Hey this is a rare multi-shot from me. Hope u all like it!

Oh n just to save confusion (mine mostly!) the 1st bit of this chapter is happening on a Tuesday, mid afternoon (u'll no y I said that in a a bit!).

Also 4 those who don't know "itai yo" is "ow"…I think…

And you'll get wat the whole star thing means in the nxt chaptr incase ur thinkn "wat in the beejesus is she on about??".

Italics – thoughts

Bold italic - past

… … … - new scene

Facing Anxiety

"And that's all we have time for folks!" JD's animated voice resounded through the dojo walls as Kenny happily sat down after finally getting the radio frequency right. "Tune in on Thursday for the pre-battle commentary and the most anticipated match of the charity tournament; The White Tigers versus the Bladebreakers. It's gonna be the match of matches so don-" A slender finger swept across the tuner putting it onto a radio DJ that had more muscles than brain cells.

"Hey!!!!!" Kenny glared up at Hiromi who pulled off her shades looking down at him disgruntled. Takao stomped before storming across the dojo; why did she always have to have such a big thing against blading? And even if she did, did she really have to waste it for the people who dedicated the very air they breathed to it?

"D'you wanna put that back!" The champ snarled.

"Oh hush up!!!" Hiromi pushed him aside giving as good as got. Takao tutted loudly as she went down to the radio's level listening to the speakers intently as a drum fill ended a heavy metal rock track. Takao narrowed his eyebrows as he heard loud enthusiastic chatting.

"How did you get that???? That's not Japanese!" Takao pointed out making Hiromi sigh in annoyance as she stood back up clipping her sunglasses onto her pocket.

"Watch out Einstein (!) Takao can tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese! Finally!!!"

"Shut it you wit-" Takao and Hiromi squared up to each other as a familiar voice gave a short reply followed by yet another voice which gave a longer, high pitched reply.

"THAT'S RAY!!!" Takao and Kenny exclaimed simultaneously throwing themselves right down beside the speakers and knocking heads. Hiromi rolled her eyes.

"No I think you'll find that's Mariah. Ray went through a little thing called puberty where his voice broke." She smirked. "But then again when you've not been through it you wouldn't know." Takao swung his hand in the air dismissing her.

"I'll show you later." He joked making Kenny snigger while Hiromi's face crunched up with the hideous visions that now plagued her thanks to Takao. "Oh come on you know that's why you brought it up!" Takao turned to face her and winked after hearing her sigh of disgust which was followed by her echoing stomps out of the dojo.

"And so our leading team is carrying our country's name taking on the best Japan has to offer!! Any pre-match nerves captain?" Takao propped himself up on his elbows at the DJ's question and laughed as he heard Ray give a small throaty laugh after a murmur from Li who also gave a hearty laugh.

"Not this captain." Ray said confidently.

"So will we have a definite victory?" The DJ asked optimistically.

"Definitely!!" Kenny scrunched up his eyes as the sound of Mariah's preppy voice scrapped through his eardrums.

"No." Ray spoke up, "Not definitely. The Bladebreakers have serious talent. They will be a challenge."

"Damn right!!!" Takao piped up knocking his fists on the floorboards and cheering. Kenny chuckled at his friend's excitement before returning his attention to the radio were the hushed introduction of a bass slowly made its way to the forefront of the talk.

"Stay tuned for more from the White Tigers but fir-"

"GOTCHA!!!!" Hiro jumped down on Takao's back pulling his arms back and up over his head. Takao grunted before kicking his feet about.

"ITAI YO!!!" Hiro laughed as his wee brother squirmed about knocking the radio down. Kenny narrowed his eyebrows as the batteries fell out along with part of the back cover; that was the third digital radio Takao had broken this week!! Kenny watched Takao's face go red as he tried not to vocally express his pain while Hiro wisely watched with amusement and carefully controlled the amount of pain he was playfully giving his little brother.

"Give up?" Hiro grinned as he continued to watch over Takao's face which went rigid as he tried to act like he couldn't even feel his shoulders being pulled out of their sockets. Hiro gave a small whistle as he vigilantly hiked the pain up to the next level and felt Takao's pretences cave in.

"FUCK!!! YOU'RE KILLING ME!!!" Hiro laughed letting go of Takao and watching him collapse down on the floor. "Prick." Takao mumbled sitting up on his knees and rubbing his shoulder blades that stung with the memory of Hiro's short yet excruciating ambush.

"Love you too." Hiro waved laying down the bait which Takao subconsciously bounded for as he sprinted after Hiro who tore his way out of the dojo.

… … …

Ray looked up out of his daze as the rain demanded his attention by beating ferociously off of the window pane. The sky was broken into patches of navy blue and black thanks to the razor edges of the wind that ran through the essence that held one of the last strongholds of nature together. Fate scribbled soft strokes of golden thunder through the darkness ripping the electricity pylons apart and plunging The White Tiger Hills into a vast darkness. Ray sighed looking blindly at the ground with the silent wish that the storm would subside in time for the flight to Japan in eight hours.

"Ray?" A soft voice followed a small creak as his bedroom door snuck open. "Ray? You here?"

"What's wrong?" He asked getting to his feet and shuffling towards the direction his little sister's voice had come from.

"Nothing…" She lied clutching onto the door handle and easing her hand forward to feel the silent approach of her brother. "Can I stay with you?" Rina murmured edging into the room and letting the door close behind her. Ray smiled staying still as he heard her slippers drag closer and closer to him.

"Sure." He felt her hand hit against his stomach as a violent white flash smashed through the calm golden streaks illuminating the whole room. Rina gulped grabbing onto Ray and screwing her eyes shut to return to a darkness that imitated the last startling fragments of light that stabbed through her eyes. "It's pretty bad isn't it?" Ray comforted her putting his arm around her shoulders feeling her grip loosen as he turned to look over at the window hoping to see something other than the cascading sludge of early night; but the jet black drapes of the storm had already fastened every colour out of sight from his eyes.

"Do storms like this last long?" Rina stepped away slightly feeling foolish for jumping at a little crack of white. "…Mum's gotta come home in that." Ray stayed silent at the last remark before sighing.

"I doubt mum'd try drive home in this. Don't worry; mum's stubborn, not stupid." His hand swooped out to pinch her nose but caught her eye instead.

"RAY!!!" She yelled whipping her fist out into an empty space of air as Ray laughed apologetically.

"Sorry I never meant to hit your eye, I was after your nose."

"Yeah (!) Just like when you never meant to put me up on the roof of the house and tell me I could fly?" Ray smirked at the memory of his then six year old sister flapping her arms ready to take off until his mum screamed at them both to get down. "I'll never forgive you for that!!" Rina stomped her foot down intending to hit the ground but finding it land in something sticky and moist. "What in the hell??"

"Ah! So that's where Takao's bowl of noodles went." Ray bent down and after a quick fumble he whisked the month old noodles up. "Nice one Rina!" He said striding into the wall and dropping the noodles down his front as he tried to find his way out of the room. Rina laughed as the bang decorated various images in her head. "At least I'm not afraid of a little thunder storm." Ray snapped getting out of the room.

"It's quiet a big thunder storm I'll have you know!!!" Rina argued with the vacant room before hearing the door shut behind Ray. "…Ray?" She stayed perfectly still trying not to breathe in case Ray planned to sneak up on her. "Ray-" Another flaming white flash scratched itself upon the darkness making Ray's amber eyes light up in the kitchen along with his smirk as he listened to his little sister squeal and scamper out of his room in a panic.

… … …

As the time to depart for Japan approached the aftermath of the storm slipped its way through the air leaking desolation and abandonment into everything Ray had ever known. He stared into the distance a little bit longer taking in the way the river cried as it crawled around the smooth meander which led it from its hiding place and out into the huge unprotected path ahead. Anxiety burned through his stomach as his nose itched at his water filled eyes as whispers echoed with a reel of moving pictures in his mind.

"Leaving again?"

"I'll be back." He assured her. "This is just something that needs looking after." Ray stood in front of her smiling.

"And what about you're team?" She asked hurt. "Don't we deserve to be looked after by you?" Ray laughed accidentally upsetting her. "Thanks. I'm glad you find leaving someone that loves you so amusing…"

"No wait…"

He took in a deep breath as a tear traced over his cheek as he recalled the pain upon her face and the new tears that shamed her proud nature. Ray cleared his throat giving a small grin while taking the back of his hand across his cheek at the sound of a clumsy footstep crunching the gravel beneath its weight.

"You never could sneak up on me could you?" He turned around to see his White Tiger team mate Lee.

"That's only because I let you recognize I'm here." Ray gave a nod as his lips formed a weaker smile at Lee's friendly boasting. Lee walked to the side of the river and looked in the direction Ray had been a few moments ago. "You know better than I do." He looked the few inches at his friend. "Drifting away from something old doesn't necessarily mean losing it. It's always part of you." Ray sighed looking down at the loose soil that lay on the bank and started to pat it down into the ground with his foot. Lee watched him force it back to where the returning White Tiger thought it belonged; but it wouldn't work. "You don't really know what to do, do you?" Ray stopped and looked at Lee who was now gazing up at the sky taking a particular interest in the glittering diamonds that finally appeared amongst the dark velvet of the sky. "Why don't stars come out in the morning?" He asked.

"They do, it's just because during the morning it's bright so they blend. But at night it's dark so you can see them." Ray shot the answer out before he thought about the person asking him the question. "...Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?" Lee smirked and walked away from him.

"I could ask you the very same question."