Full summary: Rei Kon was known, but he wasn't a social butterfly. He hid behind his art. Despite the few good friends he had, something was still stopping him from the greatest masterpiece he could. Hileimi Yogoya was a girl he'd known in his elementary school days. She moved away for a few years and now she's back. A special project throws them together. She seems keen on making a new friend while he just wants to get it over with. The thing is, she won't give up until he's given her a real smile.

Kai is strictly business. He's the president of the class and makes even college students question their path in life. He's not interested in any girls that giggle and succumb easily. But when a certain girl comes around, will he start to mix business with pleasure?

Tala is your typical flirt. This year, though, he's giving relationships a break—which means he's in to flings. He's used to getting any girl he really wants but who could blame him? Tala's presented with a tough challenge and he's up for taking it down.

Enpitsu: Hey, this is my first Beyblade fic that I hope will actually get reviewed! I don't plan on deleting this. Well, maybe, if I lose interest. Hopefully you'll like. (starts to sweat) OO Thanks!

Special thanks to elementBLUE! Haha, she gave me inspiration! XD

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Beyblade or 7-Eleven.
Claim: This plot is my own and so is Hileimi Yogoya.

Smile
Chapter One
All Over a Chicken Sandwich

He stared down at the rotten paper. A frown tugged at his lips and he sighed quietly in exasperation. Abandoning his eraser, the young man tore the piece from his notebook and threw it aside. He turned away from his former subject and turned to a weeping tree, leaves falling gently at the early coming of fall. It seemed the only things he could sketch or draw properly these days were pieces of nature.

Rei Kon's senior year was proving less than eventful. It was the beginning of October and yet there was nothing really worth noting. His class was now the oldest at the school but for people who weren't power-hungry mongrels that fact didn't matter too much. Senior portfolios were to be put together for senior exhibition at the end of the year, and Rei wasn't too sure what he was going to put in his own.

A couple of girls passed him by and whispered to each other. He glanced at them from behind his thick, midnight bangs, gold eyes speculating, but he soon went back to his work. The fact that a couple of girls thought that he was cute didn't really affect Rei. He knew that they were just hormone-induced teens and that they would get over him the next day. What was the point of starting something when it would finish so quickly?

It's not that Rei was gay. Not at all. He didn't have a problem with men that were, either. The young man just never found any time to simply devote his time and energy into pleasing others besides the memory of his parents. They were the only people he was working for. Rei only wanted true friends who would stick by him through what ever phase he went through, and God knew those phases were plenty.

No one made fun of him or picked on him. He was fine with the life he was living. He could've cared less if he was an outcast but he was considered one of the "artsy loners." As long as he was left undisturbed, the polite Rei wouldn't want to shove any brushes in lack-light places of anatomy.

The young man glanced up from his notebook once more to see his one of his best friends coming around. This guy was almost the same as him—a lone wolf in unluckily-attractive skin.

The newcomer sat down on the small, grassy hill next to Rei. His crimson eyes turned to the tree before turning to the one on paper, calculatingly. Rei didn't enjoy others looking over his shoulder, and the other young man knew it.

"That's all you sketch. Stills, landscapes, or nature," he remarked, a rich baritone. Rei ignored the comment for a little bit, then shrugged.

"It's all that interests me," he replied easily. His voice, in contrast to his friend's, was that of a somewhat husky tenor. "What does it matter what I draw, anyway, Kai?"

Kai snorted and smirked. He put his hands behind his head and slowly leaned against the hill. His eyes roamed the cloudless sky for a moment and after that while, Rei knew he wasn't going to give an answer.

The two had known each other since middle school. Those were the times Rei had suffered most. His family life was pretty much over and that, in turn, affected his school work. Kai had been there in his own silent way and Rei was very thankful for it.

In highschool, they had remained close, even though certain cliques were formed. Rei was involved with art while Kai took up being president of their class. It was a very out of character position for the young man to fill, but he soon showed that there was no one else better suited. He made the best speeches and went through with his promises. A thing that was different between him and the outside world politicians was the fact that he made promises he could actually keep.

Kai wasn't very social by nature but when it came to his presidency he was very convincing. He had good grades and was thought of to be the representative—or mascot, as Rei liked to say—of Weatherbury High. Though still in high school, he carried an air superiority and professional prowess that made college students start to question their path in life.

Both young men sported the boys' edition of the high school uniform. The slacks were black and the dress shirt was white. The insignia, a black "W" in fancy calligraphy, was embroidered onto the left breast pocket. The blazer Kai was wearing was a shade of brown that neither of the pair fancied very much. Both of their ties were loosely done before classes were to begin.

Rei sighed and put his notebook and pencil into his bag. He stared at his black shoes and rubbed the side of one to get rid of a skid mark. This only worked to reduce the light shine on his shoes since his finger had lead on it. He frowned lightly.

A bad thing about him and art was that he seemed to always have a smudge somewhere on his body. Most of the time they were on his face or hands, but sometimes they could be in completely different places.

The young man crossed his legs to sit Indian-style and followed his friend's stare, hands in his lap. "What did you think about Mrs. Minutes' test?"

"I thought it was going to be hell, but it turned out okay . . ."

"Yeah, same for me . . ."

When the two had first met, it was hard to strike up a conversation. Rei had always been polite so he would try and say something but Kai would shoot him down with a mono-syllabic answer. Now, after years of knowing each other, it was much easier to speak. To outsiders of their world, the two seemed silent to an extent. Only the two of them knew how talkative the other could be.

Kai scratched a spot where his shark-fin tattoos were before speaking once more. "Sometimes I regret my choice of staying in this grade."

Rei gave a dry half-smile. It was a known fact that Kai was academically gifted, and he was actually nice enough to tutor middle school kids sometimes after school. It didn't seem like it but the Russian enjoyed being with kids. He liked it a hell of a lot better than being with people his age sometimes.

The tanned Chinese tugged at his long plait of raven black hair before tossing it aside. It swished disobediently before settling on the grass next to him. He was comfortable with silence that settled around Kai and him for a while. The five-minute bell broke that silence though, and both teens got up, doing up their ties in their expert hands.

"I heard the discreet statistics test is hell," Kai said, managing to make his tie look as if it had been perfect the whole time. Rei frowned slightly as he slipped on his blazer, having finished his tie before Kai.

"Alright. I studied for this one, so it should be a cinch," he replied, slipping the strap of his newspaper bag over his head and one of his arms. Kai smirked and crossed his arms, backpack already fit to where it was supposed to be.

"Yeah, you're not as dense as you seem," he remarked, referring to the fact that Rei sometimes took on an aloof look. The darker teen sent a glare his friend's way before breaking into a casual grin, one that hardly anyone saw.

"Screw you," he chuckled, and started walking the other way. Kai watched his friend for a few seconds and shook his head soundlessly.

Hopefully Rei will find something that gives him his spark back. How many years has it been? It's pathetic, really.

With that thought in mind, Kai Hiwatari headed off to his AP Lit. He groaned at the thought of the droning Mrs. Minute.


Rei let out a frustrated breath and lightly grit his teeth. He hated people—sketching or drawing them, anyway. His advanced art teacher, Mr. Ford, insisted that everyone make a picture of the volunteer in the middle of the circle. Kane was someone he knew to be a (now) freshman in college. The blue-haired man had attended Weatherbury when he was still in high school.

It was second period and Rei had done the mistake of thinking today would be a decent day. His discreet stats test went smoothly but when he had to portray a person on paper . . . he nearly gagged. He had been trying to sketch a person earlier this morning but that little project had been a failure even before it had time to blossom.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. Years ago he could've had a person as his model and would've done perfectly fine. Ever since the start of his freshman year, things had went downhill for reasons he wasn't even sure of. Rei had tried to force himself to paint people but knew that it was a lost cause if the work was forced.

The girls in his class were delightfully amused at sketching Kane with a half-unbuttoned, white polo. Rei rolled his eyes at their naivety. He wasn't greedy for their attention to be on him but come on! This was an advanced art class for a reason! They had seen other (male) models with their shirts completely off and they hadn't giggled this much! Rei supposed it was because Kane's girlfriend, Salima, was the blushing girl telling them to be quiet.

Rei smiled crookedly and stared at his notebook in front of him. He rather liked Salima and would go as far as to say they were good acquaintances. Salima was down to earth and wasn't as giggly as her female counterparts. The Chinese teen sighed silently. I guess not all girls can be like that . . .

He looked back up to the model to see Kane wink at Salima. The red-head blushed and continued drawing but couldn't hide her smile. It was definitely a surprise when he walked through the door.

At the end of the period, he turned in (to him) a less than satisfactory drawing of Salima's boyfriend. Others, including the model, thought it looked great but he and Mr. Ford knew that there was a spark missing. The teacher and pupil exchanged a concise look before Rei walked out the door.

The young man made his way to the spot in the middle of the quad he was at earlier this morning. It was third period now; his free period. Luckily he had taken all required classes, and those he hadn't he was taking this year, so he was able to do whatever he wanted in this time.

Rei frowned and glanced at his wristwatch. It was nine forty. He had about . . . forty-five minutes to do what he wanted and that left a few minutes to get back to school. These were the times when he wished he brought his own car to school. Either that, or "borrowed" Kai's keys.

Weatherbury had a huge, lush, green-grassed lawn until it came to the entrance. Rei walked through the scenery, not even pausing to admire the gardens littered like confetti, and when he got to the gate, he saw that he had wasted about five minutes crossing the expanse of green.

He took out his student ID, and swiped it in the correct slot right next to the dark blue gate. The small screen then showed his picture, name, and student status. It registered that he had a free period and the gates soon stealthily opened. The young man absent-mindedly scratched his head before venturing out.

The young man hated the way the school was gated. It wasn't as if they were any better than the rest of the world. The only place you could see inside the campus was if you went to the entrance. The rest of the school was hidden from view due to concrete walls. If it hadn't been for his parents' wishes of him going to Weatherbury, he would've gone to any other high school.

Rei walked for about a block until he came to the corner 7-Eleven. He came here often during his breaks so the proprietor or Michael, the baseball loving cashier, wouldn't shoot him weird looks any more.

"Hey, Rei," Michael said, nodding casually at him, but not removing his eyes off of the magazine he was reading. "Here for the usual?"

Every year Rei had something that he'd buy whenever he came to 7-Eleven. This year was, as tradition, different from others.

"You know it," he replied, walking by and leaving exact change on the counter. Michael took it without looking and easily had it put into the cash register.

One cup of coffee, a cinnamon roll, and a chicken sandwich for later. Rei recalled the years when his pick would be a small Slurpee and a bag of chips, with fond memory.

The young man had his coffee and sandwich but one thing was missing. His eyebrows furrowed as Michael seemed to remember something.

"Oh, uh, yeah, someone took the last chicken sandwich," he said, getting up. He came around the counter and grinned sheepishly. "I'll go get some more out back."

"Who took it?" Rei asked curiously, a trait he had never really quelled. The blonde was about to answer when someone cut him off.

"I did." The tone was light and a little inquisitive as to why someone was so demanding of a chicken sandwich.

Michael dashed out back as Rei turned to his right. The young woman was dressed in a girl's version of the Weatherbury uniform, with the corner of the half-unwrapped sandwich in her mouth. Her left hand was holding a small Slurpee cup under the Cherry selection but right hand wasn't on the lever. It took the sandwich out of her mouth as she looked at Rei expectantly.

"I see," Rei replied. He chose to go with a more articulate answer than, "Oh." What else was he supposed to say? This girl was still looking at him, a curious glint in her strange-colored eyes. They looked brown, but a shade that was almost crimson.

Her left hand moved from the cup to the lever and pulled. Her eyes watched the red slosh flow into the cup and raised the lever once more, before biting the crust of the sandwich again. As she put the cover and straw in their place, Rei watched her since there was nothing else better to do, noting her long hair with waves and curls. She walked to the counter to pay as Michael came out with fresh sandwiches from the refrigerator.

"Here ya go, Rei," he said, hastily handing him the carton. With a thud, the box full of sandwiches was dropped on the floor so that the cashier could empty it out onto the cooled shelves. He had noticed that girl waiting at the cashier and started to hurry. "I'll be right with you, ma'am!"

"Don' worry, babe," she mumbled, struggling for something in the small pocket in her black and polka-dotted backpack. She took out a bill and placed it on the counter before rearranging her backpack and starting to walk away, removing the bread crust from her mouth.

"Ma'am, you're change!" Michael called after her, holding up the bill. The girl was at the door and she turned around, dark hair swaying as she did so.

"Oh, keep the change!" she said, grinning. The girl winked as she did so and continued on her way. The blonde looked down at the five dollar bill as if it were some odd sea creature.

"That was weird," he said. Rei nodded but didn't say anything. That girl . . . she was about as weird as he remembered.

"You know her? She has the Weatherbury uniform," Michael wondered, putting the bill into the register. "Of course, I'm pretty sure the skirt looks better on her than it would on you . . ."

Rei took a sip of his coffee. The warmth spread from his mouth, down his throat, and through his whole body. Putting the coveted sandwich into his bag and the cinnamon bun between his canines, he took a clean bite.

"Her name's Hileimi Yogoya," he said. Another gulp of needed coffee brought back another memory. "She moved away in middle school . . . she moved back this year."

"Hileimi, huh?" Michael asked, adjusting his cap. "That's the first time she's come in here. I wonder if this is her free period or if she's ditching."

"Who knows?" It wasn't Rei's place to snoop around she he really didn't care whether or not the new girl was skipping class. He already knew the answer though, since the gate wouldn't have let her out unless she was free. "Later, Michael."

The Weatherbury student raised a hand in good-bye and the cashier did the same. Rei made his way back to the school but—strangely enough—didn't see a trace of the odd girl. The young man had around fifteen minutes to spare when he got back to his favorite quad at school. Deciding to walk around, or near his next class, he started off.

He saw the girl sitting on a concrete bench not far from his next class. Oh, that's right. She just transferred into my AP Lit class. Rei had always been horribly observant and the fact that he had overlooked her bristled him slightly. By nature, Rei was a person of pride so, naturally, he was bothered when he wasn't at his "A" game.

The girl's head was bowed down as she nibbled on the last crust of her sandwich. This girl was a little annoying. There was something about Hileimi that made him uncomfortably irritated. What was even weirder was the fact that her feet seemed to move as if they had lives of their own.

If Rei hadn't heard tidbits of information around the school, he would've thought she was mental. Word did travel fast in high school though, so the teen knew she was a dancer—a pretty good one, by word of mouth. It made perfect sense that she would practice a routine sitting down.

She had yet to notice him coming from her left, which was slightly turned on him. Rei had went around the back way and wasn't surprised when she started dancing like no one was there. She had taken one last slurp of her drink, tossed the trash in the receptacle, and started traipsing around. The young man stared at her blankly, disregarding her skill.

This girl really isn't shy, is she?

He had no choice but to make his present known as he dropped his coffee cup and wrapper in the trash can. It made a light thud but the girl still spun around to face him, alarmed. Her face calmed into an almost laughing one when she saw who it was.

"It's you," she simply. She tossed her rumpled hair over her shoulder and smiled at him. "I thought you were going to be a stalker or something, yo."

Rei raised an eyebrow at her words. "A stalker in Weatherbury? Only people with cards can get in."

Hileimi easily shrugged, turning her back to him. She stared up at the sky for a second or two before replying.

"Anything's possible." She turned back to face him and went over to her Jansport backpack. The little key chain was that of a silver star.

Rei stayed silent as he watched this eccentric girl sit down once more. He continued to stare at her, but not because he was fascinated.

"You're Rei right?" she asked lightly, turning once more to him. She absent-mindedly cracked her knuckles before continuing. "Sorry I took the last chicken sandwich. It looked really good and I was hella hungry, so — "

"It's alright," Rei said, his polite side getting the best of him. Just because he wasn't liking her at the moment didn't mean he couldn't be civil. "It is a good sandwich. I don't blame you."

A smile appeared on her tanned features. "Great! So we're friends?"

Before Rei could get a chance to properly respond, the dismissal bell rang. Rei was jostled slightly by another guy, who shot back an apologetic glance, and stumbled. Hileimi asked him if he was okay and he nodded, waving a hand for her to get into class. The girl frowned and did as told—though not before seriously hesitating.

Truth be told, Rei was thankful when that kid bumped into him. Hileimi seemed clingy and that was one of the last people he wanted as a friend.

Mrs. Minute read the daily bulletin as Rei quietly tapped a pencil on his smooth desk. He never tried to be the type of person to judge, so he was disappointed in himself for thinking mean things about the Hileimi girl. With a grudging conscience, Rei told himself to give everybody a chance to be a friend. Well, almost everybody.

Michelle Menari, the cliche ringleader of bitches, always had her eye on the guys she thought were the hottest. Rei had no idea why but he had always been one of those unlucky saps she picked to giggle over.

He knew why she liked Kai, but him? Rei Kon? There was nothing special about him at all. Well, he had been different until eighth grade forced him to mature.

Needless to say, Kai's attitude towards this girl had become his own. The real reason she "likes" me is so I could paint her picture. Unfortunately for her, I only paint natural beauty—not the manufactured kind.

Michelle was pretty all right, but Kai and Rei wondered how much of her was actually real. He could've sworn her nose was more crooked in sophomore year . . . Maybe he was just imagining it but he thought he had picture to prove it.

"Today, we'll be leaving to go to the auditorium." That statement brought golden eyes back to the Literature teacher. "It will only be the class of '08 and you may feel free to sit next to anyone you wish."

Hoots and hollers from more rambunctious young men erupted immediately. Mrs. Minute always had a problem with her ability to keep a class under control. Students started gathering their things and Tyson Kinomiya, one of the boys who were yelling previously, came over.

"Hey, Rei!" he said jovially. Rei gave a small smile and nodded. "You gonna sit with Kai right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright! Max and I will be right over!"

Rei chuckled slightly as Tyson walked away. Those two were his other real friends. True, he had only met them in high school, but they also proved to be reliable. It was strange though. He and Kai were closer while Tyson and Max Mizuhara were the same.

The Chinese lad glanced at Hileimi, glad that she was agreeing to sit with Salima, and quickly walked out the door.


Rei saw the pale hand hail him in the air and he complied. He sat down in the flapping seat and sighed, glad to be away from that weird girl. Kai saw his friend's countenance and raised a slate blue eyebrow.

"What's up with you?"

The other just looked at the Russian and turned his golden eyes up to the high ceiling. He explained everything quickly and efficiently as if he were cleaning and gutting a fish—and he was good at doing that. At the end, Kai was giving him a strange look and so were Max and Tyson.

"Dude, you're weird. It was just a stupid sandwich."

Rei raised an eyebrow at a reply like that coming from the human garbage disposal and nodded pathetically. He hoped his other friends had his back when it came to this.

"All over a chicken sandwich?" Kai asked slowly, as if talking to a mentally retarded patient. Rei nodded, losing his patience.

"Yes, alright?" he admitted through grit teeth. Max looked at the others with sparkling, blue eyes and sighed. The three teens turned to look at him.

"At least you decided to try and be nice to her," he offered, hoping his little tidbit would help. The optimistic blonde was clapped on the back by the navy-haired teen.

"That's the spirit!"

"Shut up, Tyson."

The Kinomiya was about to retort with what he thought would be a witty remark when Kai nodded to the stage. The principal, Mr. Grenada, was at the podium shuffling some invisible papers. He looked at the students and smiled, ready to begin his torture-talk.

"Now, in today's world, teens are thought of to be . . . how shall I say . . . loose." Some started to groan while others snickered. "The percentage of teenage mothers has gone up five percent from last year. Granted, it has died down since 2005, but five percent is still a lot considering how many teenage women there are in the United States.

Here in Weatherbury High, us teachers want to do our best to make sure no student makes the mistake of starting a family much earlier than they intended. You, class of '08, will be stepping out into the real world in less than a year. We want to make sure you're aware at least one danger you will be facing."

Many people quietly groaned now. The sex-talk assembly had been given in their sophomore year, so what other nonsense could they have cooked up? Mr. Grenada continued, unperturbed.

"We know the appeal of sex is almost too easy to give into. Heck. I almost—ah—anyways, the teachers have decided to work together and show you how unglamourous the consequences of a flippant sex life can be."

Teens shot each other disgusted looks. As if it wasn't enough to have their aging principal allude to his private life, the teachers were going to be showing them something about "consequences of a flippant sex life"?

Mr. Larent, a physics teacher, stepped out from behind the curtain. Claps and shouts were heard—he was one of the favorite teachers. Being an ex Navy Seal who teaches pressure points and how to make bombs to kids was always a favorite at parties. He raised a big hand to silence the mass.

"Alright, you hooligans, we got this project together to show you all how much it sucks . . . to have a baby unprepared," he started, child-at-heart starting to come through. "You're all probably ignoring me right now, so pay attention!" He slammed his huge fist onto the podium and many students jolted alert in response. "Heh. That's better."

"While you guys are out there bein' numbskulls, you ain't thinkin' about what could happen," the Italian said. "You think you can just do whatever you want and don't even wait if anything goes wrong. Well, let me tell you, something does."

He took what seemed like a baby out from the podium. People stared at it weirdly and whispers started to vibrate through the overly large auditorium. Mr. Larent put up his hand once more.

"This, is a robot." He held it up high for everyone to see, but it still seemed like a real child to them. "It cries, eats, poops, and does so many things a baby can do. We got it from the Japanese: You know how great they're technology is over there. In 2005, they created the first thing close enough to being a cyborg. You would know that if you listened in my class, Mr. Kinomiya!"

Tyson woke up with a start to have everyone laugh at his expense. The boy grinned sheepishly and straightened up. How can he see so far? He's like, forty-five!

"The class will be paired off. Don't worry, some of you will be single parents," Mr. Larent said, indicating his sentence to those more independent-minded students. "No, no one will be able to pick and yes, the pairs have already been randomly selected by the computer."

This time, groans and excited whispers were running through the place. The girls were somewhat excited as the guys subtly gagged themselves. The students sat, antsy in their chairs, as they waited.

"You can see why this needs a whole period. Luckily enough, there aren't that many seniors here . . . All this will be done on your own time after today, so I suggest you get to know each other (if you don't) now!"

Kai's name was eventually called. Lucky bastard. He was a single parent. His scenario was handed to him in a manila folder, and so was a baby in a light pink suit. Kai Hiwatari was the father of a bouncing baby girl. He eyed it for a moment before walking back to his seat, many girls weeping in his single wake.

"What does your scenario say?" Max asked, baby blues wide. Kai set the girl on his lap and hastily opened the envelope. His crimson eyes scanned the paper with a frown tugging at his mouth.

"Her mother died giving birth to her. It says I loved her very much . . . which is stupid." Kai looked down at the paper disdainfully. "This is bull. How can they tell me I loved someone . . ." He tossed the paper carelessly aside as Tyson was called up along with Hilary.

The two gaped at each other in shocked anger, refusing to believe the odds. Rei laughed at them until his own name was called.

"Rei Kon and Hileimi Yogoya, come on up! You're the proud parents of a healthy baby boy!"

If it wasn't for the fact that Rei was good at keeping his composure, his jaw would have dropped a mile. No way could the odds hate people so much. As he and Hileimi stood up at opposite sides of the auditorium, she gave a white smile he could see from his position. He gave a forced one of his own as he made his way up to the stage.

Author's Note: Phew! That was long! Wow. I'm tired. Lol. I hope you all liked! Sorry if Rei seemed a little OOC or mean. This story is a lot about Hileimi turning that part of him upside down. More explanations in the next chapter! Thanks for reading and please review!