Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.

A/N: Okay, for everyone who wants me to finishes my FMA story, that may take awhile. Sorry for the delay in that, and I hope you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me.

My four couples I have decided on are all BladebreakerxOC so if that doesn't interest you, I'm sorry but that's what this is about.

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We were strangers
Starting out on a journey
Never dreaming
What we'd have to go through
-Rickard Marx and Donna Lewis, "At the Beginning"
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Take a while to rest, Mr. Dickenson had said. They'd had a tough time in the last tournament and had earned a small vacation.

Take a dip out of the spotlight and live normal lives for a little while, he'd insisted.

Kai preferred the spotlight to this.

This, by the way, was a small house Mr. D had rented for them. It was two stories high, painted a dull gray with nothing exciting about it. They had already seen the inside when they'd first arrived. Upstairs was a small kitchen, a dining room with sparse decorations, a bedroom furnished with a bunk bed and a few other necessities, a side room that would serve some unknown purpose, and a living room with, by far, the most luxuries. A bedroom identical to the first was lay hidden downstairs, along with the only bathroom.

Maine, he had gathered, was no more exciting than this house.

"Hey, Maxie and I will share the upstairs room. Ray, you and Kai can take the basement room, alright?" Tyson's first idea in…well a long time. With all the time zone changes, no one had much clue what time it was.

"Sure, sound fine to me." Ray looked around. The summer sun was still high in the sky and bathed almost everything in light. What didn't glitter in the sun's rays was hidden by deep shadow, but was still as pretty to him.

Tomorrow, Monday, would mark their first day going to school around here. They would all be going to the Waylon Saunders Middle School, which was hardly a couple miles up the road. It was a small, humble community and quite a change from their usual surroundings.

Kai didn't argue the decision; it suited him fine. With them, members of the Bladebreakers carried a small bag of essentials. Their other things would be brought within the next hour or so, according to their instructions, so they needn't worry. Kai had been content with carry only his beyblade, while the other had brought little things to entertain them on the plane trip.

"Hey, remember that little country store we passed? I wrote down the phone number; so we can order some pizza or something." Ray's suggestion was greeted with enthusiasm from Tyson and Max, and he took Kai's silence for agreement. He grabbed out his cell phone and dialed the number while two of his teammates stared at him hungrily.

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"Hey, Mesu, got a second?" The small store required only half the volume, but the point got across no less. The young man behind the counter grinned as a younger girl sitting at a table in the back rolled her eyes a stood, stowing her notebook in her backpack.

"What is it Rylin?" She asked.

"The house someone rented up on Summer Street…you know the place. Someone ordered three large pizzas. You said you were going to see Bailey, right? It's on the way, so why don't you drop them off?" The jade eyes were unimpressed. "I'll give you three dollars." An eyebrow rose.

"Make it $3.25; I want a gumball." The simple request let them share a laugh before the blonde-haired Rylin grabbed the amount requested from his pocket and forked it over to the eager Mesu. He placed the pizzas in the large bag and handed them over.

"Mesu, want to come over for dinner tonight?" It was an innocent request; Rylin was dating someone already and was interested in the brunette only as a friend, almost a sister. However, the subject meant a lot more, and they both knew it. Ever since they ice storm last year had brought the young girl's house crashing down on her parents, she'd stayed by herself in a small shack by the pond with her rottweiler, Jessi.

"No," Mesu said, a little too politely. "No thank you. Maybe another time." How many times had he heard that? Too many.

"Mesu, pride's a sin you know. You can lean on people for help." No answer came, only the tinkling of the bell as the brunette left. The boy shook his head mournfully, wondering where the happier times had gone. The birthday two years ago where he had bought her that lost little puppy? The Christmas when she'd kissed her daddy under the mistletoe and giggled when he tickled her feet?

Oh no, now don't go thinking Mesu's your average cynical girl who never smiles. She smiles aplenty, still loves to laugh, has friends…she's not you angst-ridden-teen-with-a-grudge. She's a little bit of everything, sugar, spice, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

With this in mind, Rylin chuckled and began to clean up his mess and wait for the next customer.

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The doorbell sounded through the empty house. "I've got it! I've got it!" Tyson shouted happily, running for the door. He got there just in time to watch Max open it to a girl around their own age holding their pizzas. Max gave her the money and she forked over the goods.

"Hey, don't forget your tip!" Max said as she turned to leave. The strange turned around and smiled.

"Don't worry; already paid for. Consider it a house-warming gift. Sorry I'm not being very polite. I'm Mesu, Mesu Inu. You?"

"I'm Max, and this is Tyson. Hey, do you go to school around here?"

"Yeah, the middle school. I live down the road apiece. Why, you going there?"

"Yeah, actually we are."

"Cool! Well, how about as a welcome-to-the-school present, you walk there with me and one of my friends? That sound okay to you?"

Tyson nodded eagerly. "Totally! But, Kai and Ray can come too, right?" Mesu nodded just as eagerly.

"The more the merrier!" Plans were made, and it was decided they would meet up at the end of Summer Street at 7:30, so they'd have time to be early and take their time.

Who knew that this adventure to school would begin an important leg in the lives of eight young people? Certainly not them, that's for sure.

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Not all that great, but a good start. Please no flames!