Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ Shohoku's Pride ❯ Chapter Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

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

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that enveloped the auditorium when the two Freshmen made their entrance. Taking advantage of the startlement of everyone in the hall, Hanamichi pulled a suddenly apprehensive Rukawa towards the stage, where the school board sat.

"What is the meaning of this?" Principal Yokochi demanded with a menacing wave of his gavel. "The matter of Freshman Rukawa Kaede has been settled. It has been decided that he would be expelled from Shohoku High School on the grounds of acts of immorality!"

At that pronouncement, the Shinietai cheered their assent. To Hanamichi's surprise, however, the males in the student body, as well as many of the girls, were silent. Seeing them, the redhead felt hopeful that he could reach these silent observers. He waited patiently for things to settle down.

Once everyone has quieted down, the power forward declared for all to hear, "I see that a grave injustice has been committed here."

That remark brought on another round of jeers from the ace's rabid fans as well as from a few members of the faculty and school board. This time, the redhead did not wait for them to become silent.

With a mighty roar that Gori would've been proud of, Hanamichi commanded, "URUSAI!"

That single word produced the desired effect. Everyone lapsed into grudging silence, sinking to their seats sulking.

"Gomen," Rukawa stammered, not wanting to see his teammate suffer the same fate as he. Tugging on Hanamichi's hand, he whispered, "Sakuragi-kun, don't..."

Before he could beg the boy for them to leave, Hanamichi's reassuring hand enfolded his again, squeezing it gently as if saying, "Don't be afraid. Let me handle this."

Bowing respectfully to the principal and the members of the school board, the redhead said, "Forgive my intrusion in these proceedings, but I only speak the truth when I said that a grave injustice has been committed in this hall today. I wish to right a wrong."

"And as I said, Sakuragi-kun," Principal Yokochi began insistently, "this matter has been settled."

"Has it? Are you certain that you have done the right thing in expelling Rukawa Kaede?"

"It is enough for us to know that he has been selling his body in the red light district of Yokohama. We cannot tolerate such immoral behavior in Shohoku."

Hanamichi shook his head. "But you don't know the rest of it. You see what you want to see, but you don't look at the whole picture. Gomen ne. I am not good with words, but I'm really disappointed."

The leader of the Shinietai rose from her seat and yelled, "If you're just here to insult us, take that garbage with you and go!"

The power forward's head whipped in the direction of that annoying girl. "If anyone dares to interrupt me again while I'm speaking, you'll have to answer to my fist!"

That stern warning caused the girl's companions to yank her back down into her seat.

Taking a deep breath, Hanamichi faced the school board once more. "You talk about this...matter...being settled. But what is the *real* issue here? It's not immorality. The true issue here is the love that a boy has for his mother, and the lengths he would go to in order to save her life."

"Kaede Rukawa was only seven years old when his mother was diagnosed with cancer, a disease whose treatment they could not afford. What could a fatherless child do when his beloved mother is at Death's door? He seeks help from people whom he believes can save her life. One of those people was Takeda Hinomoru. Little did he know the terrible price he had to pay for the man's assist."

The redhead squeezed the ace's hand that has become icy cold. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Rukawa had lowered his head in shame.

Hanamichi's voice faltered for a moment, then he continued. "Have you any idea how it feels for a seven-year old boy to be raped by a man he thought he could trust? It wasn't just Takeda. In the years that followed, as...payment...for the debt he owed the crime lord, he had to endure never-ending abuse from other men also. It was a sacrifice that not only cost him his innocence, but his freedom as well. All this for the same of keeping his dear mother alive. I ask you this, given the same choices, what would you have done if you were in his place? If I were Rukawa, I would've done the same thing."

"You cruelly called him a whore." Pulling the ace towards him, the redhead bade his teammate to stand before his detractors. As Rukawa looked on in stunned silence, Hanamichi yanked the Super Rookie's shirt open, revealing to all the marks of his recent rape. "But even a whore who has survived this...torture...would desire to be free, to have a better life. Rukawa had tasted freedom through his love for basketball. So great was his dream to excel in the game that he actually succeeded in fleeing from Takeda's clutches, to find a new home here in Shohoku."

The power forward removed his jacket and draped it over Rukawa's shoulders. "You've all seen for yourselves the talent that he possesses. There was a time when I was envious of him, but I accept it now that I could never be the high caliber player that he is. Without Rukawa, we would never had made it to the Inter High." He fell silent, his face somber. "But then, Takeda found him, and he was dragged into the muck again. What made this whole situation worse is that the people whom he thought cared for him pushed him ever deeper into the mud, drowning him in filth, forcing him to accept the lie, until he had no choice but to accept the lie as the truth. That, yes, Rukawa Kaede is a whore." He pointed an accusing finger at the startled Shinietai. "You made him believe that he's a whore!"

"Rukawa Kaede is NOT a whore!" Kogure's clear voice rang out from the back. Holding on to him was Mitsui, who was clearly ready to defend his beloved.

The two Seniors took to the stage as well to stand beside the Freshmen.

"Rukawa is not a whore," the small forward repeated with a shake of his head. "He was a victim of Takeda. I should know this, because I was abducted with Rukawa. And, yes, I too was raped along with him."

Shocked gasps arose from the people in the auditorium.

"Like Rukawa," Kogure continued, surprised by the steadiness of his voice, "Takeda was planning to take me far away and make me a whore as well." He gripped the ace's other hand. "Even though the dangers to his person were great, Rukawa sacrificed himself to Takeda and his men in order to save my virtue. In the end, Takeda still abused me. Despite this, I will be forever grateful for the sacrifice that Rukawa made for me. He stood by me, he never left me alone, even when Takeda offered him his freedom."

"Rukawa is the victim here," Mitsui strongly insisted. "So I don't understand why you are punishing him for something that he was forced into. Immoral behavior? Why don't you look inside yourselves right now and tell me if you have the right to judge him? If there is anyone here who could lift his head up high, it's Rukawa, because he is blameless for the 'crime' that you accuse him of."

Then, the doors of the auditorium opened once more, and all the members of Team Shohoku, Coach Anzai, Haruko and all their friends entered and went up on stage to join the four boys.

"It is the creed of Team Shohoku to stand by each other," Hanamichi then declared. "We are not just a misfit bunch of trouble-making basketball players, but a family. Rukawa is a member of our family. More specifically, he is the pride, not only of our team, but of Shohoku High itself. We are asking, no, we are begging all of you to please reconsider your decision. Rukawa has been through so much. Please don't take away his dream. Where Takeda had failed, you will surely succeed in destroying him. Please give him another chance and I, personally, will swear to you that you won't regret it. Rukawa Kaede will make you proud." Hanamichi beamed at the ace whose tears were streaming from his eyes. "I know I'm very proud of him."

At that last, the auditorium erupted into applause, the claps and cheers of the student body overwhelming the Shinietai. In the end, it was the Shinietai who sneaked out of the hall in shame, especially when the school board announced their final, irrevocable decision.

But Hanamichi and Rukawa never heard the announcement, oblivious to the hearty congratulations of their coach, teammates, friends, and the cheers of all. It seemed as if the whole world had shrunk into that tiny portion of the stage, with their arms wrapped around each other.

"Arigato, Doahou!" Rukawa cried happily, his chin laid on the redhead's shoulder. "Oh, thank you so much for everything!"

"Like I said, Kitsune," Hanamichi began, weeping as well, as he ran his fingers through the ace's ebony locks, "I'll always be here for you. I swear no one's going to hurt you ever again."