Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ Shohoku's Pride ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

CHAPTER FOUR:

"Megane-kun, I have something for you!"

Kogure blinked in surprise as Mitsui sidled up to him on the bleachers, laying his gift on the small forward's lap.

"A bento?" asked Kogure, confused.

"Ah, but this is no ordinary bento." Removing the lid to reveal scrumptious dimsum, Mitsui announced, "Only the best Japanese cuisine straight from Chef Hisashi Mitsui's kitchen!"

Hanamichi snuck up behind them, eyes glaring suspiciously at the contents of the bento. "Don't you mean the best aphrodisiacs from hentai Mit-chin's kitchen? Eat that stuff, Megane-kun, and you'll just find yourself servicing the entire basketball club." The redhead grimaced in sudden remembrance. "Like another hentai I know."

"Sakuragi," Kogure began curiously, "who are you talking..." Before he could finish his question, a bright smile lit up his face, seeing who walked through the gym door. "RUKAWA!" Laying the bento on the seat, Kogure joined the others who milled around Shohoku's ace.

Mitsui could barely hide the sorrow and disappointment on his face. To his greater dismay, he saw that the redhead was already helping himself to the delicious shrimp tempura inside.

A hard fist pounded Hanamichi on the head that he nearly gagged on the shrimp. "Mit-chin?" he growled, gripping the growing lump. "How dare you hit me! Only Gori has the right to hit me like that!"

"Who are you calling hentai, baka?" Mitsui spat back at the carrot top. Spying the meal he had so carefully prepared, he snatched the bento out of Hanamichi's hand. "And give me that! I cooked that for Kogure!" Saying this, he hurried after the Vice-Captain.

In utter disgust, Hanamichi muttered, with the shrimp tail hanging out of his mouth, "The biggest hentai has arrived!"

As the redhead watched them, seething, Akagi asked with concern, "Are you sure you're up to it today, Rukawa? I don't want you taxing yourself."

Rukawa gripped the bruise on his arm that Ayako had enthusiastically grabbed. He was glad he chose to wear long-sleeved sweats and pants to cover the damage to his body.

"I'm fine," the Freshman said in reassurance. "I've had enough...rest."

"You certainly look rested enough to me, Kitsune!" Hanamichi jeered from the bleachers.

Rukawa simply glared at the obnoxious power forward. Looking back at Akagi, he answered, "I need to regain my strength, and the only way I could do that is through practice."

Akagi nodded. "Very well. But let's take it easy for now."

"Since when did we have to give him special privileges, Gori?" Hanamichi called out once more. "We've been working our butts off here, while he's just been at home doing...doing..." He lapsed into offended silence.

"Cat got your tongue for once, Sakuragi?" snorted Akagi. "You know Rukawa's been sick and..."

The Shohoku Captain's words were halted by a hand on his shoulder.

"As I said, I'm fine." Rukawa gazed at the annoying redhead through squinted eyes. "The Doahou's right. I don't need any special privileges. I'm here to practice, and practice hard I shall."

---

Despite Rukawa's strong words, everyone could see that the Super Rookie was not at his peak, often making mistakes that he would not do in normal circumstances. Even shooting hoops has become problematic for him. At one point, Kogure noticed that Rukawa was wincing in obvious pain when he landed after a failed lay-up. Instinctively, the members of Team Shohoku decided to ease the pressure on the ailing Freshman. All, that is, except for Sakuragi Hanamichi.

The redhead goaded Rukawa into pushing himself to his limits. It was obvious in the hardened eyes of the ace that Hanamichi was succeeding in infuriating him to the point of recklessness, something that greatly displeased Akagi.

When Ryota attempted to pass the ball to Rukawa, Hanamichi intercepted it immediately, swiftly running to their goal. Sweating and panting for breath, the ace gave chase, somehow managing to reach the goal before the power forward.

"Let's see you stop me, Rukawa!" Hanamichi roared as he leaped high for a lay-up.

The Super Rookie jumped as well, hoping to swat the ball away before it could sink into the basket. Off-form, however, Rukawa ended up colliding with Hanamichi. The impact with the redhead's hard body caused him to lose his balance and land painfully on the floor.

"RUKAWA!" Kogure was at the ace's side in an instant.

Mitsui was furious. Rounding on the power forward, he shouted, "That was uncalled for, Sakuragi! You know that Rukawa's been ill! Do you intend to cripple him for life?"

"Hah!" Hanamichi spat back, glaring down at his trembling teammate. "No one ever became crippled from his condition!"

"Damn it, Hanamichi!" cried Ryota in a rage. "You saw for yourself how he is during practice! Do you hate him that much that you would deliberately see him hurt?"

"Only he and no one else could stop his pain for him," Hanamichi said coldly. "Am I right...Rukawa?"

For a moment, there was a flicker of...something...in Rukawa's eyes as he gazed up at his teammate. A moment of weakness, of desperation, of tears. A silent plea that tugged at Hanamichi's heart strings, making him wonder if he had gone too far.

That flicker, however, was soon replaced by ice. Swatting Kogure's hand away, Rukawa mumbled, "I'm fine. Let's play again."

"You will do no such thing," Akagi declared, adamant. "It's the bench for you this time, Rukawa. Any fool could see that you're still not well."

"But senpai..."

"No buts. You'll do as I say." The Shohoku Captain turned to the redhead. "As for you, practice is over. I'm suspending you until you come to realize that you do not endanger the lives of your teammates."

"Fine by me!" Hanamichi retorted back. "I never wanted to play with that damned Kitsune anyway, especially now that he's proven himself to be a bigger doahou than I!"

Rukawa lifted a hand to his fellow Freshman. "Sakuragi, wait!" he said weakly. But Hanamichi had already stormed out of the gym, sliding the doors close with a bang.

In his shock, he didn't realize that Kogure had led him over to the bench, the kind Senior sitting beside him.

"Is something wrong, Rukawa-kun?" Kogure asked gently. "I know we haven't been exactly close, but I think you know that you could talk to me about anything. Does it have something to do with Sakuragi?"

A small voice inside his heart was desperately crying out to him to confide in Kogure, to tell him everything. But the fear and the shame drove him to silence, lowering his head that his bangs covered the tears filling his eyes.

"Rukawa?" Kogure quietly prodded him.

Not knowing what else to say, Rukawa closed his hands into tight fists and mumbled, "Sakuragi's right. I'm a much bigger doahou than he is."

Shohoku's Vice-Captain sighed. "Neither of you is a doahou, Rukawa-kun." A kind smile formed on his lips. "However, you would indeed be the much bigger fool if you shut out everyone who wants to help you, and that includes Sakuragi."

Rukawa turned startled eyes to Kogure. "Sakuragi..." he asked haltingly. "He was worried about me?"

"Perhaps more than he is willing to let on."

"I can't talk to him, Kogure-senpai! Not after..." Not after the way he had seen me that night.

"I think it would be best if you did, that is, if you could get your hands off each other's throats. But I'm sure that won't happen."

"How could you be so sure?"

Kogure scratched his head sheepishly. "Actually, I'm not. Anyway, just in case you couldn't get the nerve up to talk to him, never forget that we here in Team Shohoku are your friends. I'll be happy to listen to you."

"Megane-kun!" Mitsui called out with an impatient wave. "Come on!"

"I'm coming!" Shohoku's Vice-Captain patted the ailing Super Rookie on the shoulder. "Just sit here and rest. You need it."

Rukawa watched as Kogure jogged over to Mitsui's side. For someone who was very perceptive of the behaviors of his teammates, he seemed completely oblivious to the lavish attentions that Mitsui was showering upon him. That wistful smile on the shooting guard's face was a dead giveaway of his true feelings towards Kogure.

"Gomen, Megane-kun," Rukawa said softly, "but I cannot believe that that doahou Sakuragi would be concerned about me. We're better off rivals than friends. I have no intention of speaking to him, to you, or to anyone else. This is my problem. I'll solve it on my own."

---

Ignoring Akagi's stern order, Rukawa returned to the gym the following night to shoot some hoops. But even he had to agree with his Captain that he was in no shape to do anything.

After that botched practice with the team, he had gone home only to find his ojisan waiting for him. Rukawa only had time to change before he was hustled off to a hotel and an all-night party of debauchery.

The ace leaned his poor battered body under the stream of hot water, but it could not alleviate his aches. Neither could it wash away the filth that seemed to have permeated to the marrow of his bones.

"Should I get you a pad or a tampon for your damned period, Kitsune?" a voice filled with derision suddenly spoke near his right. "I have no intention of cleaning up your mess one night longer."

Dazed and in pain, Rukawa could only stare blankly at the irate redhead and mumble, "Doahou...."

With a snort, Hanamichi turned off the water. A frown creased his brow at the sight of the blood that renewed its trickle down the Super Rookie's long legs. Yanking paper towels from the dispenser, he waved them to Rukawa.

"Here. Clean yourself up. If you wanted to get fucked so badly, you should have told your middle-aged boyfriend not to do you too hard."

"Boyfriend?" Rukawa blinked back. Realizing who Hanamichi was referring to, his face hardened at once. Snatching the paper towels, he retorted, "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Are you sure?" Hanamichi asked snidely, watching the flustered ace wiping the blood away furiously from his ass and legs. "You were obviously enjoying it. With the noise you made, I could hear you from the front door."

"He is NOT my boyfriend!" Rukawa repeated emphatically, pitching the bloodied towels carelessly into the trash can. He all but ran into the locker room, quickly donning his clothes so he could be free of his annoying teammate. To his dismay, Hanamichi followed him with broom in tow, mopping up the bloody footprints he had left behind.

"Looks like you've been done in pretty hard this time," the redhead mused with a cluck of his tongue. "Let me guess. Your boyfriend wasn't enough of a man for you so you let his friends fuck you too."

One minute he was standing, the next he was skidding across the floor, back hitting the wall hard. Wiping the blood from his cut lip, Hanamichi gazed angrily at his hated rival, only to be stunned by the sight of uncharacteristic crystal tears streaming from the Kitsune's eyes.

"What the hell do you know about me, Doahou?" Rukawa sobbed in fury. "You've never considered me a teammate. To you, I'm a rival you must defeat. Now, here you are, gloating over what you saw that night. Tell me, Sakuragi! Where you turned on by what you saw? Did you enjoy seeing my ojisan fuck my brains out?"

Hanamichi couldn't speak at those queries. His face burned at the memory of the way his body had reacted as he watched that frenzied mating through the window.

Rukawa didn't wait for a reply, as he continued, "Damned Doahou that you are, didn't you even think that something was wrong? Didn't it occur to you that I was an unwilling participant, that I couldn't bear the touch nor the kisses of the man who was fucking me? No, you just stood there and watched!" He lowered his fists to his sides, trying to restrain his rage. "Kogure-senpai said that you were worried about me. I had been hoping that you would treat me with kindness the same as the rest of the team. But I was wrong! If you did care, you would've helped me that night! If you cared, you wouldn't have let my ojisan rape me!"

At that last, Shohoku's ace snatched his bag from his locker, slammed the door shut, and ran out of the room.

Hanamichi cursed himself for being such a fool. Leaping to his feet, he hurried after his distraught teammate. As he emerged from the gym, however, Rukawa was gone, taken away by the black limousine that turned left at the street corner.

"You're too late, Sakuragi-kun," a familiar voice spoke in the shadows. "Rukawa went with Takeda Hinomoru."

"Sendoh!" Hanamichi gasped in surprise as the Captain of Ryonan High stepped from the darkness. In his right hand, he carried a small briefcase.

Nodding once to the startled redhead, Sendoh greeted, "Nice to see you again, Sakuragi-kun. I hope you've been training well."

"What the hell are you doing here, Sendoh?"

"It's not my habit to spy on an opposing team, if that's what you're thinking. I don't exactly approve of Hikoichi's habit of checking other teams. I just came here because I wanted to talk to you about Rukawa."

"Not that Kitsune again!" Hanamichi exclaimed in exasperation. "Why is it everyone's approaching me about Rukawa? There are other people in Team Shohoku, you know."

"It's because, of all the people in your team, you, Sakuragi Hanamichi, are the only one who has the slightest chance of actually communicating with Shohoku's Ice Prince. I seriously doubt if Rukawa would even open up with Anzai-sensei, especially over a matter as grave as this." Sendoh tucked his left hand inside his pocket and grinned. "I overheard your exchange earlier. That was the first time I actually heard more than one sentence spill out of Rukawa's mouth."

"Why don't you just go straight to the point, Sendoh? What do you want from me?"

Sendoh handed the briefcase over to Hanamichi. "Here, take it. There's enough money in that bag to buy you a single night with Rukawa. You should be thankful that Kainan Captain Shinichi Maki looks a lot older than his actual age that he could set this up with Takeda."

Hanamichi's eyes were as wide as saucers as he peeked inside the briefcase. "Where did you get this money?"

"Out of my trust fund," Sendoh answered with infuriating casualness. Because of his rather low key appearance, the redhead never imagined that the Ryonan Captain was filthy rich. "Don't worry about it. It's for a good cause. I trust that you wouldn't use my money for something else...like betting at a Pachinko Parlor with your friends."

Hanamichi quickly shook his head, although Sendoh's words had aroused a nagging suspicion inside him. And he said he wasn't a spy. How did he know about our attempts to sneak into the Pachinko Parlor? When he spoke, his voice came out as a squeak. "Are you saying that I should do...it...with Rukawa?"

"Don't flatter yourself! Rukawa deserves someone better than you, although I cannot understand why he always gives you his attention." Sendoh turned serious. "Rumors fly, Sakuragi. Fujima was the first to hear about it in Shoyo High. The next thing we knew, even Maki has heard about it and Michael Okita in Ryokufu High. Lord only knows when these sordid rumors will reach Shohoku, but you can mark my words, it will reach your school. When that time comes..."

Hanamichi blanched at once. Rukawa was much admired in school. If news of this should reach the school authorities, not to mention the ace's rabid fans....

Noting the expression on the carrot top's face, Sendoh nodded in agreement with his thoughts. "Yes, Sakuragi, it could ruin him, which is not a good thing especially since he is the victim in this matter." Wryly, Ryonan's ace added, "Fujima had a taste of what it might be like for Rukawa."

Hanamichi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I know you're not a tattle-tale, so you might as well know. Before he told me about this, Fujima had been trying to find out the identity of the basketball player moonlighting as a prostitute in the red light district of the city. For his troubles, he was beaten up and nearly gang raped."

A shocked gasp escaped Hanamichi's lips. "Fujima-san..." he began to ask in great concern. "Is he all right?"

"Thankfully, Hanagata decided to follow Fujima when he found out what his team captain was planning to do. He arrived just in time to stop those men from doing any...permanent...damage to Fujima."

"I...I don't understand." Hanamichi's voice trembled as he spoke, stunned by what he had learned. "Why would Fujima-san risk his life for a member of an opposing team?"

"You don't get it, do you, Sakuragi? Haven't you ever wondered why we hold practice games among rival schools or why Maki invited you to join him and Nobunaga Kiyota to watch the game of the 'Star of Aichi'? Although we are rivals, by the simple fact that we all belong to Kanagawa Prefecture, we consider ourselves a family and, as family, we take care of our own. Rukawa is in desperate need of help. It was only to you he admitted this fact, that is why we cannot butt our noses into this business. But we can't just stand by and watch Rukawa destroyed. We do not want to see his bright future ruined." The Ryonan Captain added truthfully, "If the same thing happened to you, we would come to your aid as well, Sakuragi."

Hanamichi mulled over Sendoh's words. Straightening up, he said firmly, "You're right, Sendoh-san," according the Ryonan Captain the proper deference. "Something must be done about this. I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I will think of something to get Rukawa out of this mess."

"We'll be counting on you, Sakuragi-kun." Sendoh was about to walk away, but stopped. Turning one last time, he advised, "Don't foul up, Sakuragi. If I'll be forced to interfere in this affair, I swear I'll steal Kaede Rukawa right from under your nose."

The furious words flew out of Hanamichi's mouth before he realized it. "And who says I'm going to let that happen? Rukawa will never be yours because he's..." The redhead stopped at once before he could utter that last word. Still, that one word echoed inside his mind, to be filled with the image of a tear-filled Kitsune.

He's mine, Sendoh. Rukawa Kaede belongs to me.