The Only Exception

Author's Note: Hi! This is my very first ever story in the world of fanfic. As a result of my idleness and 'chronic' day dreaming in the office, this fic was born. Hope you enjoy reading!

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk is not mine.

Chapter 1: The Unexpected Musings of a Fox

"Who the bloody hell is making that horrible sound?"

Rukawa was jostled awake from his slumber, a frown forming on his usually stoic face. He was supposed to enjoy the cool air brought by the spring season by taking his regular nap in the rooftop after lunch, but instead, some idiot decided to take his sanctuary and make it as her own concert arena, with him as the unwilling audience. He concluded the owner of the disembodied voice was a she, with her sounding like a banshee and all.

If there is one thing Rukawa hates, besides losing in a basketball match, and that red haired idiot; it is being disturbed from his sleep. Those who dared ended up dead.

"Well, mostly beaten up." He mused, recalling the battered condition he left his alarm clock this morning.

Rukawa tried blocking the noise coming from the opposite side of the stairwell wall, but failed. Every sound that she's making is slowly getting into his nerves. She's now using her water bottle to function as some sort of percussion instrument, beating it furiously on the floor, totally not in rhythm with her singing. He's contemplating on ending both their suffering, thinking of ways to shut her up without confrontation and physical injury. He can give her his infamous glare, as majority of them either passed out or got scared whenever they became the receiving end of his evil eye. "Good idea" he thought... Now, if only he could command his body to cooperate and rise up, he could finally get rid of this nuisance and continue with his sleep. But laziness overpowered his lack of patience, so he remains lying on the floor. After all, he was not only famous for being the ace of Shohoku, but also well-known for his tardiness, so he's not going to inconvenience himself just because of some girl with an annoying voice.

Fortunately, his misery was saved by the bell, signalling the end of lunch. He could hear the girl scrambling to her feet and darting out to the door.

And then there was silence. Rukawa basked in his glorious moment of solitude.

"Ah, peace at last."He muttered and resumes his dreamless slumber.

XXXXX

"He who sings scares away his woes."

Rukawa thought randomly.

Seriously, he's quoting Don Quixote now? Who's next, Shakespeare? Rukawa rubbed his face with both of his hands in irritation. His sleep deprived state was definitely messing with his brain.

For the second time this week, his much sought after nap was once again disrupted by the same troublesome girl. He was unsure whether the girl's mission in life was to annoy the hell out of him, or to confuse the hell out of him.

Sitting upright, with his head resting on the wall behind him, Rukawa tried to focused his attention on the moving clouds above him. "Is that cumulus? Or cirrus?"

Another sob was heard.

Rukawa closed his eyes, furrowed his brows, and felt an unfamiliar sense of discomfort. His face may be lacking emotions most of the time, but that doesn't mean he's completely heartless. Yesterday's event was a concrete proof of that, when he showed mercy at her awful voice and song choice.

But this time, it was difficult and would be considered extremely cruel of him to think of ways to silence her up. Given a choice, he would prefer listening to her belting out crap music than hearing her gut wrenching sobs. It's sad and tragic and it's making him uncomfortable.

Not able to withstand another bout of her crying feat, he got up from his sitting position, and decided to escape this awkward feeling of helplessness.

"A body at rest will remain at rest, unless an external force acts upon it."

"Huh." He's becoming quite an 'intellectual' when she's around. Maybe he should stay behind, ask her who the author behind those words is. Maybe that would finally put an end to her cyring.

"Nah. Who gives a shit?" Rukawa thought, irritated at his ridiculous musings.

As he headed towards the door, leading down to the staircase, a petite girl wearing too many pink ribbons on her hair, suddenly appeared out of the doorway. She let out a loud shriek when she saw him standing no more than two meters away from her.

"Great. Another shrieking girl."

The crying suddenly ceased. And the silence was then replaced by the stuttering girl in front of him.

"R-Rukawa S-sem-p-pai."

He stood motionless, his eyes piercing on the girl in front of him, her face oddly becoming the same color as the 'gazillions' of ribbons perched on her hair. Resisting the urge to push her away from the door, he gave her one of his withering glare instead.

But it produced an opposite reaction. Instead of scaring her, it seems to motivate her. The girl took another step towards him, closing the distance. Fiddling with her thumbs, she looks up at him, her large green eyes suddenly gazing at him. He stiffened, distracted by the color of her eyes.

Those eyes reminded him of the moss covered wall in the neighborhood where he occasionally and 'accidentally' rammed his bike on the way home.

The girl tried to smile subtly, but it didn't miss his observant eyes. He put two and two together. The constant blinking and fluttering of her eyelashes…

"No way in hell."

She assumed that his distraction on the color of her eyes translates to something else; fascination.

This time, when she spoke his name, it sounded more confident. A complete 360 degrees turn from her previous attitude.

"Rukawa -sempai, as you may know, our drama club is organizing a school play for the annual festival, and we've decided that you are perfect for the role of one of the characters." She told him matter-of-factly.

As she continued to babble on about the play, Rukawa's mind was a jumble of mess.

"Me? On a freaking school play?! She's gone cracked."

"Get out of my way." He told her before adding in an afterthought, "Before I lose my temper and tie you upside down with those ribbons of yours."

Her eyes widened in shock, and this time, her response looks real. The death glare, it seems, is still working after all. He thought he was getting rusty.

"B-but don't you wanna know which part was offered-" He shot her down with another glare.

He was about to move past her, when she suddenly covered her eyes and wailed rather loudly.

He groaned. "Why me?"

W-why do y-you have to be so r-ruthless? I didn't do anything wrong to you for me to be treated this way." She said in between sobs.

Rukawa runs his right hand through his messy black hair, frustrated beyond means. "She was guilt tripping him, now?"

As she continued to sob relentlessly, Rukawa couldn't help but compare the cries she heard a while ago from anonymous girl, to the ones made by moss-eyed girl in front of him. Not that he was an expert in distinguishing cries, but this one sounded force. Even fake. So unlikely from the melancholy cries made by the mystery rooftop concert queen.

"Stop wasting my time." He finally muttered and shoved her away from the door, having enough of these two girl's drama.

"Why am I always surrounded by crackheads?" He complained to no one as he grudgingly took the steps from the staircase.

As he headed back to the classroom, he took no notice of the posters and club announcements pinned on the bulletin board. It does not concern him anyway.

Plastered on the center of the board was a large pink-colored poster which states:

The drama club wants you!

We will be holding auditions for our school play entitled Sleeping Beauty;

this coming Friday, at 3 pm, in the school auditorium.

If interested, please register your name below.

Hope to see you there!

And written below the registration list, in scrawny handwriting and big bold letters, was the name:

KAEDE RUKAWA.

XXXXX

So, what do you think? Please review! Thank you! (=^_^=)