She slowly turned her head to the right, taking in every everything that flashes across her through the window of the fast moving car. Everything seems so clean, quiet, mechanical and white. It reminded her of those laboratories she always see on TV, impressive but somehow dead. She's been to Japan before to visit her aunt (which she currently stayed with right now), and she too quite a liking to it as it is refreshingly clean and quiet compared to where she lived. However it is not a place where she imagined she could live in, its not home. She did have a choice whether to live here or back at home, but the circumstances doesn't allow her much choice in that matter. At least here she will be safe and her family will also be safe, as he couldn't have known that she moved to the other side of the planet, right?

The car slowly moving to a stop in front a big white building, her school for the next of her high school life: Shohoku High School, an ordinary public school in Japan. She congratulate herself, as even if he did find her here in Japan he wouldn't have known to search at a place like this, he knew her enough that she wouldn't go to a school like this. She opens the door and took a deep breath, smoothing down her now long black hair while enjoying the cool breeze on her face.

"You just go straight to the administration and show her your application, I'll be back to get you after school okay." Instruct her aunt, a petite woman of 30's, in the car.

She nodded gently and waved at her aunt goodbye as her car drove away from the school land. She sighed and went straight into the building, asking for direction or two from the students of shohoku high school whom seem surprised to see a tall girl like her. Standing at 179cm, she look like a tower if put against the girls she saw at school today, whom at tallest stand at about 159 cm. when she finally arrived at the administration, and after few minute of last minute checkup she was sent to class 1-1 of the freshman class.

"okay student, today we welcome a new student from America and her name is Haguro Tamara, I want you to show her around okay?" the plump bearded teacher introduce her to her new classmate.

She bowed and slowly took her place at the back of the class ignoring the whispers of her new classmates. The boys seemed surprised at first but delighted to see the new student to be tall like model whereas the girls at first don't know what to think of her but become prejudice after seeing the reaction from the boys.

(School staffroom)

"Arigato Akagi, you save my life." Thanked the teacher graciously

"It's nothing sensei, I'm just doing my duty." Akagi replied, not wanting to take credit for helping his sensei to find a rare book which he stumbled upon after practice.

The teacher thanked him again and see Akagi to the door, when he over heard a conversation between a maths and language teachers.

"Wow, a student from that prestigious sport school for gifted students, the international Omega Athletic College in America transferred to Shohoku High?" asked the balding man

"Yes, I've heard it from the principal himself, a student from that school transferred here." Assured the other teacher.

"What does he play anyway? Because we can use another athlete in this school anyway." He asked.

"I think he played basketball and I've heard that teams from the NBA are dying to sign him that they couldn't even wait till he graduate, he is that good." Answered the other.

'Impressive, a basketball player from Omega, maybe I could ask him to join the team and he could be our secret weapon for the winter game.' Akagi thought to himself. Anyone who is even having slightest interest in sport would know the International Omega Athletic College. It is the most prestigious athlete school in the world, and he himself hoped to go there himself one day. However, it would be almost impossible to get accepted there as you cannot apply for the school instead the school will send talent scouts all over the globe searching for the most gifted. But it is not just some over-the-top private school, as all of the graduates there will at least get to go pro and many legends of sports are produce there. So if he join the shohoku team, at last probably they could beat the Kainan, but it does seemed odd to him that the new student transferred from omega, where the future in basketball is guaranteed, to Shohoku, an ordinary public school.

(2 weeks later)

The bus pulled to a stop near the school and she hopped down and started walking to the great white building. Its been three days since she started to go to school by bus, it was a bit uncomfortable seeing that she was still new to the country, but she didn't want to impose on her aunt to drive to and back from the school everyday as she already done so much for her.

"Hey! Wait for me Tamara-san." Yelled a short pixie haired girl who was still struggling to get off the bus. Her name is Yuki and she was the only girl in the class that would talk to her. She stopped and wait for her new friend while trying not to take off the skirt she's wearing. It is the only thing that she hate about her new school, beside the fact that she couldn't play basketball anymore and any prospect of going pro is out of the question hence destroying her life long dream to become a basketball player,the school uniform itches and she have to wear a short skirt and she is far away from her family as humanly possible, that's all. Other than that, there is nothing there is no other complain. Her academic is improving to a height that she thought she could never do, maybe its because she spent less time on practicing( okay no time at all), and more time on her study improved her result by tenth fold. she now could memorized the multiplication table, which she never got to do in the US since she thought that is what calculator is for.

"huhh…. Hmmm... thank you." Breathed yuki after finally catching up to her, "heard that's its today that the teacher will post the student-student helping programme."

" oh, damn it, it's today?" she cursed, "shit, do they think I have nothing better to do than helping some idiot who actually can pass exam by himself but are to lazy to do it."

"Come on it's not that bad, what if you've got one of that cute basketball players as a study partner?" yuki said trying to cheer Tamara out.

"idiot is still and idiot." She philosophized

"well at least they're a cute idiot, especially that rukawa-kun, he is sooo yummy.." drooled Yuki.

They laughed at yuki last statement and proceed to the school. It's not like she's a lesbian or something but attracting a guy is the last thing she wants to do, because the last time she did, she have to move to the end of the earth to avoid him.

(class start)

"okay students, as promised I've the names of partners for the student-student helping programme to improve the academic result and strengthen the relationship between students of different class," the plumped teacher announced, " but remember, you have to teach your partners every monday evening and there will be no trading partners between friend and the most importantly is that their result will be incoperated with your final exam result, so teach them properly."

He posted the names of partners on the notice board before being trampled by stampede of hormonal teenage girls eager to know their partner. The teacher told them last week, that the school administration is trying to improve the overall result of examination of student, so they come up with the student-student helping programme. Where students with good results will help to teach the less fortunate students to improve their examination result. And since then the girls in her class have been going on and on about who will be their partner and a thing called rukawakun.

"oh, I hope its rukawa-kun." Sighed the girl sitting infront of her.

'again with this rukawakun.' Thought Tamara, 'what is a rukawakun anyways? Is it somekind of raccoon or koala bear? Like a school mascot or something.'

Then, one unanimous shriek of pain and despair by the girls that check and recheck their names on the board, practically popped her eardrum. Then out of the blue (more like out of the angry brokenhearted girls), yuki shrieked of joy while running like she won a million dollar towards her. She pulled the confuse Tamara across the classroom toward the notice board, ignoring the angry stares from the other girls, and keep pointing at the names of partners at the notice board while trying to speak somewhat unknown language.

She calmed the hyperventilating Yuki, and carefully look at the notice paper.

STUDENT-STUDENT HELPING PROGRAMME

Name of partners:

Haguro Tamara ( class 1-1) and Rukawa Kaede (class1-6)

"rukawa is a person?" the confused Tamara asked the now calmed Yuki, " I thought he was some kind of a raccoon or mascot or something."

"duh… ofcourse he is a person and a very hot one at that, why do you think we kept obsessing about him anyways?' replied Yuki.

"well, I thought that you guys have thing for raccoon or something like that fetish with that fat cat with a bow on its head." She answered coolly.

" you mean hello kitty?"

"yes that fat cat," as they walked towards her table at the back of the class, "who is he anyways?"

"oh. My. God. You've been here for two weeks now and you still don't know rukawa-kun?" she asked not expecting an answer she continue, " he is the star of shohoku basketball team and he is the hottest and coolest guy in shohoku for a decade."

Yuki then go on telling her everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) she know about rukawa. From his height of 187 (correct me if im wrong), and how he is so talented that schools practically fight for him but instead go to Shohoku as it is closer to his house,how he is soo cold that people call him the ice prince and kept repeating about how he doesn't have a girlfriend yet and how lucky Tamara is to get him as a partner.

"if you like him that much why don't we exchange partners?" offered Tamara.

"you would do that for me? But I don't think the school allowed that, you've heard what the teacher said no exchanging partners." If Yuki is anything its that she is a person who always followed the rules.

"okay then, you could join us for the tutoring thing with your partner, like a double study or something." She suggest, "by the way, who do you get for a partner anyways?"

"wow, that's a great idea and I don't think we broke any rules," Excite Yuki, "this is going to be great , and I think I've got some guy from other class."

"then, it's a date, just meet me at the library this afternoon with your partner." Told Tamara.

"who's going to tell rukawa-kun we're goin to meet at the library?" she questioned, " oh, can I do it please? I am passing over his class on my way to my partner's classroom anyways, can I please…."

She nodded and send Yuki to a over excited state.

(that evening on the way to the library)

"it's a shame that my partner is absent from school today, I guess we couldn't do that double study thing we talked about." Yuki said gloomily.

"we still can you know, you can help me teach this rukawa person seeing that I'm not that fluent in Japanese." She offered.

"oh, thank you." She said happily, ' icant believe we are going to teach and spend time with rukawa ."

They finally arrived at the library to be greeted by the sight of a guy with messy hair sleeping on the library desk.

"this, is rukawa-kun I'm telling you about, isn't he adoreable sleeping like that." Cooed Yuki.

"he is sleeping? I thought he was dead or something, lets wake him up." Tamara want to get on with the tutoring, took a step towards the sleeping rukawa with the intention to wake him up from his slumber only to be stopped by Yuki.

"oh. I wont do that if I were you, I've heard that he practically grind the teacher to mush when he tried to wake him up, he is very sensitive about his sleeping." Adviced Yuki.

"then what are we going to do, I cant teach him if he's asleep." complained Tamara.

"maybe we could just wait for him to wake up." She said hopefully.

(one an a half hour later)

" well, the time is up, we wait for to wake up for one and a half already, and he still didn't wake up." She said to the Yuki, "maybe he's dead or something"

Then she walked towards rukawa ignoring the Yuki who tried to stop her. She poked his head with her finger to see any response from him, but to no avail so she check for his breathing before he suddenly jerked up, scratch his head, look at his watch and walk away.

"what's up with that?" she asked the also confuse Yuki.

"I don't know my friend but im glad he is not my partner cause I really need my 10 if my result dropped my parents is going to kill me." Replied Yuki.

"well, if my result dropped then I wont have any future, there must be some way to make him study or atleast wake up when I'm teaching him."

"I don't think there is a way, because if you go to the teacher they couldn't do anything about It, maybe you could get him to bet or something, if he lose he will have to do what you say and vice versa, but it must be something that he couldn't refuse to do.." yuki pondered.

"what is it? what is that something he couldn't refuse to do?" she aske d Yuki.

"I only know one thing: he couldn't refuse a basketball challenge, if you can beat him at that I know he would do what you told him to do but what are the chances you can beat him, the super rookie? Maybe you could just asked the teacher for an exchange."

'maybe I would do that, but if the teacher wont exchange us I will challenge him to a match and I will win, let's see if mr super rookie can win against an Omega.' She whispered to her self