A/N: Look who's back! This was originally written in May, when I almost had my finals. Since I have a quiz on Monday, what better time to revive the Red Mark Army? It's an overused trope in the SD universe, but this is my take on it! This will somehow explore friendships rather than relationships, and I hope you guys enjoy it. :) Reviews are always welcome!

Chapter 1

Rukawa Kaede found himself on familiar territory: the slick wooden flooring of a basketball court, with three contenders staring him down, blocking his way to the hoop. Rukawa dribbled the ball, its steady staccato appeasing his ears as he sized up his opponents.

First, it was Sendoh Akira, with that annoying grin on his face. Gone, when Rukawa simply breezed by with a spin move, expertly dribbling the ball in total control.

Next up was Maki Shinichi, former MVP of Kanagawa, with the emphasis on former. Past his prime, as the Shohoku High ace bounced the ball between the former Kainan High point guard's legs, then easily retrieved it before Maki could paw it away.

And finally, the deceiving eyes of Sawakita Eiji, dubbed the best high school basketball player in Japan. The pair eased into a one-on-one stance, Rukawa carefully handling the ball. Rukawa flicked his eyes to the right, trying to fake. Sawakita barely flinched. Making a quick decision, Rukawa leapt into the air, sending the ball into a perfect arc towards the hoop.

"Too high, it won't go in." Sawakita sneered, already tracing the ball's locus, as Rukawa landed.

"It doesn't have to." Rukawa said, a hint of amusement in his quiet voice.

Sawakita turned around just in time to witness Akagi Takenori's gorilla dunk, so powerful that it reverberated throughout the arena.

Rukawa blinked his eyes open, still drowsy from his nap. The sun rays streaming in through the classroom windows was too bright, and the room itself too stuffy for a good nap. That dream he had was odd – why was his former team captain in it? – though it gave him some satisfaction that he'd beaten his rivals, with a play that they least expected, and that made him even more intrigued. Maybe he could work with Captain Miyagi for a couple of similar plays. That would definitely surprise their rivals, especially Ryonan High and Kainan High, because Rukawa, as Shohoku's ace, was well-known for his individualistic plays. It was probably time to change things up a little, since the regional spring tournament was approaching.

Rukawa sat up and yawned, oblivious to his surroundings. Now a sophomore, Rukawa was still sticking to his extensive nap schedule, as he had last year, sleeping anywhere, anytime, unless he was playing basketball.

Sleep was good for him. He always woke up feeling energized for daily team practices, and thanks to sleep, he grew a couple more inches over the winter; he was now the second tallest player on the team, after their center player, Sakuragi Hanamichi. Goodness knew that the Shohoku team needed all the height they needed to face off with the best teams in the prefecture – rumour was, Shoyo High had starters all taller than six feet. Shohoku's own Captain Miyagi wasn't going to grow any taller in time for the regionals (and he'd been one of the smallest on the team since he joined three years ago), and resident jokester Sakuragi would never let the senior hear the end of it.

Rukawa barely listened to the lesson still unfolding in front of the class, his vision focusing on the clock instead, hoping for the dull clang of the school bell to penetrate through the air. As if on cue, the school bell rang, signifying the end of the day. Mr Koike struggled to conclude his lecture as students scrambled for their belongings, ready to be let out after a long, long day of lessons. As soon as Mr Koike dismissed his class, Rukawa joined the surge of students heading for the exit, eager for basketball practice, but his teacher stopped him.

"Rukawa Kaede. I need to speak to you."

Everyone in Year 2 Class 10 left, leaving Rukawa and the elderly Mr Koike in the room.

"Had a good nap, Rukawa?" Mr Koike commented, a vein popping up on his forehead. Rukawa's face was as blank as ever, of course. "Looking forward for basketball practice?"

Only the rowdy chatter of students in the hallway could be heard.

"Here at Shohoku, we aim to provide a balanced education. Whether it's sports, or the arts, the faculty will always support all the extracurricular activities the students wish to partake, though I must emphasise that a well-rounded student will have a balance between academics as well as extracurriculars, which is why the school board has agreed upon the rule that students must pass their exams, in the event that they are selected to represent Shohoku High in competitions, because of course, academics will always be the most important priority, first and foremost…"

Rukawa was silently cursing the teacher for cutting off precious seconds of practice time. But he said nothing, almost falling asleep, unsure of the direction of the one-sided conversation, though he had a slight idea…

"Your grades aren't satisfying. We don't want a repeat of last year, do we?" Mr Koike smirked, raising an eyebrow.

Rukawa remembered what had happened. The basketball team had made it into the Nationals, but four of the starters – Mitsui, Miyagi, Sakuragi and Rukawa himself – had flunked their exams, threatening their positions on the basketball team. The four of them were the key players, who, together, had relentlessly worked to obtain the ticket to compete in the national tournament. So former Captain Akagi (the only one among the five starters who had actually done well in his exams) had asked (read: begged) the teachers for his teammates to make-up the exams, then made them pull an all-nighter to study, after a strenuous training session. Eventually they all did pass, and made it into the Nationals, playing their best basketball.

Rukawa sighed inwardly. Who cared about exams, anyway?

Summer was near, and so were the exams. In a few weeks, the regional playoffs would start, and Shohoku was one of the teams to beat.

"If you want to play basketball, you'd better get your grades up."

His teacher's words echoed throughout his basketball-muddled head.

True, his grades were horrible, and he'd half-expected to repeat his freshman year (which essentially meant more basketball, to him). So it was a miracle that he'd barely scraped by his last examinations, and could continue his second year in high school. Even so, he still slept throughout his classes, except for English, since he wanted to go to America, he figured that he'd better pay attention –

SMACK!

The basketball rebounded off his porcelain face, leaving a red mark on his cheek, and landed with a dull thud onto the floor.

"Rukawa! I'm sorry!" Yasuda hurried over to the ace. He was the one who'd hurled the ball into Rukawa's direction, expecting the sophomore to catch it cleanly and explode towards the basket like he normally would.

"No, senpai, it's my fault." Rukawa shrugged at his senior. He threw a sidelong glance at Sakuragi, who was practicing his basics in the corner and laughing at his misfortune.

"Take five, guys!" Captain Miyagi called out. For Rukawa to zone out on the court, even in the middle of a scrimmage, was something new. Maybe a break would help to clear the ace's mind. Besides, he knew that it would take a while to stop Sakuragi from his laughing bout. Times like this, Miyagi half-wished that former captain Akagi would magically appear from nowhere and unleash his infamous gorilla punch on the unruly Sakuragi, though Akagi had graduated from high school a while ago.

"You okay, Rukawa?" Ayako, the team manager, called out from the sidelines, slapping Sakuragi's head with her paper fan to keep him in check.

Rukawa didn't answer her, grabbing a water bottle instead. His cheek still stung from Yasuda's miscalculated pass. Of all things, something his teacher said was distracting him on-court, and decided to solve the problem soon. Nothing was going to stop him from getting his goals.

To lead Shohoku to the national championship, to become the best high school basketball player in all of Japan.

But to achieve all that, he had to get his grades up.

"Hey everyone! Sorry I'm late, I had an extra class…" The team's second manager, Akagi Haruko, burst into the gym. The little sister of the former basketball team captain, she loved her job and had eased into her role easily, under Ayako's guidance. Haruko noticed Rukawa's red cheek straight away. "Rukawa-kun, your cheek…"

"Haruko-san!" Sakuragi bounded over to her immediately. "The fox couldn't even catch a simple pass, what an amateur! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" As observant as Haruko was about all things Rukawa, she wasn't aware of the worst-kept secret in Shohoku: Sakuragi Hanamichi's immense crush on her. The redhead still had a sliver of hope that Haruko would one day, magically forget about Rukawa and fall in love with him, the Tensai.

Haruko still had her attention on Rukawa. "Do you need ice, Rukawa-kun?" She asked tentatively, longing to touch his throbbing cheek to measure the extent of the damage. But she kept her hands balled at her sides.

Rukawa shook his head and walked over to Miyagi. The small captain was partly surprised as the naturally lonesome ace requested to speak to him. It wasn't every day that the tall, raven-haired boy shared his doubts with anyone. Rukawa conveyed his academic predicament to Miyagi, using as minimal words as possible. As Miyagi listened to the sophomore, his eyebrows scrunched as he thought of the consequences.

We simply can't lose our ace player with regionals coming up soon, especially not to something as petty as this…

Miyagi suddenly had a lightbulb moment, based off his personal experiences. "Why don't you go for tutoring, Rukawa? It might help you…" Miyagi's thoughts drifted over to Ayako, his features softening. Ayako had been helping Miyagi in his studies since last year, and it had been a dream come true for him, to spend more time with the girl that he'd liked since forever. And this time around, his academic performance was actually improving. If it helped Miyagi, it would certainly help Rukawa. And Aya-chan is so smart…and beautiful…Miyagi was already lost in thought, his eyes glazing over.

"Captain."

Miyagi snapped out of his momentary reverie, a sheen of blush creeping onto his face. "Maybe you could ask Haruko to tutor you, since the both of you are in the same year. Just a suggestion." No way that Miyagi was going to share his Aya-chan with anybody else!

Rukawa weighed his options.

No grades, no basketball.

Actually, there weren't any. He was at a loss, and he couldn't imagine not playing basketball. It was the best bet he had out there, and worth a shot. He was Rukawa Kaede, and he would do anything possible to play basketball, his one and only love.

"I'll ask her later." Rukawa muttered, his eyes flicking over to Haruko, who was talking to Ayako. Miyagi wasn't listening, looking in the same direction, doe-eyed over Ayako. Rukawa sighed and walked off, ignoring his love-sick captain, and started practicing his jump shots.

Basketball practice passed by in a blur. Miyagi dismissed his team soon enough, already looking forward for his daily tutoring session with Ayako.

"Sorry, Ryota. I've got a family thing going on tonight, so you've gotta do your homework on your own." Ayako smiled apologetically at Miyagi. Seeing the captain's crestfallen expression, she was quick to come up with a suggestion. "Maybe you and Yasuda can get together for a discussion?" Yasuda occasionally joined Miyagi and Ayako in their study sessions, since the three of them were seniors.

"Of course, Aya-chan!" For Miyagi, anything she said, goes.

Meanwhile, Rukawa was still deliberating on how to approach Haruko, who was engaged in conversation with Sakuragi. Hell, he wasn't going to ask her in front of that idiot. His gaze focused sharply on the redhead's shockingly red hair, willing him to leave as soon as possible.

"Oi, fox. What are you looking at?" Sakuragi turned to Rukawa, sensing that the ace was looking at him. He was annoyed that Rukawa was inadvertently invading his one-on-one time with Haruko.

"Hey, Hanamichi! You done with practice yet?" Sakuragi's best friend, Mito Yohei, called out to him. "We're gonna go get food, wanna come?" The rest of Sakuragi's friends, Noma, Takamiya and Ookutsu were fooling around, teasing each other behind Mito.

Sakuragi's ears perked up at the mention of food, momentarily forgetting about Haruko. He was starving, of course, since Miyagi had worked his team down to the bone during practice earlier. "Of course I'm coming! You guys are paying, right?"

"Not if you get there first!" Ookutsu retorted. And like Cheshire cats, the four of them disappeared with their mischievous grins.

"You guys! Wait up!" Sakuragi yelled angrily. His friends knew how to tick him off. He frantically grabbed his things and raced after them, only to stop at the exit. "Haruko-san, wanna come?"

Haruko shook her head. "Go ahead, Sakuragi-kun. I've still got things to finish up here."

The redhead was gone in a flash.

Good riddance, idiot. Rukawa rolled his eyes at Sakuragi's antics. He shifted uncomfortably when he realised that Haruko was looking at him expectantly.

"Do you need anything, Rukawa-kun?"

His ego said no, and willed his himself to ignore the younger Akagi and walk away like nothing had happened. But his rationale urged him to seek help; he needed to save his grades, otherwise, he'd be banned from basketball for the rest of the school year. He couldn't imagine anything like that. Rukawa suddenly remembered that Haruko was the one who'd tutored him for the resit exams last year, much to Sakuragi's annoyance. He did pass the resit exams, performing much better than he'd expected, considering the fact that he was half-asleep when Haruko had explained something or other that he couldn't even remember now.

He felt a sense of déjà vu, where his basketball prospects were on the line due to his poor academic performance. Only that last year, it had been more pressing since he was due to play in the Nationals. This year, he had the chance to salvage everything. Mr Koike had somewhat given him a head start, considering that the nearest exams would be the midterms, which was conveniently scheduled close to the Regionals. If he did well, he wouldn't even have to retake the exams, and obviously, that meant more time for basketball.

Swallowing his ego, Rukawa faced Haruko and found his voice.

"I need you to tutor me."

to be continued