DISCLAIMER: I unfortunately do not own MARS. --;; But it would've been nice. Mmm... Rei... dreamy;; But everyone else is made up from my own imagination, so no stealing please. If you want to borrow them, please ask.

A/N: It may seem that Rei and Kira don't appear much in the story... But they're really important and will show up later! I promise!

"I swear, rooting for Kashino is like rooting for the New York Yankees. There's no thrill of the chance of losing, because they always win."

"The New York Yankees? I don't get it."

Ken sighed. Yet another reminder that he was a foreigner in Japan. "The New York Yankees are in America. They're really rich so can afford the best baseball players, so they're almost unbeatable all the time."

Ken's best friend, Sho, still had a confused look on his face. "Yeah, I know WHERE the New York Yankees are, but I don't get how they're like Kashino. He's not that rich, is he?"

Ken shrugged. "Forget it. My point was, Kashino's almost too good. He wins way too much! It's almost obnoxious and cocky. He should lose at least once in a while!"

Sho shook his head at his best friend. Ken was made for bike racing– he was slender and had a small frame, unlike Sho's stocky build. He kept his hair cropped short, "to make sure everyone knows I'm really a guy" he says. Sho's was a little longer, but not as long as the famous rider Rei Kashino's. "But you gotta admit, he has a racing style all his own. The way he takes those curves– it's amazing!"

Ken pouted defensively. "Yeah, but... Mine is better!"

Sho laughed and patted his friend's shoulder. "There there, no need to worry, he'll most likely retire before you make it to the track."

At this Ken quickly angered. "No way! I'm not going to take that long! He's only four years older than me. If he can make it pro nearly a year and a half after beating everyone else in the Suzuka eight-hour endurance race, I swear I can too! No, wait, I swear I can do better! I swear I'll beat him, I'm going to beat that guy! I'm going to challenge Rei Kashino after I win the Suzuka eight-hour indurance!"

Sho coughed quietly and nudged Ken, who suddenly realized the entire senior class was staring at him, including the teacher, Mrs. Sekita.

"However much we appreciate your drive to win, Ken, "Mrs. Sekita held back a smile, "I'm afraid class is beginning. If you all could open your textbooks to page twenty..."

Blushing, Ken sat in his seat diagonal from Sho, despite occasional snickers from his classmates. 'Man, what I wouldn't give to be back in New York,' he thought to himself. Despite his Japanese heritage, Ken was born and raised in the Big Apple. When Ken was in the eighth grade, his grandmother died, and his grandfather was too sick to travel to the States. He lived Ken's family now, even though his daughter, Ken's mother, died from a stroke when Ken was an infant. So it was just the three men now, even though Hideaki, Ken's grandfather, was in bed all the time due to his illness, and Kyo, Ken's father, worked all the time in order to pay the bills. Ken helped out with his job at the convenience store around the corner, when he wasn't busy with schoolwork or racing, his favorite hobby.

No, it wasn't really a hobby– Ken lived to race. Every time he got on a motorcycle, his heart pumped. When the wind rushed past his body, he felt like flying. The adrenaline rush was almost enough to live on. He wish he could live on it, forever and ever, and never have to get off his bike.

Bored with math lessons, Ken's eyes wandered around the room, occasionally resting on several classmates. There was the familiar short pig-tailed Michi, his other best friend. He, Michi, and Sho were inseparable, except when it came to the seating chart (Michi was all the way across the room). It just so happened that Michi's father and Ken's father Kyo had been old school buddies, so Ken through their parents' letters they got to know each other. Eventually they started writing to each other themselves. When Ken moved to Japan, the two got even closer, and when Sho joined the mix, the group quickly grew into a close friendship.

A few seats away from Michi was Emi Sato. Emi rarely showed her face– she was always looking through her glasses at a book or her hands– but when she did look up, one could see she was a very pretty young girl. Usually her hair was pulled back in a bun, but a few wisps escaped and framed her face nicely. Ken had always found Emi cute, to say the least, but she was a loner, always keeping to herself. She never really talked to anyone, and always left school in so much of a hurry Ken could never really get himself alone with her.

Ken sighed as his gaze turned to the window. It was such a nice spring day outside. He couldn't wait for the Suzuka race. He would definitely beat Kashino's old record. 'He's not so great,' Ken smugly said to himself. 'I'm definitely going to go further than him!'