ASenorita: Hey! This fic starts off a little slow but gets going. It just suddenly came to me to write it, it's been in my head for a while. There may be a little bit of OOC-ness but ah well, I'll try hard not to make the characters too unbelievable.

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade…yet evil grin

WARNING: This is NOT a yaoi fic at all, more of a friendship one

Max Tate lay comfortably on a tree branch, one leg dangling down, and his bag by the roots underneath him. It was so hot, and he was in bad need of shade, and the cool damp feel he got sitting amongst the tree branches was a huge relief.

He was hidden as well, which was a bonus, which meant no-one would disturb him whilst he rested.

So it was a big shock when he heard, "Hello Max," from beneath him.

He leapt a mile in the air and nearly fell from the tree.

"Kai!" he yelled, clutching the branch, "Why do you always sneak up on me!"

"That's a nice way to greet your brother,"
"Oh get lost," Max huffed, heaving himself back up onto the branch, "I'm not talking to you, remember?"
Kai, who seemed relaxed, leant against the tree with his arms folded and let his head roll back to look up at his younger brother.

"Oh yeah. Why's that again?"
"You know why," Max scowled. It was very hard to try and stay mad at Kai and keep his position on the branch. He couldn't get comfy like he had been before, and nearly fell again.

"No,"
"You did it, again!"
"Did what?"
"That's really annoying Kai!" Max yelled, scrabbling at the branch as he slipped. He collected himself and finally got comfortable.

"And being all innocent really doesn't work for you,"
"I didn't do anything Max. Stop getting so worked up, you're going to fall out of the tree,"
"I've got balance, I'll have you know," Max snapped.

"Yeah, and its crap,"

Kai could hear him growling at him even from up in the branches and he laughed.

He knew he looked a weirdo, since no-one could see he was talking to someone up in a tree. But then again, Kai was never counted on as being a sane person anyway.

"You know exactly what you've done. You always do it. It's not fair, you're so mean to me!"

"You sound about four years old,"
"But it's not fair! Just because you haven't got a nice guitar…"
"I like my guitar,"
"Yeah, well then why do you go senselessly destructing mine! It was new, it was a Gibson, you know how much it cost,"
"I didn't do anything that bad to it,"
"You broke one of the strings again! And it's got a cut in it. So go away, I'm not talking to you anymore,"
Kai raised his eyebrows and remained quiet.

Max, who was scowling and muttering to himself up in the tree, heard vaguely the noise of a group coming towards them.

He heard a small groan from his brother down below.

He sat up, hooked his legs around the tree, and let himself fall to the side.

He appeared inches away from his brother, hanging from the tree with his legs wrapped tightly around the branch up above him.

"Who is it?"
"Who do you think?"
It was Lee, Michael, Kane, their bunch of thick headed morons and their little gang of groupies. The girls were simpering all over them and the guys were lapping it up.

"It's sick," Max said, whose hair was sticking straight down, and whose face was slowly turning red, "They're such a bunch of pricks,"

The group looked over and saw Kai and Max, and began to laugh too loud, just to make it plain to everyone in the Quad who they were laughing at.
Max scowled and hauled himself back up, "I really, really don't like them," he grumbled as he got comfy again.

Kai continued to watch the group, even though now they had got to the stage where they were sticking their fingers up at him, and jeering loudly.

There was something, or someone, that interested him.

He was making his way towards the group, his hands dug into his pockets, his head slightly bent, but looking as if he was about to walk right up to the group.

Kai had never seen him around before. He was new.

Then what the hell was he doing walking to the cruellest group in school.

The gaggle noticed him too. Some were smirking and laughing as he pushed his way through their midst's.

Then he reached Lee.

Lee faced him, and there was a silence.

Kai frowned, studying both of them. They looked quite alike. Both were lightly tanned, with raven black hair, although this new boy's was tied back apart from the front which grew wildly in floppy bangs on his head, and the rest fell down in a wrap to his ankles.

This new boy said something.
Lee looked shocked, then he frowned.

He distinctively said, "Get lost,"

The other boy scowled.

He hand something in his hand, and Kai narrowed his eyes to try and see what it was.

It looked like they were getting into an argument, getting more and more heated by the minute, until the new boy shoved whatever had been in his hand in Lee's chest and stormed off.

Lee's cronies gawped for a couple of minutes, staring at Lee.

Lee glared at them, and they snapped out of it.

They howled "ooh!" after the boy as he left, everyone turning to watch.

"What's going on?" Max hung back out of the tree, "What? What's happened?"

He looked over at who Kai was watching.

"Who's that?"
"New guy,"
"Really? He looks pissed off,"
"Hmm,"
Max tried to wrangle more out of Kai but the blood was going to his head and his legs were aching, so he had to go back up into the tree again.
"I thought you weren't talking to me!" Kai called up into the branches as he left.

"I'm not!" Max yelled after him.

Kai picked up his bag and left across the Quad.

"Kai? Kai! Where've you gone! Wait!"

Max tumbled from the tree, grabbing his bag and running after his brother.

Ray's POV

My first day of school was not fun. I had to give that gift from my Grandfather to Lee in front of all his stupid friends. Bunch of idiots. I didn't want to give it to him, in fact, I didn't want anything to do with him. Just because I've started the school he's at, just suddenly means to my family that we'll be friends again.

Lee was supposed to be showing me around today, on instruction from his mother, but I was glad when I saw nothing of the guy all day.

Until lunch time, of course, when I realised I had to give him the gift then or there would be no other opportunity, and I had to give it to him today.

I heard them 'ooh'ing after him.

Jerks.

I just had to let Lee rile me up, didn't I? Why didn't I just stay calm?

It's just that when that over-confident, pompous prick-face jerk starts having a go at me, I can't stop myself.

That was a great way to start my time at Clerkdale High School, making an idiot of myself in front of that lot.

Wonderful.

I spent the rest of the day skulking around on my own. No-body came forward to talk to me, so I didn't talk to them.

My classes were alright, I guess, the teacher's were OK.

Nothing too hard in lessons.

I quite enjoyed them.

Of course, that was whilst I was trying to dodge rubber bands being flicked at me from behind by my cousin's friends.

At the end of the day, I was about ready to crawl into my locker, lock the door behind me and just live like that for the rest of my school life.

I was miserable.

And then I found out probably the worst thing of the day…my locker was right next to Lee's.

The Gods were against me.

What was wrong with this school, did they rig my locker position! Just because I'm related to that jerk doesn't mean I want to have to endure his idiocy all day!
I glowered and went to put my books away.

His little gang were jostling around the locker doors with their girlfriends.

I try to get to my locker but Lee is blocking it.

He finally notices me glaring at him and turns around.

He obviously didn't tell the others how the two of us are related, because the one with maroon hair jeered, "Oh look, it's you again. What do you want now?"
I narrowed my eyes at him but didn't answer.

"Move," I said to Lee.

I wasn't in the mood for being polite.

"You're rude, aren't you?" Lee sneered.

I opened my mouth to say something when I heard a voice behind me.

"Move, Lee, or you'll look rude,"

I turned, and was met with the strangest coloured eyes I had ever seen. They were a deep chocolate brown, tinted crimson. And their owner looked pretty astonishing too.

He was just about my height, with a slender frame. He wore baggy black pants and a deep purple t-shirt with a black jacket over it with three-quarter length sleeves. On his hands were purple fingerless gloves.

I gawped for a second before realising what I was doing and blinking.

"Er…" I started, not quite sure what to do.
Lee, for once, helped me out though, by saying, "Oh look, another loser,"

Who used the word 'loser' anyway? To someone's face I mean. I always call people losers but not to their face…

I'm drifting.

Anyway, this other guy just ignored Lee.

I realised his locker must be on the other side of Lee's, and he really couldn't get to it with that lot there.

I didn't know what to do. If Lee threw a punch, it would likely go through me first, and I wasn't about to get involved.
They stood there glaring at each other for a while before Lee said, "Where's your little brother gone Kai? Back to Kindergarten?"

This Kai guy snarled and his eyes narrowed.

My cousin couldn't help jibing him on though, until Kai looked about ready to punch him.

Lee laughed, took a step forward towards him.

I stepped in his way.

"Lee," I said. Sure, I didn't want to get involved, but I wasn't about to let my cousin start a fight with someone over a locker.

Lee looked furious that I dared give any idea to his friends that I knew him.

He advanced on me.

His fist lashed out to punch me. I dodged, slamming my back against the lockers to get out of the way of his fist.

He turned on me again, but this time I was stuck between him and the lockers.

Still, I hadn't been doing martial arts since the age of four for no reason.

Lee knew this as well.

But I suppose he had something to prove to his friends.

Before he could try anything again, a teacher came running up.

"Hey, move off! Come on, all of you, split up and go home!"
His cronies slunk off and Lee followed, spitting some rude word at me in Chinese before leaving.

I stood there watching them leave, pressed back against my locker door, adrenalin running through me

That Kai guy moved around me, and got to his locker.

I straightened off my locker, and, trying to pretend like nothing had happened, spun the combination lock and opened it up.

'That's it, just ignore the guy who stood up for you in a fight.

Don't mind me I'll just continue with my life as normal not being appreciated,'

I was actually beginning to calm down though as I got my stuff sorted, when suddenly something barrelled into my side.

I hit my locker door violently, and ending up with my back pressed against the inside of my locker door which had dented my cousin's locker.

"Sorry!" the blonde cried.

He had obviously slipped, because he was sat on his ass on the floor. His bag had been flung backwards and the strap was around his neck. His arms were holding him sitting up. He had probably thrown them back to stop himself from falling flat on his back.

"Sorry," he said again, panting, pulling himself up, "I slipped,"

Although I wasn't too thrilled at being thrown into a metal door, I nodded, "S'OK,"
"You're an idiot," I heard that Kai say, shutting his locker door. I thought he was talking to me, and spun around to ask him what the hell that meant, when I realised he was talking to the blonde.

The boy was dusting himself down.

He wore an orange Billabong t-shirt and brown combats. He had these wild bangs of blonde hair and big blue eyes. If it wasn't for the muscles lightly defined on his arms and his general build (although even that was slightly skinny), I would of thought he was quite young.

"I can't help it if I slipped Kai!" this boy argued, rearranging his bag.

"And anyway, I was coming to see if you and Lee hadn't split each other's heads open. I heard from someone you two were squaring up,"
Kai didn't reply.

He started off down the corridor.

This younger boy turned to me and smiled.

"Sorry, again. I never look where I'm going,"
"It's OK, honestly,"
I felt in slightly more of a giving mood now that Lee was out of personal space.

I think also I was kind of glad someone was talking to me in a friendly way.

"You're new, aren't you?"

"Yeah,"
"Well, I'm Max Tate. And that's Kai,"
"I'm Ray Kon,"

"You like it here?"
I shrugged. Well, what was I supposed to do?

Lie!

Because if I lied, I would say, "Yeah, it's great," and I don't see the point in lying between my teeth to someone nice enough to come and talk to the me: the newbie.

"Yeah, I know how you feel. It's not so great is it?"
"No, not particularly,"

"Well, if you wanna hang out, we wouldn't mind. See ya later,"
"See you,"

Max skidded off Kai, who was just going through the Main Entrance doors.

"Kai wait!" he yelled, his bag bouncing painfully.

I shut my locker and headed off that way too.

Even with Max's kind offer, which I appreciated, I just wished something would come and shoot me down before tomorrow.

Before I had to face Clerkdale High again.

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