Disclaimer: Frozen Blossom and I (doomflower) own nothing but our OC's. Ice and her family belong to Frozen Blossom. Lena, her family and her cat belong to me. Beyblade © Takao Aoki.

Getting Up Again – Chapter 1

Ice rolled her icy blue eyes in disgust. Her arms, in white gloves almost to her shoulders, were crossed in front of her torso – a tight navy-blue tank top. Her right wrist had a delicate silver bracelet with links that looked like snowflakes. The navy-blue choker around her neck had a silver snowflake pendant in the centre. She wore hip-hugging jeans and white running shoes. Her silvery blonde hair was tied into a pony tail. It trailed to her mid-back, while her bangs hung low in her eyes.

"Oh spare me. I don't need that 'I'm the world champ, I can beat anyone' bit. Why should I waste my time?" She snapped.

Tyson glared. "Yeah well I am the world champ; and I could beat you any day." he made a face.

"Grow up," Lena started, "You aren't the only champ. There were other bladers in the Bladebreakers you know." Her black eyes hardened.

Tyson eyed Max, and looked over at Kai; it really got to him that Kai hung around with Tala, and their group all the time. But they're team had grown apart, and Rei was back in China.

Tyson sighed. "If you think you're so good then prove it, if you can. You're not scared to fight a world champ, are you?" He mocked her with a scared, girly face. Her eyes darkened. "Fine, lets get this over with." She poised her launcher perfectly in her outstretched hands.

He held his launcher at ready over the small stadium in the schoolyard.

He grinned, "Now that's more like it."

Ice's eyes narrowed. 'This is such a waste of time…'

Max counted down, "3…2…1, Let it RIP!!!" He grinned.

Lena watched her best friends accurate attacks on Tyson's blade. For the moment, they seemed evenly matched. Lena looked up to see Ice yawn. "Is that all you got?" She said with a bored smile.

Lena smirked. Ice always loved taunting her opponents.

"Lysterna!" Ice called, "Go!"

Her Icy-blue and white blade spun circles around dragoon. Tyson shivered. "Brr... it's cold..."

Kenny marvelled. "Tyson, your blade is slowing down! It must be the sudden cold. You have to do something!"

Tyson suddenly noticed the change of speed in Dragoon. "Wha… How?" He shook his head. "Dragoon, Phantom Hurricane!!!"

A blast of wind rose from Tyson's beyblade in a spiral, hoping to end Ice's reign.

Ice grinned. "Right where I want you…"

She let Lysterna into the hurricane, swirling around in the windy tunnel.

"Now Lysterna!" Ice cried, "Ice Tsunami!"

A pure white otter rose from the beyblade, covered in a blue-grey armour covering it's torso and limbs. It bore a helmet that matched the armour. It dove towards Dragoon, taking an enormous wave with it.

The wave was absorbed by the tornado and spiralled down, covering dragoon. The water froze. Dragoon was devoured by ice. Lysterna burst through the ice-tornado and circled round to give Dragoon a final blow.

On contact, the ice chatters and Dragoon fell, motionless.

Lysterna Returned to Ice's hand. Tyson glanced up and saw that the attack ring resembled a snowflake. He turned his gaze downward to Dragoon. "I…Lost?"

"Yeah," Ice teased, and turned serious, "Never underestimate me again."

She stalked off towards the school.

Lena stood awkwardly for a moment before walking after her friend. She gave Tyson a little smile. "She … doesn't like being underestimated."

He watched her walk off in her unzipped black sweater over a cherry-red spaghetti strap tank top. The little yellow fish logo stood out from the shirt as she turned around. His gaze moved to her fitted dark-blue jeans. Her coffee-coloured skate shoes finished her outfit. Her short platinum blond hair whipped around in the wind.

She caught up to Ice and they walked into the school together, heading straight for the principles office.

---getting.up.again---

Tala was amazed. They had watched the whole battles from their picnic table in a corner of the schoolyard. He looked to his group. Kai, Miguel, Johnny, Enrique, Rick, Brooklyn, Bryan, and Michael.

Most of them had impressed looks on their faces.

"Well gentlemen," Bryan began, grinning widely. "Fresh meat." His eyes flickered dangerously.

Tala, Brooklyn and Miguel frowned. The other guys –save Kai, who was leaning against the wall apathetically- were stoked to see if the girls were in any of their classes. They definitely had fire. The boys were up for a challenge.

---getting.up.again---

The girls sat quietly in the office, playing with the hems of their shirts. Eventually they looked at each other and began to giggle, as they mirrored each other's movements. They made faces, moved their arms, all the while mirroring each other.

"Ahem…" The principle, Mr. Natoro cleared his throat.

"If you two are finished, you can step into my office anytime." He gestured towards a door at the end of a small hallway behind the desk.

The girls smirked and walked calmly into the office.

Mr. Natoro pushed two slips of paper towards the girls. "I've put you two in the same homeroom, but for most of your other classes you're on your own. Your room numbers are there. You shall be assigned someone to show you to your classes after first period. If there's anything you girls need help with, don't be afraid to stop by." He finished with a smile that only a principle could pull off.

The girls rolled their eyes as they walked out of the office. They picked up their backpacks and headed for room 2012 - Mr. Valkrie.

They practically flew up the stairwell as morning bell rang.

They walked into the classroom with seconds to spare. If they were flustered, they didn't show it.

"Aaah. You must be my new students." Mr. Valkrie announced proudly. "Class, Meet your new students! Lena Lily Gray and Alexandra Kery Tiamonish. They'll be joining us for the remainder of the year."

"Not like they missed much," Johnny spoke.

"Honestly Johnny. Only a month or more into the new school year and you're at it already. So girls, care to say something about yourselves and why you moved here?"

"Erm…" Lena started, looking to Ice for reassurance.

Ice glared. "Call me Ice or Lexy."

"That can't be all." Mr. Valkrie pried. "Tell us a little about yourselves."

"We've been best friends ever since we can remember. We moved here shortly after a tragedy. Our mothers are best friends, so we've lived together our whole lives."

"What's the tragedy?" Johnny started, "Couldn't get a date to save your lives?"

Ice's eyes narrowed. "Why you evil piss for brains, piece of—"

"That is quite enough," Mr. Valkrie finished. "Both of you. Girls, you may take a seat."

He gestured towards to seats, one in front of another in the middle of a side row.

The girls sat down, preparing themselves for their first day at Bakuten High.

---getting.up.again---

"What you gonna do now, crybaby?" One boy teased

"You're such a loser"

"yeah, shrimp."

Dustin's eyes welled with tears as he glared at the ground. "Just gimme my books back so I can go home now, Okay?"

The group of boys laughed.

"What you gonna do crybaby? Go home and cry to your mommy?" The boy laughed cruelly.

Dustin stood quietly, his head bowed. A tear rolled down his cheek.

"Hey!" A teenager yelled. "Leave the kid alone." He said, his voice cold yet protective.

The group of boys looked up at the teens. The blue haired boy who had spoke stood, eyeing them menacingly. The two redheads stood behind him, scaring the kids even worse.

"Let's move!!!" The leader of the boys said. He dropped Dustin's books and ran off, closely followed by his gang.

Kai walked over to the kid still standing stiff as a board.

He picked up his books. "Don't worry about it kid. They're just some jerks."

He looked at the little boy standing before him. The boy was little compared to Kai's 5'9" stature.

He looked at the books. They read 'Dustin Gray, Mr. Takahashi. Grade 2'

"So that's why you're so …" he paused, remembering that the boys had called him a shrimp.

"Hey!!" A female voice called. Lena and Ice pushed through Tala and Brooklyn.

"What do you think you're doing? You big jerk. Don't pick on a seven year old." Lena spat.

She picked up Dustin's little body. Tears were still rolling down his cheeks.

Ice glared at Kai. "What is wrong with you? That's despicable." She took Dustin's books from Kai and her and Lena walked off down the street.

Kai stood, dumbfounded. Had he just been told off for helping a little kid? No, they though he was picking on him.

Gray…

'wait…' Kai thought, 'Isn't Gray Lena's last name?' Realization dawned on him. 'I'll have to explain to Lena at school tomorrow that I was helping.' He found his thoughts, and his eyes, wandering to Lena in the distance, lingering on her receding curves.

"That was weird." Tala commented.

Brooklyn shrugged.

Kai sighed. "Let's go guys." He bowed his head and walked off down the road.

---getting.up.again---

"What on earth…?" Lena's mom asked as her and Ice walked through the door, carrying Dustin and his books.

"Some guys from school were teasing him. They had his books." Ice glared at nothing in particular.

"They make me sick," She said. She put Dustin's books down on the kitchen table and stormed off into hers and Lena's room.

Lena passed Dustin to her mother, who comforted him.

Lena walked slowly through the hallway, passing Ice's mom's room. She saw the heap of tangled hair and sprawled limbs. She sighed regretfully as she noticed that she was crying. She shook her head and continued to her door. She knocked twice.

"Ice? You okay?"

A sob, then, "No."

"I'm coming in."

She walked into the room tentatively. She looked over the semi-clean room and then to the top of the bunk-beds where Ice was laying. "Ice…" She called.

A muffled sound escaped the teen, buried in a comforter.

Lena climbed up the ladder and poked Ice.

Ice uncovered her face. "Life was so much easier when dad was alive, even though he wasn't around."

Lena hugged ice.

Ice sighed with a tear "Why'd he have to go die on me?"

She broke into sobs and covered her face with her hands. She turned over and buried her face in her pillow. Lena rubbed her back soothingly.

"Don't worry," Lena soothed, "It'll get better."

"It has to."

---getting.up.again---

So, what did you guys think? Please Review and tell us what you think so Freezy can write the next chap!!