This is absolutely AU. Throw away any knowledge of Slam Dunk before you read this. Only the characters (and hopefully their personalities) are the same.

He is twenty-one – fresh out of university with a law degree – when he first enters 'The Espresso Room' in search of shelter from the heavy downpour. The coffee shop is full of life, despite its small size. The incessant ringing of the counter bell, the yelling of orders and catch-up conversations drown out the background music. The pungent scent of coffee beans wafts into his nostrils and his mouth waters ever-so-slightly.

Somehow he manages to find a table for one in the crowded place. It probably has something to do with the skimpily dressed waitress batting eyelashes at him. To her chagrin, he spares her nothing more than a glance.

He gazes at the other customers - families, couples, friends – before he focuses his attention on the book in his hands.

"Excuse me?"

He doesn't know how he manages to hear the voice amongst the noise but he does. Standing abashedly beside his table is a girl who looks no older than him. Her chocolate-coloured locks reach slightly below her shoulders framing her pale complexion. It is only when he notices her looking at him expectantly, does he realise he's been staring.

"What?"

The stranger's cheeks flush crimson as she directs her gaze to the ground. Just when Rukawa tires of the girl's antics, she sticks her hand in his face and looks him boldly in the eye.

"My name is Akagi Haruko."

Oh, of course.

He ignores her for his book, expecting her to give up and leave him alone. He has much more experience in this field than he is proud of; he knows not to engage in any conversation with fan girls unless absolutely necessary.

But she doesn't walk away.

So he retorts, "That's good to know."

If she is anything like the other girls, she wouldn't take his sarcasm very well. She'd probably become upset, mutter a few profanities at him and leave (hopefully gossiping about the 'rude man by the window' with her lady friends and effectively reduce the size of his fan club).

He doesn't hear footsteps or spiteful words.

Instead he looks up to see her hand lower and a nervous smile on her face. Rukawa can't tell if she's persistent or patient.

Twiddling her thumbs she speaks hesitantly, "I'm not sure we're on the same page here."

Either way, her company is not appreciated.

"And what makes you think that?" He rests his chin on his fist and raises an eyebrow mockingly, cold cobalt eyes shooting her an icy glare as if intimidating her into leaving him be.

She brushes aside his sarcasm for a second time and briefly averts her attention to the book he's reading. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' she muses to herself before meeting his stare.

"I'm sorry." She says, her tone sounding so genuine that it baffles him. Why does she not carry any anger towards him for his cold demeanour? Sure his reaction is a necessary precaution for himself, but it's not like she knows that.

"I was told that I'd be meeting a man at this table..."

He snorts at her excuse. This isn't the first time he's heard the 'blind date scenario' from a stalker and even if it is, he won't fall for it. Then again it wouldn't be the first time he's been given a reserved table from a fawning waitress.

"…so am I correct in assuming you're not Miyagi Ryota?"

"That's me!"

She turns around to see a man only slightly taller than her with a glimmering stud on his left earlobe. His eyes rake over her form and the corner of his lips lift in a half-smile of approval.

"And you must be the lovely Haruko-chan." He throws a wink in her direction.

Her face glows bright red at his blatant flirting but she laughs it off. "Hai, Miyagi-san!"

"Let's go somewhere less crowded…"

Seeing as he is no longer the centre of attention, Rukawa returns to the comfort of his novel and prays to whomever who's up there that the pair will forget his existence. Unfortunately Kami doesn't appear to be on his side today.

"I'm really sorry for bothering you." She chimes and he detests the fact that the noises of the cafeteria are not loud enough to drown out her voice. He scoffs but continues reading. If she really is sorry, she wouldn't be talking to him right now.

Just when he thinks he has rid himself of their presence, he feels a light tap on his shoulder and a warm breath by his ear.

"By the way, it isn't a happy ending."

He watches her walk away before flipping to the last page.

He sees her a month later sitting at a table in the same coffee house.

Although the rain is pouring just as heavily as it did then, the coffee house is not as crowded. This may partially be due to the new café opening up across the street but Rukawa isn't complaining. He finds a small table (without the aid of any waitresses) at ease; sits down on a wooden chair and pulls out another book.

That's when he sees her.

She sits opposite the same man from a month ago (Miyashi, was it?) with his arm wrapped around another woman with curly hair. Judging by the proximity between the man and the unknown woman, he assumes that the girl's (whose name he can't remember) blind date did not go too well (he questions why he remembers).

Yet she doesn't look the slightest bit envious of the couple's happiness. Instead she appears to be just as happy for them as they themselves are, if not more so.

Rukawa – realising that he's paying the stranger a lot more attention than she's worth – quickly goes back to reading before he gives her (or anyone else) the wrong impression.

"Hi there!" a feminine voice proclaims; based on its shrill tone he knows it doesn't belong to the girl he met last month. Before the waitress has time to say anything else he sends her off with two words, "Black coffee," all the time never looking away from the page.

His focus is broken by the loud clattering of his coffee on the table yet he refuses to give the waitress the attention she obviously craves. However there seems to be a growing number of persistent women in the world (or just in the coffee house) because she continues to hover around him, ignoring the calls from other customers.

It is only when she has the audacity to bend over him and inspect the item he finds more interesting than her, does he react.

"What is 'Cry, Our Beloved Country' about?"

He sets the book down and glares at her. The waitress smirks – thinking she finally has his attention – but then her grin falters at the glower he throws her way.

"Read it yourself, though I doubt you have the brain capacity to."

It takes her a while to understand his words but when she does, she huffs haughtily and walks away with whatever dignity she has left.

Rukawa is left to finish his drink in silence, signalling the waitress once he's done. She arrives with the bill and leaves with his money right after he pays (not before shooting him a steely glare).

Just as he gets up to leave, he catches sight of a neatly folded napkin placed on the corner of his table that wasn't there before. Briefly glancing around the café to find everyone else preoccupied, he takes the napkin and unfolds it.

'This one doesn't have a happy ending either.'

- Haruko

There is now one less nameless face in the crowd.

Their meetings become slightly more frequent from that day onwards. He doesn't plan it that way and based on the pleasantly surprised expression on her face, she doesn't either. Although that doesn't deter them from their dozes of coffee whenever it's raining, it doesn't encourage them either.

When their eyes meet, he doesn't smirk or nod in recognition. Nonetheless, she smiles but doesn't approach him. He comes here for the coffee; she comes here for the company (of her friends, of course. They could barely call this bonding). Both of them have their own separate agendas, not involving each other.

They aren't strangers but they aren't friends either.

By now the waiters and waitresses here know not to interact with him unless absolutely necessary. So he basks in the warmth glow of the lights, the low buzz of conversation and the scent of coffee beans, in much preferred solitude.

Today, the only piece of literature occupying him is the jobs section of the newspaper. An ambitious lawyer like himself won't sit around unemployed for long. If he wants to end up in the big leagues he'll need to start somewhere and fast.

With a red pen Rukawa breezes through job openings, marking anything he spares a second glance to with rapid circles. Once again he orders black coffee and tunes out everything around him.

So focused is he on the task at hand that he almost jumps out of his seat in surprise when he hears a knock on his table. His head shoots up immediately to scowl at the person who broke his concentration yet he meets nothing but another folded napkin.

Huffing angrily, Rukawa's respect for his female acquaintance dwindles as he grabs the napkin and unfolds it with exaggerated force. But once he sees what's inside, the anger subsides.

'Go to Hammonds and ask for Akagi Takenori at the front desk.

Tell them Haruko sent you.'

He looks around the café for the brown-haired lady only to watch her walk out the door.

After a lot of hesitation, Rukawa walks into Hammonds despite every fibre of his being telling him to do otherwise. He doesn't know anything about this girl except for her name. Giving her the slightest bit of trust is not wise.

But at this point in his life he has nothing to lose.

The lavishly decorated front desk is beside the entrance and a tall man with fiery red hair sits behind it. A long hallway presents itself to him, with doors on the left and right.

He casually strolls up to the desk and states in a monotone, "I'm looking for Akagi Takenori. Haruko sent me."

By the time he has finished his sentence, the redhead's eyes form heart shapes. Rukawa isn't sure which of the two names caused such a reaction (although he hopes for his sake that it's the latter).

"HARUKO-CHAN?!" a disturbing grin settles on the man's lips. All of a sudden his grin falters and his eyes narrow to slits. "What do you want with my–?"

"Your what, Sakuragi?" A deep voice bellows, promising a lifetime of pain. Footsteps resonated throughout the hall as a bulky man approaches them at an achingly slow pace. He does not look pleased.

"I am Akagi Takenori. May I help you?" Something in the tone of his voice and his scrutinising glare give Rukawa the feeling that he's not really asking a question.

"Gori!" The receptionist – whom both serious men have forgotten – exclaims, "He says Haruko-chan sent him!"

"Haruko?" His eyebrows raise in surprise and the weight of his glare immediately vanishes. "Come with me." He mutters; his tone far lighter than before. Rukawa can't help but wonder what kind of woman Haruko must be in this place if the mere mention of her name can change these people's demeanours.

It turns out Akagi Haruko is the younger sister of Akagi Takenori: a man who recently opened up his own law firm 'Hammonds', right in the city. He's been on the lookout for any aspiring attorneys who lack the experience in court that make them uncompetitive to others.

His imouto – an efficient job interviewer in the firm – has taken it upon herself to aid her brother by scouting for any potential employees, the last person she brought in being Miyagi Ryota.

Unfortunately, although Rukawa is one of the few whom Haruko has acknowledged to be worthy enough for her older brother to meet, routine is routine. Therefore, now that Takenori has somewhat approved of her choice, he must be officially interviewed.

Three months after their first meeting Rukawa stands outside the once bustling café.Now a few painted letters have crumbled off to form 'The E press R om'. He wipes off the sweat forming on his palms as he enters the coffee shop.

This time when he sees the brown-haired girl, he doesn't walk in the other direction. Instead he goes right up to her table and sits down on the chair opposite her, ignoring the fact that several months ago he denied her company and ironically here they are, sitting at a table by the window together.

"Good afternoon Rukawa-kun." She smiles at him as though it really is a good afternoon. When she realises the suffix she unconsciously added to his name, she covers her hand with her mouth. "Y-you don't mind me calling you that… do you?"

In all truth he does. But he figures he's given her enough reason to not offer him the job in their previous encounters so he lets it slide, shaking his head to show his consent.

"That's great!" She signals for a waiter, "Shall we order first?"

He nods.

When their server arrives they both order their regulars: hazelnut café latte and black coffee. They sit in comfortable (for him at least) silence until their drinks arrive.

Once the waiter is out of sight Haruko speaks again, "Before I start the interview, are there any questions you have for me?"

There is silence at first. However she can tell by his pursed lips and shifty eyes that he has something to say.

"How did you know I wanted to be a lawyer?"

She releases a breath she doesn't realise she's been holding and giggles. "I studied psychology in university so observing people has become a habit of mine." When he doesn't reply she takes it as a cue to continue.

"The first book you read, To Kill a Mockingbird, revolves around court injustice and prejudice. One of the protagonists is a professional lawyer, bound to the court not by his career but by justice.

"I'm assuming the biased trial ending didn't satisfy you yet still left you intrigued. So you moved on to your second book, Cry My Beloved Country to explore the concept of prejudice with hopes of a better ending. When you didn't get what you wanted the second time, you decided to create that happy ending yourself in real life right at the heart of the problem, the courtroom.

"You probably wanted to be a lawyer long before then for other reasons. But the recurring tragedies in both books gave you a noble reason to get into the industry and pushed you into finding a job as soon as possible.

"Hence the newspaper you brought in. Your pen was moving too quickly for you to be doing a mere crossword puzzle so you could only be checking out the jobs column. Other than that," she scratches her head bashfully, "I was acting on a whim."

Rukawa doesn't speak. But for the first time, it's not because he doesn't want to. It's because he doesn't know what to say.

He never knew he felt this way until she pointed it out to him. Now that he's heard it even he can't deny that she's spot on.

Why does he feel impressed at her elite observational skills when he should be feeling angry for her prying and practically stalking him?

Why did she choose to observe him?

With her abilities why is she merely an interviewer?

"Why me?"

Instantaneously the lady blushes a bright crimson and stammers; a huge change from the professional attitude she carried moments ago. "W-well… I umm… let's start the interview now!"

Needless to say he receives an offer the next day and accepts almost immediately.

Several weeks later Rukawa finds himself sandwiched in between the redheaded receptionist (who has a habit of proclaiming Sakuragi and the word 'genius' in the same sentence) and the previous recruit Miyagi. Opposite them sits Hisashi Mitsui: a veteran advocate who claims to have more successful cases than Takenori himself. Beside him is Takenori's secretary and childhood friend, Kiminobu Kogure.

To be honest, Rukawa doesn't actually want to be here. He'd much prefer coming to the coffee house on his own; company is the last thing he needs or wants. Unfortunately his bulky boss insists that the co-workers bond with each other and who is he to disobey a direct order?

As usual he opts to stay silent and listen.

"So Miyagi," Kogure asks good-naturedly, "How are things with you and Ayako?"

The man in question sighs dreamily. It seems that love can turn full-grown men into giggling high school girls. "Aya-chan is like a rose! She's beautiful from a distance but cuts if you get too close."

Kogure looks at him in worry, "I don't think that's a good thing Miyagi…"

"Relaax!" Mitsui pats him on the back, "He means to say that cuddling up to her in bed is like hugging a cactus because she's so prickly."

Sakuragi bursts out laughing while Miyagi's face takes on an angry shade of red.

"That's only when she hasn't shaved!"

Sakuragi's laughter increases in volume as Mitsui spits out their coffee while Kogure chokes on his bite of a muffin. Rukawa remains emotionless.

"Can you imagine what your kids would look like?" The advocate chuckles, "A baby with an afro does sound very appealing…"

"But even so," Dramatically Miyagi places his hand over his heart, "I love all of her, even her hair!"

"I know how you feel!" Sakuragi speaks with stars in his eyes, "Haruko-chan is my one and only!"

Rukawa pays more attention at this point. He has yet to lose interest in the girl who read him like a book. In the short time he has spent working atHammonds, he knows that he's not the only man interested in their boss's sister.

Not in the same way, however.

Every time he steps out of his office he sees a cue of men lined up at the front desk. More often than not, they're there to 'see the view´ as some would put it. Although these romantically attached men amuse him to an extent, they did steer away many valuable clients and cause massive headaches in the morning.

Yet not once has he seen her lose her cheerful composure or lash out at her admirers. Her patience is–

"Rukawa?"

"What." He looks around to see all his colleagues looking at each other nervously.

"You've been staring at your cup for 4 minutes."

'And I can't even do that in peace!'

"…Hn."

Gradually they fall back into conversation about trivial things, leaving Rukawa to enjoy the soft melody of Norah Jones all the while wondering, since when has the coffee house been quiet enough to hear the background music?

He comes back two months later, sitting on his own again.

In the months that he's been working with the Akagis, Rukawa has escalated through the ranks and his name gaining more value with every successful case. He doesn't open his mouth unless he has something to say, so when he speaks everyone listens and falls prey to his confidence.

His no-nonsense attitude has caught the eye of many competitors.

Today he contemplates an offer from Linklaters, the most prestigious law firm in the country. This is it: his ticket to the big leagues. This slip is the reward for years of hard work and sacrifice. He'd be damned if he doesn't take it. Heck there's no reason why he shouldn't.

Except there is.

There is no way he would have gotten this far if it weren't for the support of the Akagi siblings; they were willing to give him an opportunity to shine when no one else bothered to spare him a second glance. For that, he is indebted to them.

He may appear emotionless on the outside, but really everyone has a heart. So he cannot help the ounce of guilt in him at the thought of moving forward. But this is his life, his road to follow, his dreams to fulfil.

He takes his time finishing his coffee, knowing that the next place he goes will be to his boss's office with his resignation letter.

With a sigh he downs his cup and makes to leave when he sees a neatly folded napkin on the corner of his table.

Anticipation takes over him. He only knows of one person to leave messages on tissues. Rumours of his leaving for another firm have spread throughout the company like wildfire; what would Haruko have to say?

Nevertheless, he thinks to himself as he opens up the serviette, nothing she says can dissuade him from his decision. But then he realises she's not trying to.

Go for it! We won't stop you.

- Haruko

It's been a year since then. In that time, not once has he visited the Espresso Room. Aside from being too busy with his stacks of paperwork, meetings with higher-ups and social gatherings (he hates them, but he has no choice in going) have kept him away from everything he was once familiar with.

It is only now during his week's break does he find the time to visit parts of the past that made him who he is today: a successful barrister in charge of the top cases. The man entering the café today is a completely different person to the man who left it a year ago.

So as he decides to take a trip down memory lane; he starts at the beginning.

But this isn't the place he remembers.

Most of the extravagant decorations by the windows have disappeared; the neon lighting no longer glows with electricity. There are barely any customers in the coffee house; the silence is deafening. As he looks around, the only people present are the waiters and waitresses (older staff who have yet to move on with times).

He pulls out a stool to sit on, wincing at the sharp echo of its legs scraping against the wooden boards. An old lady comes up to him to take his order.

"Black coffee, please."

With a smile she leaves him to inspect the rundown condition of what once was the ideal coffee spot. He looks out the window to see another coffee house bustling with life.

Rukawa wonders what else has changed.

"Here you go, son." She returns, gently placing the mug in front of him.

He sips at it, pondering the welfare of his former colleagues and (dare he say it) his friends. There's no doubt that Hammonds has risen among the ranks and is now an extremely successful firm, possibly the most sought after in the region.

He wonders what else has changed.

"Welcome t- RUKAWA!"

Sakuragi springs out of his chair at the unexpected arrival of the black-haired man. His exclamation acts like a siren and the lawyers rush out of their offices to see what all the commotion is about.

"Well, well, well!" Mitsui – looking as devilishly handsome as ever - smirks "Look whose back for a visit!"

"I didn't expect to see you again in person Rukawa." Ryota gives him a manly hug. In the corner of his eye Rukawa catches the glimmer of a ring on the man's left hand. He looks at it before directing his attention to the man himself.

Ryota – noticing his eyes wander – smiles sheepishly. "Yeah… I finally did it."

Rukawa says nothing, but the slight upturn on the corner of his lip is all Ryota needs to know that he's receiving an overdue congratulations.

"Rukawa!" Said man turns to the voice and nods his head in greeting to the boss and his secretary. Neither of them have changed in appearance either, save for the rectangular frames Kogure wears as opposed to his previously circular frames.

"It's been a while," Takenori murmurs in his gruff voice, "I hear you've been doing well."

"Aa." Kogure grins.

"Still as talkative as ever I see!"

They spend the rest of the day filling him in on things he missed as he grunts and nods in response.

Ryota and Ayako's engagement was a disaster (with Hanamichi making a drunk toast) but their fairy-tale marriage made up for it (they tied and gagged the redhead for precautionary measures). Sakuragi – who suddenly showed potential in becoming a paralegal – is halfway through his internship with Mitsui as his mentor. Takenori and Kogure are busy with their plans to open up a second branch on the other side of the country; they figure it's about time they expanded.

Haruko's name has yet to be mentioned.

It's not that Rukawa carries any feelings of attachment towards the girl. Yet even today her analysis of him both impresses and worries him. All his life, he's been a closed door to everyone. However, with several encounters she has managed to look behind the door into the person behind it.

Yet he knows not a thing about her.

That's what worries him.

He feels exposed, as though they were in a war and all his walls have broken whereas her defences have yet to fall. She is a mystery to him yet he is an open book to her. In the past year he has barely thought about the girl from the coffee shop, but on the rare occasions that he does it always leaves him feeling unsettled. To ease his conscience, he must learn at least as much about her as she knows of him. And he has a week to do it.

But nothing is given away by the members of Hammonds.

So he waits for a rainy day.

On the second last day of his break his wait is over. The showers of rain bless him as he breaks into a light jog towards The Espresso Room. The moment he spots a head of brown hair through the window he enters.

He doesn't take in the deteriorating scenery of the coffee house and lack of manmade noise. Instead Rukawa marches straight up to the two-seater table and plops down on the vacant chair…

…only to realise that the mop of shoulder-length brown hair belongs to a man rather than the woman he is looking for.

Resisting the urge to cringe in embarrassment at the man's bewildered stare, Rukawa smoothly stands up and proceeds to find an empty table to sit at.

"Rukawa-kun?"

Ironically Haruko is sitting at the table right next to the surprised stranger. Having just witnessed the awkward (yet hilarious) scene she gives him a sympathetic smile and gestures to the chair opposite her.

"I didn't think you'd visit us so soon! Is everything alright at your new company?" To many her words would sound challenging and bitter. But he knows that this is Haruko; the last thing she ever could be is unpleasant.

That's about all he knows.

"Aa."

"That's good." She says genuinely. "So what brings you here of all places?" She gestures to the empty café. "I thought you'd move over to the new place across the street. Then again," she taps her finger to her bottom lip, "You probably preferred the silence over here right?"

Rukawa has half a mind to tell the lady that he's here because of her. However that could be taken in many ways. So he simply nods in agreement to her assumption. It's the first time she is wrong.

"So how–"

"What do you do now?" The question sounds harmless. Yet coming from him with his curious eyes boring holes into her own, she has a feeling this has been plaguing him for a while longer than he'd admit.

"Since onii-chan's company doesn't need any new employees anymore. I've been here and there…" He notices her slightly clenched fist.

"Doing what?" he asks again. It's obvious she's been trying to skirt around the topic but he will have none of it.

Haruko looks down at her mug, distracting herself with watching the steam roll of the top of the surface. It is when she fails to answer that he knows. 'Unemployed.'

"Does Takenori know?"

She shakes her head slowly. "Nobody knows. They didn't need an interviewer anymore so for a while I was getting paid for doing nothing. I didn't want any part of my brother's firm's profits to be spent on my salary when I'd done nothing to earn it. So I quit. I told him that I had a better offer from elsewhere."

"But you didn't."

She doesn't respond yet he knows he's right. Anger and guilt consume him. He is angry at Haruko's selflessness: in the short time he's met her she has always been helping everyone else, denying her own happiness in the process. Yet now she doesn't want to be a burden to the people who owe her?

It is completely out of character for him to care about anyone other than himself. However Kami doesn't create people like Akagi Haruko on a daily basis. Besides, he owes her more than any of his former colleagues: she was the one who brought him into the industry. It is only fair that he repay her in kind.

So he does.

This is the only time he's grateful for having attended many social gatherings in the past year. He shuffles through the stack of contact cards on his desk, separating some from the main pile. Once he's shortlisted the contacts he personally rings each number saying the same thing every time.

"I recommend Akagi Haruko into your firm."

No persuasion is needed. It's not every day that Rukawa Kaede calls people let alone to recommend anyone so it's obvious she must be the best. He knows they are all jumping to conclusions about his relationship with the girl (the media will soon get word of it as well) but he isn't bothered about their assumptions.

She gave him his happy ending; it's about time he gave her one too.

So this isn't exactly a RuHaru romance fic. I'll admit those are really hard to write without turning one of them completely out of character.

This fic is dedicated to the ever-so-patient Lancedark! I'm 3 weeks late and very very sorry! I hope this makes up for the wait though!

Her six words: Rain, Book, Rose, Smile, Sarcasm and Bed.

Have a lovely day/night!