Red Head

Fishing Pole

SHOHOKU HIGH

Rukawa stared at the window. For some reason, he couldn't fall asleep—not when the teacher of the third period was already there and she had yet to arrive. He stared at Mito, and he seemed to look at her chair here and then as well. For a second their eyes met, but he quickly pulled away.

Rukawa mentally scoffed and willed himself to take a nap like he normally did. Mito stared at him. He really was acting apathetic, even when he wasn't. He knew because he saw that he could actually care.

"OI, Mito." The professor called. "Where's Sakuragi?"

"Probably sleeping in, sir."

"Grrr—and we just called her in, too." He paused and clenched his fist. "That girl would never learn!"

"With all due respect, Sir, neither would you." He stated, and the classed laughed. The professor's head was red with anger.

"Why you—" The old man gulped as much air as he could. "Mito Yohei, OUTSIDE NOW!"

And Mito did as he was told. He stood up, and coolly walked outside. He could sense his teacher wanted to throw him something hard, but couldn't. The man was afraid he'd throw something even harder.

As Mito stood by the door, he just recalled what he told them. Through the years, he had come more and more objective with it, in the hope that Hanamichi did too.

He closed his eyes.

It was years ago, a few months before they moved in Kanagawa. Ueki Hanamichi was grinning like hell. Despite her inherently hot-headed attitude, she was like most children in the sense that she really loved spending time with her parents. Her mother, an established Interior Designer, always flew abroad leaving her with her dad.

Her dad, though, was a professional basketball player—and that meant as a child she was into basketball, as if it was the only thing she could do. Her life practically revolved around it.

When he trained, she did too. She actually took her masculine name at heart even when she knew she was given such a name because her parents wanted a male for a child.

Hanamichi, fortunately, inherited her father's basketball skills. Their defining red-hair could be good, too, in case she wanted to be a professional. 'The red-headed Ueki's' they called themselves and imagined people adoring them.

"Ueki-sama is so awesome!" Her father snickered, pretending to be one of his fans. Little Hanamichi nodded and took a poetic pose to play her future fans. Mito always loved watching those two fantasize together.

"Look at their wonderful red hair!"

"Red-headed Tensais! Banzaaiii!" They yelled together, catching people at the beach's attentions. They continued laughing like idiots and continued jogging across Chiba's beautiful beach whenever they ran around.

They played together during his free time, and she always came to cheer in his games. In fact—that unfortunate day... they were headed to one of his games. Both of them slept in so they were in a hurry.

It had always happened—they always were late—and they could not have foreseen the events turned out for the worst.

Hanamichi's father died, and her arm was rendered useless for months. She couldn't do anything but brood, but eventually she went into operation and she could use it again.

But the most she could do with it was things like writing and such. By now, she was healed enough to play lightly. So she despised the people who could still play to their fullest, and despised herself for still being unable to get over her father's death. She vented it all on basketball—and she was too stubborn to admit it and change back.