A New Dawn
By: Sedi
^^' My first AU! And my first time doing a couple OTHER than Rei/Kai... XD Yes, this was difficult to decide... Jade isn't a Mary Sue, and is a guy, and has no real importance in the fic. Except for what happens in the middle, but that's just about it. Beyblading doesn't exist in this ficcie. Anyway... Read on, dudes!
Chapter One: Betrayed and Wounded
Jade rambled on about a group of people he had met in a bar the other day, while Max listened, pretending to be eager for the details that poured out of the black-haired boy's mouth. The blonde teenager wasn't as enthused as he let on, though.
Jade was Max's only friend in the small, trashy town he lived in. The town didn't bother him much, he actually in a way liked it, besides the fact that it was more loaded with gangs than Tokyo was. And from what Max was hearing, the group that Jade was describing sounded like a gang to him.
"And there was this hot chick with them too," Jade said, grinning lope- sidedly. "They were pretty cool, you know?"
No, Max didn't know, and he didn't want to either. What was Jade doing in a bar at his age, anyway? Jade was in the same grade as he was, and the only way he could have actually entered was with a fake id, or if the bartender was completely blind, both he knew was very absurd. And Jade didn't seem like the drinking type to him.
But Max just nodded and smiled at him, to show his friend that he was listening and agreeing with everything that he was saying. To Max's dismay, Jade became more persistant in spilling the information before the could ring, which would signify the end of the lunch period.
"I would take you to meet them, but..." Jade paused, and Max knew that he was thinking of an excuse. "But, they're busy, you know? Oh, the bell is gonna ring!" He quickly picked up his tray and rushed towards the trash cans.
Max let out a loud sigh and slouched in his chair. He felt as if he was losing his only friend to a group of gangsters. Maybe this town was as bad as his dad kept telling him. The only reason why they stilled lived there was because his dad wanted to keep him in the same school system, and not move around a lot as a lot of parents do. And plus, Max liked his school. Some people were actually nice, and the education was okay.
Jade returned and was about to sit down to continue his rant, but the bell rang. Max joyfully jumped up from his seat. "See ya, Jade!" Then he ran off to his next period class.
The blonde boy's friend stared as he dashed off. "I guess he forgot we have the same class together?"
Max jogged into his father's hobby shop and smiled at him. "Hi Dad! How's business?"
"Slow as ever," his dad grumbled. "But when you get into college, I'm moving the hell out of this damn town. Uhm, excuse my language..."
"S'okay Dad, I hear it a lot from other people."
"Like Jade, for instance?"
Max looked up at his dad. "Dad, I've been friends with Jade since the third grade, and nothing has happened to me yet, has it?" He walked over to the counter and leaned on it. "You're so paranoid sometimes, Dad!"
"This place is enough to make you paranoid. The only reason why I'm living here is because I was born and raised here. But I still regret not getting out of here after I met your mom. Do you have any homework?"
Max blinked at the quick subject change, then responded,"No, none today. I'm so glad it's Friday! Do you need any help here in the shop?"
"No... But I want you to start supper for us, will you? I'll be quite busy here, customers or no."
"Okay, then I'm gonna take a walk." Max ran outside of the shop.
"Be back by six, and stay away from downtown!" His father shouted after him.
Max rolled his eyes as he walked down the streets. His father always told him to stay away from downtown, but the whole city is pretty bad. Downtown is only slightly worst. But his father knew that his son needed some freedom, so he let him wander around. Even though there was some restrictions on how far he could travel, Max didn't really mind.
The blonde boy then heard voices around the corner, and stopped before turning it. For some reason, the voices of gangs were easily distinguishable from other citizens, but that's probably because all the gangs knew how to do was talk about murder, rape, and other trash like that. This particular one was talking about severely hurting someone.
"You have to prove yourself, Brad."
Brad... That's Jade's real first name. Max's eyes widened, but then he regained his composure when thinking,'But there are probably tons of guys named Brad in this town. That's why I call him Jade, his middle name.' He had to stifle a giggle. 'I can't believe I actually think that Jade would join something so lowly!'
He began to turn around and walk back so he could avoid the gang, but stopped when he heard another voice.
"I'd do anything to join. What do I have to do?" It was Jade. Max couldn't believe it.
'I have to stop him,' he thought ergently. The blond boy span back around and turned the corner. "Jade!"
Jade turned away from the group of people and blinked at him, paling. "Uh, uhm..."
A man in a black leather jacket and the stereotypical gangster outfit stepped up beside Jade. "Do you know this kid, Brad?" He glared down at the younger boy, then turned his attention to poor Max.
"What makes you think that I do?" Jade scoffed, faking anger with ease. "Ch', I've never seen the guy in my life. Who are you?" He scowled at Max, as if to say "don't ruin my plans", which was probably what he was thinking.
Max stared at Jade in shock. His own best friend was betraying him. He couldn't believe it.
"J-Jade..."
"Who's Jade?" Jade glared at Max. "What are you talking about?"
"Here's your chance," the older man suddenly said to Jade. He slipped a gun in the younger boy's hand. "Here's your chance to prove yourself. Go ahead," he said as he saw Jade's hesitation. "Do it. Plus, it'll be like a test to see how good your aim is." The man pointed at Max's heart. "Right there. Hit him right there."
Max continued staring as Jade lifted the gun and pointed it at him, his hand shaking. The blondie was too scared to move, so he just stayed still. He was more occupied looking at Jade's face instead of the gun.
"Ja-" A shot echoed through the air, and a bullet ripped right through Max's right elbow. He cried out in pain as blood gushed out of the elbow, staining his white t-shirt with red.
"You didn't miss him, right?" Max heard the man mutter to Jade. "You're just toying around with him. Good. Now, try again. This time, hit him in the right spot."
Jade lifted the gun and aimed it at Max again. Max, gripping his elbow with his other hand, stared at him like deer in headlights, teary-eyed. The other boy hesitated, then lowered the gun. "I can't... I..."
"You idiot," the man hissed. "If we let him live, he'll go to the cops and then we'll both be in trouble." He grabbed the gun from Jade. "Test failed."
The man pointed the gun at Max, ready to pull the trigger. Suddenly Jade tackled the guy to the ground and shouted,"No! Don't hurt him!" He growled and struggled to get Jade off of him, but surprisingly the younger boy was able to keep him restrained to the ground. He lifted the gun to shoot Jade, but the boy swiped his hand away before he could.
Another shot rang.
Jade's head jerked up in surprise and looked at Max, who was collapsed on the ground, his left knee bleeding profusely. "Max!"
Then they heard sirens getting closer. The man shoved the distracted Jade off of him and ran down the streets, disappearing into an alley. Jade shakily stood up, and looked down at his hand, which held the gun. The man had put the gun back in his hand.
A patrol car swerved into sight and quickly stopped by the sidewalk. Jade dropped the gun in panic and turned to run, but the policeman jumped out of the car and grabbed his hands, then placed them in handcuffs while giving him his rights. Another policecar parked behind the first one, and the police officer in that one ran up to Max.
Max stared up at the sky, not giving notice to the man. He was losing blood fast, and before the police could say anything, he closed his eyes and passed out without a word.
'He betrayed me... He shot me... He tried to run... Why? Why, Jade?'
Max slowly opened his eyes. For a second he only saw white, then his eyes came into focus. He soon realized that he was lying in the bed of a hospital room. He groaned when pain shot up in his wounded knee and elbow.
"Max?" The blonde boy looked to his side and saw his dad sitting on a chair beside his bed. "Maxie... How are you feeling?"
He moved his lips, but no sound came out. He tried again, and was able to murmur,"Pain."
His father leaned in closer to him and ruffled his hair. "The doctors said you'll be able to be out of here in five days, but you'll have to remain in a cast on your leg for a while. And you'll need to use crutches. The bullet shattered your knee joint, but your elbow got lucky."
Max nodded as fast as his strength would let him, which was not much, then softly sighed. He was going to miss so much school for this, and he didn't want to have to face Jade again.
"Who did this to you? I haven't been able to talk to the police any, but a hospital worker said that they arrested some kid with a gun and sent him to the detention center."
The teen moved his mouth again and uttered,"Two," then fell silent again.
His dad shook his head and replied,"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be making you talk." Then, he quickly added, as if he didn't want to,"Your mother was in here."
Max slowly turned his head to look at his dad again, his eyes gradually widening. "... Mu... m...?"
"Sh, sh," he hushed. "I talked to her. When you are able to get out of the hospital, you're going to live with her. She decided to move from America to Tokyo. When I called and told her about you, she caught the nearest plane to get here."
'What? But how could she have already came here? How long was I knocked out?'
As if Max's dad could read his mind, he said,"You've been in here for two days now. It's Sunday. You'll be able to get out by Friday and start a new school Monday." He smiled weakly. "Won't it be great? You'll get new friends..."
"No," Max mumbled. "No..."
"I don't like this anymore than you do, Maxie... But you have to. I don't want you to grow up in this enviroment anymore. You'll be better off with your mother in Tokyo. I promise, when I get the money, I will move the Tokyo too and you can stay with me. I promise."
Max felt a tear trail down his cheek. "Dad..."
His dad gently hugged him, trying not to hurt him. Max did feel a little pain, but it felt great to have his father hug him. He weakly lifted his good arm and put it on the man's back then gripped his shirt.
"Love... you... Dad..."
~To Be Continued
Poor Maxie... u.u Don't worry, he'll be better. ^_^ And the shounen-ai will be popping up sometime, I promise. But until then, please review! Reviews inspire me! Hehe! 'N Maxie fans, dun kill me... o.o
By: Sedi
^^' My first AU! And my first time doing a couple OTHER than Rei/Kai... XD Yes, this was difficult to decide... Jade isn't a Mary Sue, and is a guy, and has no real importance in the fic. Except for what happens in the middle, but that's just about it. Beyblading doesn't exist in this ficcie. Anyway... Read on, dudes!
Chapter One: Betrayed and Wounded
Jade rambled on about a group of people he had met in a bar the other day, while Max listened, pretending to be eager for the details that poured out of the black-haired boy's mouth. The blonde teenager wasn't as enthused as he let on, though.
Jade was Max's only friend in the small, trashy town he lived in. The town didn't bother him much, he actually in a way liked it, besides the fact that it was more loaded with gangs than Tokyo was. And from what Max was hearing, the group that Jade was describing sounded like a gang to him.
"And there was this hot chick with them too," Jade said, grinning lope- sidedly. "They were pretty cool, you know?"
No, Max didn't know, and he didn't want to either. What was Jade doing in a bar at his age, anyway? Jade was in the same grade as he was, and the only way he could have actually entered was with a fake id, or if the bartender was completely blind, both he knew was very absurd. And Jade didn't seem like the drinking type to him.
But Max just nodded and smiled at him, to show his friend that he was listening and agreeing with everything that he was saying. To Max's dismay, Jade became more persistant in spilling the information before the could ring, which would signify the end of the lunch period.
"I would take you to meet them, but..." Jade paused, and Max knew that he was thinking of an excuse. "But, they're busy, you know? Oh, the bell is gonna ring!" He quickly picked up his tray and rushed towards the trash cans.
Max let out a loud sigh and slouched in his chair. He felt as if he was losing his only friend to a group of gangsters. Maybe this town was as bad as his dad kept telling him. The only reason why they stilled lived there was because his dad wanted to keep him in the same school system, and not move around a lot as a lot of parents do. And plus, Max liked his school. Some people were actually nice, and the education was okay.
Jade returned and was about to sit down to continue his rant, but the bell rang. Max joyfully jumped up from his seat. "See ya, Jade!" Then he ran off to his next period class.
The blonde boy's friend stared as he dashed off. "I guess he forgot we have the same class together?"
Max jogged into his father's hobby shop and smiled at him. "Hi Dad! How's business?"
"Slow as ever," his dad grumbled. "But when you get into college, I'm moving the hell out of this damn town. Uhm, excuse my language..."
"S'okay Dad, I hear it a lot from other people."
"Like Jade, for instance?"
Max looked up at his dad. "Dad, I've been friends with Jade since the third grade, and nothing has happened to me yet, has it?" He walked over to the counter and leaned on it. "You're so paranoid sometimes, Dad!"
"This place is enough to make you paranoid. The only reason why I'm living here is because I was born and raised here. But I still regret not getting out of here after I met your mom. Do you have any homework?"
Max blinked at the quick subject change, then responded,"No, none today. I'm so glad it's Friday! Do you need any help here in the shop?"
"No... But I want you to start supper for us, will you? I'll be quite busy here, customers or no."
"Okay, then I'm gonna take a walk." Max ran outside of the shop.
"Be back by six, and stay away from downtown!" His father shouted after him.
Max rolled his eyes as he walked down the streets. His father always told him to stay away from downtown, but the whole city is pretty bad. Downtown is only slightly worst. But his father knew that his son needed some freedom, so he let him wander around. Even though there was some restrictions on how far he could travel, Max didn't really mind.
The blonde boy then heard voices around the corner, and stopped before turning it. For some reason, the voices of gangs were easily distinguishable from other citizens, but that's probably because all the gangs knew how to do was talk about murder, rape, and other trash like that. This particular one was talking about severely hurting someone.
"You have to prove yourself, Brad."
Brad... That's Jade's real first name. Max's eyes widened, but then he regained his composure when thinking,'But there are probably tons of guys named Brad in this town. That's why I call him Jade, his middle name.' He had to stifle a giggle. 'I can't believe I actually think that Jade would join something so lowly!'
He began to turn around and walk back so he could avoid the gang, but stopped when he heard another voice.
"I'd do anything to join. What do I have to do?" It was Jade. Max couldn't believe it.
'I have to stop him,' he thought ergently. The blond boy span back around and turned the corner. "Jade!"
Jade turned away from the group of people and blinked at him, paling. "Uh, uhm..."
A man in a black leather jacket and the stereotypical gangster outfit stepped up beside Jade. "Do you know this kid, Brad?" He glared down at the younger boy, then turned his attention to poor Max.
"What makes you think that I do?" Jade scoffed, faking anger with ease. "Ch', I've never seen the guy in my life. Who are you?" He scowled at Max, as if to say "don't ruin my plans", which was probably what he was thinking.
Max stared at Jade in shock. His own best friend was betraying him. He couldn't believe it.
"J-Jade..."
"Who's Jade?" Jade glared at Max. "What are you talking about?"
"Here's your chance," the older man suddenly said to Jade. He slipped a gun in the younger boy's hand. "Here's your chance to prove yourself. Go ahead," he said as he saw Jade's hesitation. "Do it. Plus, it'll be like a test to see how good your aim is." The man pointed at Max's heart. "Right there. Hit him right there."
Max continued staring as Jade lifted the gun and pointed it at him, his hand shaking. The blondie was too scared to move, so he just stayed still. He was more occupied looking at Jade's face instead of the gun.
"Ja-" A shot echoed through the air, and a bullet ripped right through Max's right elbow. He cried out in pain as blood gushed out of the elbow, staining his white t-shirt with red.
"You didn't miss him, right?" Max heard the man mutter to Jade. "You're just toying around with him. Good. Now, try again. This time, hit him in the right spot."
Jade lifted the gun and aimed it at Max again. Max, gripping his elbow with his other hand, stared at him like deer in headlights, teary-eyed. The other boy hesitated, then lowered the gun. "I can't... I..."
"You idiot," the man hissed. "If we let him live, he'll go to the cops and then we'll both be in trouble." He grabbed the gun from Jade. "Test failed."
The man pointed the gun at Max, ready to pull the trigger. Suddenly Jade tackled the guy to the ground and shouted,"No! Don't hurt him!" He growled and struggled to get Jade off of him, but surprisingly the younger boy was able to keep him restrained to the ground. He lifted the gun to shoot Jade, but the boy swiped his hand away before he could.
Another shot rang.
Jade's head jerked up in surprise and looked at Max, who was collapsed on the ground, his left knee bleeding profusely. "Max!"
Then they heard sirens getting closer. The man shoved the distracted Jade off of him and ran down the streets, disappearing into an alley. Jade shakily stood up, and looked down at his hand, which held the gun. The man had put the gun back in his hand.
A patrol car swerved into sight and quickly stopped by the sidewalk. Jade dropped the gun in panic and turned to run, but the policeman jumped out of the car and grabbed his hands, then placed them in handcuffs while giving him his rights. Another policecar parked behind the first one, and the police officer in that one ran up to Max.
Max stared up at the sky, not giving notice to the man. He was losing blood fast, and before the police could say anything, he closed his eyes and passed out without a word.
'He betrayed me... He shot me... He tried to run... Why? Why, Jade?'
Max slowly opened his eyes. For a second he only saw white, then his eyes came into focus. He soon realized that he was lying in the bed of a hospital room. He groaned when pain shot up in his wounded knee and elbow.
"Max?" The blonde boy looked to his side and saw his dad sitting on a chair beside his bed. "Maxie... How are you feeling?"
He moved his lips, but no sound came out. He tried again, and was able to murmur,"Pain."
His father leaned in closer to him and ruffled his hair. "The doctors said you'll be able to be out of here in five days, but you'll have to remain in a cast on your leg for a while. And you'll need to use crutches. The bullet shattered your knee joint, but your elbow got lucky."
Max nodded as fast as his strength would let him, which was not much, then softly sighed. He was going to miss so much school for this, and he didn't want to have to face Jade again.
"Who did this to you? I haven't been able to talk to the police any, but a hospital worker said that they arrested some kid with a gun and sent him to the detention center."
The teen moved his mouth again and uttered,"Two," then fell silent again.
His dad shook his head and replied,"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be making you talk." Then, he quickly added, as if he didn't want to,"Your mother was in here."
Max slowly turned his head to look at his dad again, his eyes gradually widening. "... Mu... m...?"
"Sh, sh," he hushed. "I talked to her. When you are able to get out of the hospital, you're going to live with her. She decided to move from America to Tokyo. When I called and told her about you, she caught the nearest plane to get here."
'What? But how could she have already came here? How long was I knocked out?'
As if Max's dad could read his mind, he said,"You've been in here for two days now. It's Sunday. You'll be able to get out by Friday and start a new school Monday." He smiled weakly. "Won't it be great? You'll get new friends..."
"No," Max mumbled. "No..."
"I don't like this anymore than you do, Maxie... But you have to. I don't want you to grow up in this enviroment anymore. You'll be better off with your mother in Tokyo. I promise, when I get the money, I will move the Tokyo too and you can stay with me. I promise."
Max felt a tear trail down his cheek. "Dad..."
His dad gently hugged him, trying not to hurt him. Max did feel a little pain, but it felt great to have his father hug him. He weakly lifted his good arm and put it on the man's back then gripped his shirt.
"Love... you... Dad..."
~To Be Continued
Poor Maxie... u.u Don't worry, he'll be better. ^_^ And the shounen-ai will be popping up sometime, I promise. But until then, please review! Reviews inspire me! Hehe! 'N Maxie fans, dun kill me... o.o
