi could only seemed to be repeating the words, as if he were to say it over and over, the whole thing was all a lie.

"They died."

Kaede's emotion cracked at last. He gripped the redhead's shoulders and shook him violently.

"Snap out of it, do'aho!" he yelled at the unresponsive youth. He shook the redhead again but Hanamichi only repeated the words again.

"They died."

The eyes that once radiate so much life were now dark and dead, and tears just continued to flow.

Kaede slowly let Hanamichi go, and regard the boy with pity. His knuckles whitened when the redhead repeated the dreaded words five more times. Unreasonable anger built up and Kaede snapped.

He gave Hanamichi a strong punch.

The redhead fell on the floor and Kaede straddled him. The raven-haired boy fisted Hanamichi's shirt collar and forced the redhead to look at him. He slapped Hanamichi with his free hand when the eyes remained blank.

"Snap out of it, Hanamichi!" He shook the redhead roughly again. When he still got no response, he slapped him again. "Damn it! Get a hold of yourself!"

A flicker of recognition appeared in the brown eyes. But Hanamichi only stared at Kaede.

Kaede tightened his hold on the collar, and moved his face closer to that of the redhead.

"Tell me," he murmured with cold fury, eyes blazing with anger and pain. "Do you have the guts to look at your dead friends now? Now that they have their guts scattered all over the place, and their brains separated from their bodies?"

"Shut up..." Hanamichi sobbed brokenly. Tears were still relentless in their flow.

"Why?" Kaede's tone became colder by the minute. He hated feeling this pain, hated feeling something that he never felt before and hated feeling the do'aho's pain; so he took it out to the hapless Hanamichi.

"Why? So you can ignore the truth that they're truly dead?"

"Shut up." Hanamichi tried to cover his ears with his hands but Kaede slapped them away.

"So you can pretend that they'll be back by the end of the week?"

"Shut up!" Hanamichi shook his head, but Kaede gripped his chin painfully.

"Come to think of it, they are coming back. But in their coffins."

Swiftly, Hanamichi's fist made contact with Kaede's jaw sending the boy in a bloody mass on the floor beside Hanamichi. The redhead immediately straddled Kaede and started punching him.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" the redhead screamed hysterically all the while that he was beating Kaede. Then Kaede forcibly twisted beneath him and now he was back to his position in the bottom. He whimpered when Kaede banged him on the floor.

"SHUT UP? YOU WANT ME TO SHUT UP?" Kaede glared at the pitiful sight of his rival. He pushed Hanamichi's shoulders to keep him in place when the redhead trashed to get free. "If you want me to shut up, then quit being so pathetic!"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING, KITSUNE!" Hanamichi shouted. "YOU NEVER LOST SOMEONE SPECIAL BEFORE SO YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT FEELS TO LOSE YOUR LAST FAMILY!" He curled in fetal position between the fox's legs and sobbed.

Kaede loosened his hold on the redhead and let the redhead curled in self- protection. He sighed and got off Hanamichi. He carefully gathered the crying boy in his arms and comforted him close.

Silence ruled the room as Kaede held the redhead until he exhausted himself to sleep.

Kaede opened his eyes in surprise.

"A dream," he whispered. He frowned thoughtfully on why he dreamed of the past after so many years. Then he felt a soft kick on his ribs, and looked down at the sleeping redhead.

He smiled when the small fists tightened their hold on his shirt. He gently caressed the red hair.

"Ah... that's how we became friends," he murmured to the sleeping baby. His eyes warmed up as he gazed at his best friend. "Sorry if I forgot."

The baby stirred and snuggled closer.

Kaede automatically wrapped his arms around Hanamichi protectively and fell asleep once more.

That was how Chiharu and Kana found the two children.