Red Head Chapter 1: Hanamichi, a slam dunk fanfic

DISCLAIMER: I WISH I own Slam Dunk

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Hanamichi

SHOHOKU HIGH

A massive head of red hair cut through the bustling hallways of Shohoku High, silencing everyone in the vicinity, and unthinkingly clearing the path for her when she approaches. She was tall—very tall, taller than over half the guys—imposing, and she was sporting a serious, peevish, expression which could easily make anyone freeze in terror, if directed at them.

The girl had her hands inside her pockets and her skirt was a little below the knee, much longer than average, and her pony-tailed red hair followed her movements with grace that did not suit her reputation. Surprisingly, she did have an above-average face—she could even be a bit pretty—but was unfortunately muted by her easily-irritated aura, exacerbated by her deep auburn eyes that seemed to inherently emit killing intent.

Right behind her were a group of four gruff-looking boys who was not subtle in looking like the delinquents that they were. One was a bespectacled chubby one, eating fried chicken as he walked. The other, an unnatural blonde, chewed on toothpick he probably used during breakfast. Beside him is a raven-haired man who did not look his age. And finally, a handsome man with pompadour-looking hair was walking closest to the girl. They soon catch up to the girl's large and fast gaits, forming an intimidating group of five.

Murmurs echoed across the halls, mostly from those who did not recognize them, merely curious and intimidated. Those who did know her, certainly couldn't react calmly.

"T-That's Sakuragi Hanamichi!" One yelled, aghast, and his friend paled along with him.

"That's her!"

Another boy, not a former schoolmate, but someone from a middle school nearby, walked towards them to whisper. "Why is she going here? It could be nothing but trouble." The two nodded, and the other people surrounding them looked at them as if they were overreacting.

"Why? She doesn't look that... deadly."

It was another pair of students who answered. "I've heard of her before—and her group." She paused for effect, as if their whispers weren't heard by everyone in the near vicinity. "They supposedly had never been defeated in a gangster fight even when they were outnumbered 5-to-one!"

The murmurs became wilder, and there were even some gasps ("No way!", some yelled), while some coolly dismissed them. "Probably just rumors. They don't seem that impressive." He said, though he quickly squeaked like a girl when the redhead glared at him, who luckily—for them—just continued on her way.

"They probably killed before!"

"Scary!"

With that, three of the gang's members tried their best to stifle their proud grins.

"Pfft—we're famous." The smallest and chubbiest one with glasses, Takamiya Nozomi, grinned—though a smack in the head quickly wiped it off his face. The bespectacled teen frowned and glared at the suspect, the tall unnatural blonde Ohkusu Yuji, and they quickly entered a glaring contest. Noma Chuichiro, on the other hand, was admiring his sports mustache and surprisingly rationalized Ohkusu's actions. Noma stared at their chubbiest member.

"Idiot."He said with an exaggerated face of disapproval, pausing for effect. "Don't look happy—It would diminish the 'cool' aura our group has."

Ohkusu nodded in agreement, and Nozomi blinked in realization. "Ah." Nozomi nodded in assent. "That's right. Sorry."

At this, the trio's backs straightened and they continued on with their walk of displaced pride.

Mito Youhei sighed at this, just as he slightly turned his head to his best friend. Unlike the three, she was indifferent of the attention she was getting—she was too used to it that it had become boring years prior—and he entered a somewhat hopeful daze. They were in High School now, after all, a new era in their lives—hopefully. He wondered what would happen in their three years at the new school?

Would Hanamichi finally grow up?

Even with her boredom and current lack of purpose she didn't go around looking for romance like most people her age did. Honestly, that would have been normal and preferable. As it was now, she focused on her fighting—especially since she was a girl and the physical differences became more and more pronounced as they grew up. Mito wondered how she'd manage her boredom if she was a guy, though...

Mito was, in reality, waiting for her to stop wasting her epic perseverance and stubbornness on useless things. Like, say, convincing herself that she hated something when it was the total opposite.

He heaved another sigh though it was loud enough that Hana spared him a glance. Normal people would have flinched under her stare, but he had his entire childhood to get used to that, so instead he only raised an eyebrow which in turn made her frown, though he was dutifully ignored a moment later.

The rest group of the group missed this small interaction and continued their so-called 'cool/intimidating-but-totally-awesome' walk towards their respective classrooms. He and Hanamichi were in class 1-B, while the other three in who-cared-where. They entered a dramatic goodbye scene that placed bumps on all of their foreheads courtesy of head-butts by the annoyed Hanamichi.

"What was that for?"

"Urusai." She said and stomped to a random chair beside the window, she aimed for the farthest seat.

Her minions looked over the doorsill with interest. "Doesn't she seem to be in an even worse mood than usual?" Nozomi whispered to no one in particular. It was Mito, as always, who answered their questions.

"Yuko-basan delayed her flight home again."

The group went silent for a moment, before knowing grins plastered on their faces. "D'aww…" Yuji cooed and stifled a smug chuckle. "Hana-chan really has a soft spot doesn't she? She pretends to be all hardened, but she's really just a softie—"

Hanamichi's ears twitched—hearing the statement, and she robotically whipped her head towards her minions making them lose all blood in their faces. Her eyes glowed in anger and she stomped towards them to beat them up.

"EEEK!"

"Yuji, you idiot!"

"I'm so sorry!"

"If I die and you don't I am so going to haunt you."

Yuji cried. "I SAID I'M SORRY DIDN'T I!?"

But then when the woman was just a few steps away from them, she paused her steps, her eyebrows furrowed and she whipped her head back, glaring back at the seat she had been targeting. She only turned her back for a second and it was already taken. Freaking TAKEN.

Her eyes widened in annoyance—teleporting to it—when the bastard leaned down to sleep.

"Teme—don't put saliva on my desk!"

A beat later the boy flinched and lifted his head. He had a uniquely appealing face, sure, but at the moment she was very very annoyed that he took her seat. "Get off my seat."

He stared at her for a moment—schooling a very bored face ensuring her that she imagined that split-second widening of his eyes when he saw her—before shrugging and gesturing to lean back down, no doubt to drool on her precious desk. "It's not like your name is writte—Zzzz…"

Hanamichi could feel a vein popping with every breath he took and one of her eyes begun twitching. Steam exited from her ears and she gritted his teeth. "Why you—"

Nozomi was already eating his emergency popcorn when Hanamichi attempted to overturn the table, but a wall of girls suddenly manifested (really, how did they get there so fast?) between her and the unfortunate dude. They attached themselves elbow-to-elbow to ensure the protection of said-lucky-dude. "Don't touch Rukawa-sama ,you witch!" They exclaimed, and by now Yuji and Noma—they were all safe behind the door, mind you—already filled their hands with popcorn.

It was particularly fun watching the fuming expression on Hanamichi's face morph into a baffled one.

"Haa?" she uttered, and then frowned. She did not look those misplaced haughty expressions on their faces. She glared at them, making every one of them shiver. But their wall did not budge. A wall made by a pack of fan girls hand-in-hand was next to indestructible, after all.

Hanamichi frowned, pondering on what to do next. She was a fighter, yes, but she knew a lost cause when she saw one.

But her seat—!

"Retreat, Hanamichi! Retreat!" One of the idiots yelled from behind the door, using it as some sort of shield.

She glared at them, but winced slightly at an old man right behind them making them lose their footings in surprise. The students all went back to their seats and she begrudgingly settled with the second to the last seat. This would have to do.

For now.

The classes that day were basically introduction sessions and she fell asleep on most of them, with Mito throwing paper balls at her when the teacher was close to noticing. She just woke up and batted all the lethargy away when the teacher approached her direction.

For a moment there she was going to glare him off, then he took out his fan and hit the person behind her—the annoying seat-thief.

"Itte…" he muttered, lethargically, then opened his eyes and lazily massaged his head. "What the hell old man?"

A vein popped the teacher's head, but flinched in fear immediately—probably getting glared off himself. He quickly pointed out the door as sternly as he could. "S-STAND OUT THE DOOR RUKAWA KAEDE!"

She heard a soft screech of the chair and a yawn. She could see from her peripheral view that the teacher shook, and the boy nonchalantly headed to the door. It was odd, she thought he'd actually beat the teacher up. She certainly felt that atmosphere, but in the end, she shrugged. She stood up and took the seat that she wanted.

"Weirdo." She whispered, twitching at the fact that the seat was still warm. The teacher whipped his head to her.

"I didn't mean you." She added and the teacher stomped back to the front, she looked at Yohei who was stifling a laugh. "You certainly are though."

Silence

"SAKURAGI HANAMICHI—GET OUT!"

…

SLAM!

"Che." She tutted and looked at her side. Rukawa was there standing outside, sleeping alone on the vast corridor. She sighed and knew she'd be bored so she decided to walk around and maybe go to her favorite spot in buildings: the rooftop.

She walked and walked farther and farther away from the classroom.

So it didn't explain why she ended back to where she came from.

"You've been passing by here four times, now, Baka."

Her eyes twitched. "Shut up man. Go back to sleep."

"Whatever." And he did just that.

Her eyes twitched, and out of anger she decided to jump out the window. They were just in the second floor, anyway, and fortunately there was a tree she could hang out on. She smirked and stood up on a branch, looking up at its tallest branch to see where she could transfer. It was a cherry blossom, she knew, though it was not time for it to bloom yet.

"Eh…" She turned her head to the source. She raised a brow as she looked at the window, her fiery auburn eyes meeting his cold ones and finally noticing they were blue.

"What?"

"That looks like a good spot to sleep on."

"Oi, oi. You could sleep anywhere. This is my territory now." She frowned. "And aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

He jerked for an instant, though that monotonous expression stayed. "It's interesting to see you break your bones out of stupidity."

Her eyes jerked (again) and she instinctively climbed up higher in a vain attempt to ignore him when Rukawa jumped to the tree from the window as well. He yawned and laid back down making her growl. She was not in a good mood that day, and he certainly wasn't making anything better.

But as she planned on jumping to his branch and injure him deeply, the bell rang and she looked up by reflex. She saw the rooftop. But considering her accursed sense of direction, she needed to take a shortcut so she decided to climb up the tree.

"KYYYYAAAAAAAA!"

Soon enough, she heard screams of terror from below. She scoffed and continued her way up.

"R-Rukawa-sama! Wake up you might fall!"

"KYAA! Rukawa-sama!"

"Stay safe!"

"KYAAAA!"

More and more screams resounded all the way to her, and she groaned irritably at the noise. She quickly jumped to the window sill of the highest floor. It wasn't hard since there was a branch nicely placed so that the transfer to sturdy cement was effortless. But the moment she looked at the floor, she stiffened. There were two boys who was rudely gaping at her.

"Wha—" a boy with honey-colored hair and glasses shivered, while his gigantic companion caught his composure immediately and begun to nag her.

"Didn't you know that was dangerous, girl? And are you a freshman?"

"Hai."

"Sugoi." the boy with glasses said, staring at her. "You sure are tall…"

"That's beside the point, Kogure."

He smiled. "Hai, Akagi. But isn't it true?"

Hanamichi did not like being discussed right in front of her, so she crossed her arms and haughtily looked at the two boys. "Who are you two anyway?" She asked. "Megane and Gorilla?"

Twitch

"That is no way to speak to upperclassmen!" Gorilla clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. Megane jumped back in surprise before attempting to get ahold of the situation.

"A-Akagi, calm down—" he began, but he was cut off by the arrival a girl.

"Nii-san?"

They all whipped their head towards the sweet voice, and Hanamichi's eyes widened. She was a small and very pretty girl of deep auburn hair. She had a demure air to her and she looked like a really nice girl. Hanamichi didn't even notice the two girls she was with.

She looked at Gori (whom the girl seemed to be talking to), and Hanamichi could not believe what she was hearing. She scratched her ears to check her hearing.

"Eh… it's the first time I saw nii-san speak with a girl so friendly."

"We are not friends!" they yelled in simultaneity, making the girl step back and chuckle awkwardly.

"G-Gomen."

Hanamichi calmed down and embarrassedly scratched her head. "I'm sorry for yelling."

And the girl smiled, making Hanamichi blink. She had never met a girl that wasn't scared of her from the get-go, and now even when she yelled at her... the girl seemed to still be fine with her. For some reason, she turned on her chibi-mode and stiffened in seriousness.

"Ne." she said and the girl stared at her in innocent anticipation. "I like you. Wanna be friends?"

Silence

The girl beamed. "Okay!"

And with that—everyone paled.

"EHHHH?"

…

Everyone stared at Akagi Haruko. One of her two friends, one with the big mouth looked at them alternatively in fear. She ran to Haruko's side and started whispering.

"She's a famous delinquent Haruko! D-Don—" she squeaked when she caught Hanamichi, who had a strong sense of hearing, glaring her to death. The girl stepped back and hid behind their other meek-looking friend, while Akagi (the brother) massaged his forehead and started speaking with his sister like the mother-hen that he could be.

"Haruko." He said. "Don't befriend these types of idiots! It could be contagious."

Hanamichi sighed, and looked alternatively at the Akagis. "I still can't believe she's your sister. Are you two really related? Pfft—" She snickered a laugh. "Maybe you got adopted from the zoo."

Akagi's eye twitched. "Why you—"

Kogure quickly went in between. He had never seen Akagi get so easily annoyed, this girl really had the talent in getting to people's nerves. "Ahahaha. Akagi…"

"Stay away from this Kogure."

"But be patient." He said and walked towards the bulky man to whisper something. Hanamichi frowned, and sharpened her hearing a bit more.

"She could be a great addition to the female basketball team." Her eyes widened, and as if on cue—Haruko walked near her and started awing her height.

"Sugoi." She mumbled in admiration, using her hand to measure their height difference. "You're so tall. Are you going to be a basketball player?" Haruko asked innocently, and all of them flinched at the darkening of her expression.

"H-Hanamichi-san?" the girl stuttered and Hanamichi swiftly let out a deep breath in order to calm herself. She did not want to appear scary in front of her. But... this is basketball.

The thing that she hated the most.

She shifted her intensifying gaze towards the boys and pointed at them rudely. "Let me get this straight, you two are basketball players?"

Kogure nodded, while Akagi 'hmped' in annoyance.

"I hate you two already."

She quickly turned to Haruko, thinking that maybe she would hate her too since she was related to Gori, whom she disliked. "I don't hate you though." She corrected, but Haruko did not look relieved. In fact, she looked guiltier than ever.

"But…" she began in that cute meek voice of hers. "I'm a basketball player, too."

CRACK!

Something shattered, and Hanamichi felt her legs give in in despair.

And there she thought she finally earned a female friend...

"Noooooooooooooo!"

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END OF CHAPTER 1

Coming Soon:
CHAPTER 2: Lethargy

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THANKS FOR READING!

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