Thanks to everyone who's been reading this! I really appreciate it.

By the way, if you didn't know, the italics in each chapter are the thoughts of a character. But you probably knew that. I'm not telling you which one it is, I try to make it pretty obvious.

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Trial By Old Flames

Chapter Four: Opposites

Distant Storm

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Kai and his teammates arrived early at the restaurant. It wasn't very busy on a Thursday night.

"How different do you think she is?" Ray asked Kai.

"Dunno," he said, shrugging.

Typical Kai.

"Well," Rei continued, "She was an asshole the last time we saw her."

Hilary gave the Chinese boy an evil stare. "Well, it's not like Kai's any better," Tyson remarked. Hilary swatted him with her hand. "But it's true," Tyson said helplessly as he was beaten up on by the only girl at the table.

Max laughed a bit. "Figures, you two can't go anywhere without a love feud," He said. Both stuck out their tongues at the blonde, whose laughter was joined by Ray and Kenny.

Kai leaned back, closing his eyes. "And the antisocial bastard makes an appearance," Tyson said, turning away the attention from him and his crush. "Couldn't laugh even if you want to, could you?"

"Chill out," Ray said, silencing Tyson."You nervous?"

"No," Kai said, not bothering to open an eye.

Ray shrugged, "Look who's here," He said. Kai turned quickly.

Gotcha.

"You aren't nervous at all, heh?" Kai, who was beyond blushing gave Ray a death stare.

"Be nice, you guys," Hilary said. "You're the one she doesn't like anyway, Ray," She said, wagging a finger in his face.

"Shut up." Kai cracked a smirk.

"She's only being honest." Kai shrugged. "And she's sitting next to you, seeing as you're the one with the empty space next to you."

"Play nice," Max said, from the opposite side of Ray. He spotted Wyatt and waved. "Over here," he said. Wyatt came over. Ray and Kai both looked behind him, expecting to see Carrie come out from somewhere.

"Hey guys," he said, running a hand through his chocolate colored hair and taking a seat next to Kai.

"Hi," They all chimed back.

Where the hell is she?

"Where is she?" Kai questioned.

"Coming. She got a phone call." Wyatt looked at all of them. "I kinda wanted to warn you in advance," He said calmly. "She is totally different."

"Pyrina?"

Wyatt shook his head. "MIA still." He looked behind him. She wasn't there yet. "I doubt you'll recognize her. Especially with her attitude."

Almost suddenly, a girl with blonde, almost brown hair entered from behind Ray, opposite of where Wyatt had come from. Kai was about to say something, but Wyatt looked up at her, then looked back at them. "Not her," he said.

"Looked just like her," Tyson said.

"Just like who?" A voice said from behind Kai. Ray looked up, and his mouth dropped.

A girl with blonde hair just slightly less yellow, and barely curley than Max's stood before them, hands on her hips, in a white t-shirt and light blue jeans. She had beautiful blue eyes that were so clear, he thought he was looking into the Pacific Ocean. The thing was though, with drop dead georgous girls was simple. Fan girls. They always were.

You've got to be kidding.

Who the hell is this fan girl?

"We aren't doing autographs, sweetie," Ray said. "We're waiting for someone."

Wyatt leaned back, just like Kai had moments earlier. He crossed his arms over his chest, then looked up at her with a smile. She raised her eyebrows.

Shit.

"Nice to see you too Ray," she said, looking over the group.

"You've got to be kidding," Kai said.

My thoughts exactly, Kai.

"Sorry," she said, taking a seat next to Ray. He looked directly at Kai.

I'm screwed now.

Kai nodded, and from the glint in his eyes, Ray knew Kai felt the exact same way.

The waiter came to the table and asked them about drinks. After he left, they resumed the beyond awkward situation.

"Guys, you remember my sister, Carrie?"

They all nodded dumbly. Ray mumbled an apology. To his surprise, she answered sincerely.

"Don't worry about it. Hell, my own mother nearly had a cardiac arrest. But since you were right the first time, I was an asshole." She shrugged a bit, and Wyatt smiled at her.

Kai was still partially dumbfounded. "What the hell did you do?" He asked after a moment.

"What do you mean?" She leaned over her drink, taking a quick sip. "The attitude or the make over."

Kai, Tyson, Hilary, Kenny, Max and Ray looked at each other before turning to the other two.

"Both."

"Ha, well, the past two years, I've just kinda let go. But I've learned something about doctors. They don't work. Wyatt was the only reason I'm actually semi-normal today. And for the make over, I just stripped my hair. The dirty blonde thing just doesn't work on me."

Kai looked at her. She met his eyes. They were brighter than he'd ever seen. "You look good, Car," he said after a moment.

"So do you."

I'm going to get her a sticker.

Property of Kai.

If he didn't like her before, he does now.

The ever reliable Kai.

His eyes give it all away.

Wyatt looked toward the rest of the group. "So, when's the next tournament?"

"A few months." Max took a sip of his Coca Cola. "Can't wait."

"I bet," Wyatt said. He then looked at Kenny, Max, and Ray who were opposite them in the horseshoe shaped booth. He motioned with his hands something that Tyson and Hilary didn't get, and the three of them shook their heads.

We're working on it, brother.

They're the two stubbornest people in the world.

Well, maybe except for Kai.

When their food arrived, they were all quiet, except for Tyson, who literally inhaled three plates of spaghetti.

"Pig," Carrie said. Everyone looked up, in shock. Kai flashed her a quick smile. She didn't apologize for her comment, but continued. "Is it a crime to be honest?"

Ray laughed. "We weren't expecting you to pull a complete one-eighty in your identity," He explained. "We we're kinda expecting you to be a bit more like Kai." Kai glared at him.

Well, I'll be honest dude, we all know we were thinking that.

"Well, not everyone can be so antisocial." Kai looked up at her, almost seething. She had even made fun of him.

"And who the hell are you?"

She raised her eyebrows, sensing a challenge. "Yeah, who the hell am I?" Ray looked at her. The rest of the group began laughing. Kai was still in absolute astonishment.

She knows exactly how he works.

"Keep laughing guys." She paused a moment, letting their laughter sink in. She looked at Kai, challenging him even more. "I bet we could wipe the floor with them."

I smell a challenge.

"Hn," He said, shrugging.

"Asshole." She looked back down at her plate, then to Wyatt. He was interested in this. "Well then I'll kick your ass too," she said, getting up and walking away.

Forget that, I smell a relapse.

"Good job," Hilary said. "She was here for what? An hour?"

Kai put his head in his hands. After a moment, he looked up. "Why the hell are you people so difficult?" he questioned angerly, his face tinted just a bit pink.

The next minute, Kai was drenched, covered in water and ice cubes.

Everyone started laughing as Carrie sat back down across from her brother. She looked around and cracked a smile at Kai, who looked at her angerly. She rolled her eyes. "Chill out," she said, looking at Ray, who stopped laughing long enough to thank her.

She smiled. "It had to be done," she said, high fiving Ray.

"Ha ha ha," Kai said sarcastically. "I'm soaking wet."

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Tyson said. "Now if only we had a camera..."

Every other person pulled out a cell phone with a camera, snapping a picture of Kai, pouting like a five year old, soaked, shivering, and his arms crossed.

Ray looked at Kai, again. That look in his eyes.

Trying hard to be angry, Kai?

Well guess what?

Ray glanced at the girl next to him, who quirked an eyebrow.

She knows.

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After dinner, the group of eight walked back to Tyson's house. They sat outside, catching up with Wyatt and Carrie, who, to their surprise went from complete antisocial bastard to a cute southern belle.

It was well past dark, and the group sat on the ground around a fire, trying to roast marshmallows. Tyson had totaled a bag, and there were none left for the rest of them.

"Who's going to go buy more of them?" Tyson asked, his mouth full of the sticky sugary substance.

"I've got it," Kai said, getting up.

Anything to get away, heh?

"I'll come with you," Carrie said. "I need to stretch."

Ray leaned over to Max. "Twenty bucks that he doesn't object."

"Deal." The two shook hands secretly. "You'll never win, Ray. This is Kai we're talking about."

Yes, money for Mariah's birthday present.

"Alright." Max fell over, and Ray grabbed the twenty from out of the freckled kid's hand.

"Damn it!"

"What?" Everyone turned to Max and Ray who sweat dropped.

"Nothing..." They said. Max was clearly annoyed over the loss of his twenty bucks.

"That's the last time I ever make a bet with you."

"I bet you you're wrong."

"SHUT UP RAY!"

"Wow," Carrie said. "I don't know how you put up with them," she shrugged, as Kai waited for her to round the corner first.

"You learn to deal."

Once they had left the walls of the dojo that Tyson and his team lived in, both sighed deeply, enjoying the brisk night air.

After a moment, Carrie was tired of the quiet. "Thank you," she said shyly.

"Excuse me?"

"I said thanks." Kai looked at her incredulously.

"I don't get it." Kai said. "First you're the queen bitch extreme, and then all of a sudden you're this perfect little southern girl, with the blonde hair, blue eyes, and clothes to match. Who the hell are you?"

"Okay, I that's fair." She shrugged. "You know why I changed so much?"

"Yes," Kai seethed.

"Well, I loved Texas, living there the past two years was so much fun. Plus, I got to figure out who the hell I was."

"And?"

"I guess I figured that I should just be me. And, that's exactly it. I wanted to thank you for breaking down the walls that I enclosed myself in for my entire life. Is that a crime?"

"No."

"You know, I wanted to come back because I wanted to prove that I could change."

"Hn."

"They're right, you are antisocial."

"Hn."

She rolled her eyes, looking around.

"You're actually the opposite of what I expected you to be."

"How so?" She looked at him, curiosity mounting.

"I thought you'd still be a hardass."

"I am a hardass. A fun-loving hardass." She smiled. "Would you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Would you please ditch the facade for the next twenty minutes that we're out here on a marshmallow run?" She looked at him, her blue eyes pleading with his grey, almost purple ones.

This caught him by surprise.

"I, uh..."

"Please?"

"Alright." He put an arm around her shoulders and she put one around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder.

Nothing had ever prepared Kai for this.

But he liked it.

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x3 please review.