Whee slowly updating. Have fun reading.

Don't own Beyblade, but I do own this particular storyline.


Chapter one- La femme qui a été une reine

Ian flopped down on the ground, taking care that he wasn't going to stain his khakis with mud, and seeing that he was under the shade of the oak tree. "Mmmph." He grumbled at Bryan who was napping on the ground.

"I don't want to hear your nonsense," Bryan said without opening his eyes.

"What nonsense? I was just going to ask what we are doing here!" Ian growled.

"Because we got accepted and we're paying to be here? I don't want to hear you complain. Let me sleep. You and your yapping mouth are the two reasons I didn't get that much sleep last night. Learn to shut up this year, alright?"

Ian threw a pleading glance at Tala who was also laying on his back, his legs crossed. "Have you got any answers?"

Tala pretended to think for a moment. "I'm guessing… same as Bryan."

Kai, the only one standing and leaning against the tree smirked. "Don't even bother asking."

Ian scowled at them all. "I hate you. Stupid Johnny. Why'd he talk us into this? How'd we get ourselves into to this? Reminds me of BioVolt," he mumbled. "It's far away from town, in a huge facility, and they train only the best. What a recurring nightmare."

Kai glanced at Ian before looking at the white building again. "Yes, it is a little creepy. But it's not BioVolt. We're past that stage, remember?"

"And," Tala added, "We had a choice coming here. We were just kind of abandoned there. At least here, we can 'fully express any endeavor of our liking'" he said, quoting the school's catalog.

"Bull. I feel like I'm paying them to bribe me to do well. I can work with self motivation, thanks."

"What's the price for shutting you up? A threat? I'd be glad to pay that price." Bryan opened one eye in irritation.

Ian didn't even blink at Bryan's hint. "Shove it, buddy, I'm trying to whine here. A little busy!"

"I'm trying to sleep before my first class. Screw you."

There was a pause. Tala spoke up. "And besides Ian, you know why Johnny brought us here!"

Bryan groaned and put his arms over his eyes. "Doesn't anyone listen to me when I ask for a little quiet around here, damnit?"

Tala grinned. "Well, I thought since we're on the subject, we might as well go over it again." He ducked a rock Bryan flung at his head. "Careful! You don't want to lose your temper on the first day of school!"

"Careful, you might not want to mock me on the first day of school. You might find all your things flying out the window when you get back to the dorms." Bryan smirked.

"Fuck you," Tala said calmly. "Anyway, you know Johnny asked us to apply here because of his aunt."

Ian's smile became evil. "You mean Ivy?"

"I mean Ivy. Wonder if he'll let us call her Aunt Ivy."

"Blurrr." Ian shuddered. "Don't make her sound like some sweet fifty-year old."

"Why? Because she's not sweet?" Tala grinned innocently.

"Because she's not fifty!"

Tala was about to retort back when a voice hissed above them, "Don't talk so loud about her, idiots, do you want her to kill you?"

"Shit!" Ian's eyes shot up to the branches of the tree. "Johnny? What the hell are you doing there?" All four boys looked up to where the voice had come from.

Johnny McGregor sat on a thick branch above, shielded by the dense leaves making it hard to tell whether he was happy to see them or really panicky.

Tala was betting it was the latter though.

"Don't look up, retards. Do you want her to find me?" Johnny's voice was strained.

"Sure. That sounds fun." Kai smirked but looked away.

Bryan, who was lying down, continued to look up at the red-head, because he knew he could. No one would ever think he was looking at tree-boy in this position.

"Okay. Shoot. What are you doing up there, Johnny?"

"Didn't you hear me? I'm hiding from Ivy!" He shifted his foot to get into a more comfortable position. "She might be mad at me, I'm not sure. She said something about meeting her before her first class. And she used 'the voice.'"

Ian started laughing before changing it to an ill concealed cough. "What'd you do this time, genius?" he hissed, wiping away tears of mirth.

"I don't know! I never know with Ivy!"

Kai idly pretended to tie his shoe. "When are you planning to get out of that tree? You can't stay up there forever, you know."

"I know, I know! Just long enough to make sure Ivy's not around, you know?"

"Too late, dear Johnny," a feminine voice spoke from beneath him.

"SHIT!" Johnny, scared out of his wits, lost his balance and fell out of the tree. Had he been any unluckier, he would have fallen on his head and broken his neck. Fortunately, Tala had been sitting directly below him and broke his fall.

Johnny didn't know what was worse: death, or an angry female and a disgruntled and pained friend who looked like he'd kill him himself. Death actually looked like a pretty attractive option right about now.

"You've got ten seconds to get off of me, or I'll kill you with or without my broken ribs, you klutz." Tala glowered at Johnny before turning his gaze on Ian who was nearly hyperventilating with laughter. "And you, shut it fast, or you're next on the hit list."

The shorter boy stopped immediately, but continued smirking. "Not my fault."

"Nor mine." The girl who had spoken earlier stepped out and watched the two boys disentangle themselves from each other. To any one else, the scene before her would have been hilarious.

But her dark eyes were clear and serious, without the slightest hint of laughter. Kai studied her as she walked towards Johnny, comparing the two relatives side by side. The only similarity was their dark red hair—hers a shade darker, making it seem brown, but in the sunlight you could tell difference, he noted. Johnny had shoved his bangs out of his eyes by wearing a bandanna, but Ivy wore her hair loose, unrestrained by any headbands. It was cut oddly. On her left side, her hair barley reached the bottom of her chin, but on her right it reached past her waist, shielding her like a cloak over her body.

And she was amazingly tall. Kai guessed that she was close, if not six feet tall, and lean like an Amazon woman. Small wonder Johnny cowed under her gaze, even if he was himself a sturdy 6'5". Imposing, serious, and she did have a rather arrogant face to match her long legs.

"Hello, Johnny." Her nephew snapped to attention like a soldier immediately. She held out her hand. "I'll need my notebook you stole from me this morning."

"Blurr… Ahhh…. What? IVY! Is that freaking all?" He looked outraged. "A STUPID NOTEBOOK?"

She glanced at him with a look of mild annoyance. "I like that notebook," she said, "and I'd like to have it back, now."

He frowned. "You sure I have it?"

"Would I ask for it otherwise?" Her glare got harder as he still stood there, apparently thinking hard. "It's next to your physics book, now MOVE."

He whipped out her notebook so fast he nailed Tala in the side with his elbow. "Goddamnit, Johnny, you little…"

"Sorry man, I'll explain later," Johnny whispered apologetically.

"And pay for my doctor's bill?" Tala didn't mean to be sarcastic, but fucker, that hurt more than he let on.

"Merci," Ivy opened up her shoulder bag to tuck the book away.

"Don't mention it. Ever." Johnny muttered the last word.

Even Ian backed up a couple of inches with the fury in Ivy's glare. "Qu'est-ce que ce?" she shot out coldly.

Johnny gave her a nervous innocent grin. "Nothing, ma tante?"

"Je ne veux pas entendre toi le dit." She scowled at him.

Ian frowned. "Why with all the French guys?"

Johnny shot him a withering glare, but Ivy merely said, "I'm from a French-speaking family. Johnny knows the basics."

"So you're a French princess? You know, since Johnny is Scottish nobility." Ian grinned devilishly at Johnny, knowing that he'd probably get beat upon later. But Johnny's face made it worth it—he was practically squirming under Ivy's presence!

Ivy's face was unreadable as it had been when they first met, but before she could answer him, she was cut off by a friendly voice.

"Nah, not a French princess. A queen of sorts, ne, Ives?"

Ivy greeted the newcomer with a faint rising of the eyebrows. "Someone has to run the school, don't they?"

The boys turned around to look at a tiny Asian girl with long black hair and sparkling green eyes. Though not as thin as Ivy, she definitely could be lifted up by any of them with ease. She laughed brightly and ran over to give Ivy a hug.

"It's a new school year, and already you're impossible to find! I spent all morning looking for you!" She grinned, and looked at Johnny teasingly before continuing, "I suspect that you're to blame here, Mr. McGregor."

Johnny held up his hands in a plea of innocence. "Ivy didn't tell me she wanted her notebook! How was I supposed to know?"

"So you hid from her?" Ian interrupted, only to be rewarded with a kick from Johnny.

The girl perked up, noticing for the first time the other boys. Ivy reached over and poked Johnny's side.

"Ow. Goddamnit, what was that for?"

"Where are your gentlemanly manners? And restrain from using coarse language, it's unbecoming."

He glared at her as though debating whether to argue with her, but he seemed to think better of it. Sulkily he said, "Guys, this is Lynn Fukumoto, a longtime friend of Ivy's. We've been going to school with each other for a while. Lynns, this bunch of guys happen to be friends of mine. And they will kindly introduce themselves."

"Pfft. Way to go nobility." Ian scoffed. "Ian here."

"Kai."

"Bryan."

"Tala."

Lynn looked at them in amusement. "Nice roll call. I take it you guys don't talk very much?"

"Nope. Ian does it all for us." Tala smiled lazily at her.

"Nice." She smiled back. "Did I mention that you guys are cute?"

Tala's face flushed a little before he began to concern himself with an invisible bit of dirt that had gotten on his shoe. Ian, oblivious to this, snorted. "Cute? Hardly."

"Yeah, especially with his big mouth," Bryan muttered darkly.

Lynn giggled. "I think it's cute." She reached over and pinched Ian's cheeks lightly. Tala glowered a bit. Kai noticed this, but only smirked. He suspected the redhead found Lynn cute as well. Ah, well, he always did tell Tala he was a hopeless romantic.

Shut it, you. Tala glared at Kai with displeasure when he saw him smirk. His glare would have been longer had Lynn not plunked herself next to him and asked, "What's wrong?"

He quickly recovered and smiled. "Nothing m'dear. Just some people being total jerk-offs." His eyes narrowed on Kai again before setting their full attention on her. "But nothing serious."

She nodded, yawned, then turned to Ivy. "I can't believe you chose to have class so early in the morning. Nessa's not even up yet, and Connie isn't answering her phone. And I can't believe I have class with you," she grumbled.

"Tired?" Tala questioned.

"Murr. Yes."

"Lean on my shoulder, and sleep."

She looked startled. "But I just met you!"

Johnny prodded her with his foot. "That's never stopped you before."

Lynn giggled. "That's right, you're my resident pillow!"

"I resign from that post effective immediately!" he huffed.

"I'll take it up," Tala said, "on the condition that you take your nap now, young lady, and no complaints!"

"Huzzah! Position granted!" She leaned against Tala's shoulder, no problem, and closed her eyes.

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Adorable, isn't she?" She looked around. "So Nessie's not up, and Connie's gone MIA," she muttered. "I wonder…"

"Johnny," she snapped, "where's Spencer?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

"What did I just say about those filthy manners of yours?"

"What's up with the attitude all the time?" he shot back.

"That's how I am. You, on the other hand, are coarse and vulgar, and like I said, it's unbecoming. Now where is he?"

He threw his hands up in frustration. "Not here, ma tante, and I have no idea."

"He said he had to pick up a friend this morning. As to where that friend is, I don't know," Bryan said quietly from the ground, "but he said he'd meet us here after he went to pick his friend up. He should be here soon."

Kai's eyes were narrowed on Ivy. "Ivy, what's with the sudden interest in Spencer?"

She studied him for a minute. "Just concern for my fellow classmates."

"Ivy Leclair. There's no need for concern you know." A small, blond girl was walking toward the group with a much taller boy behind her. Spencer gave a brief nod to the group.

Ivy gave the girl a thin smile. "But it is the first day of school. I wouldn't want harm to come to any of us, Connie."

Constance Ching turned to Spencer. "She means she wouldn't want to harm you if I suddenly got hurt or something. Sound familiar?"

Spencer grunted. "Are you trying to say we're alike?"

"I'm trying to say that you're much too overprotective for your own good. You're not my mother."

"No, but if she were here, she'd approve of my actions."

"Her approval doesn't matter here. Only mine."

Constance had short, straight blond hair, soft blue eyes, and a smile that never wavered. And it never left her face, which made her beautiful, but…

Kai noticed that the smile never reached her eyes, which while gentle, were also blank and empty, as if no sense of self existed.

And even more disconcerting was the fact that Spencer hovered over her like an overprotective brother. And Ivy kept studying her, a mark of concern, even for the cool-headed Ivy who hardly cared about her own nephew falling out of a tree.

Connie turned to Johnny. "Hello, McGregor. These are your friends, I assume?"

"Yeah. You know Spencer?"

The normally laid-back Spencer nodded stiffly. "Childhood friends. I worried about her so I went to pick her up. One can never be too careful around here."

"You sure you two aren't dating?" Ian asked dryly.

"Oh no," Connie said, "Spencer likes acting out the mother role. You'd think I was abandoned at birth judging by the way he acts."

"Ah. I'm Ian by the way." He held out his hand.

She exchanged a glance with Ivy before she shook it. "Pleased. Constance. But call me Connie. The only person who calls me Constance is my mother."

"The guy whom Lynn is taking the liberty of sleeping upon is Tala, next to him, Bryan, and finally Kai," Ivy finished up.

Constance shook her head, smiling, at Lynn. "You know, Ivy, she just wasn't made to be a morning person."

"At least she isn't Vanessa." Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding me? Vannessa was practically snarling at the mere suggestion of waking up before nine the morning. At least I'm up and here. And I'm not taking liberties with anyone!"

"Lynn, do awaken fully before you join a conversation. I didn't say you were taking liberties with him."

"Ah, well. You woke me up," the brunette grumbled.

"I start class in ten minutes," Connie interrupted plaintively. "Now that I've shown myself to your highness, may I please leave now?"

Lynn's head shot up to glare at her, "You were barely here for two minutes!"

"Yes, but I really need to get to class now."

"Hmph. I don't know why you bother. You score straight As without trying anyway."

Connie sighed. "I will just take that a yes and leave now. And you," she said, turning to Spencer, "I know you don't have a class now, so don't follow me."

His eyes narrowed. "Can't stop me. I want to see you off."

"You're going to stay with your friends and not worry about me. Because," she cut him off because he was ready to argue, "I say so. It grieves me, and irritates me to have you hovering around me like a gnat. Or a possessive boyfriend and I honestly don't know which is worse."

"I'll go," said the muffled voice of Lynn. "I have class too. If Connie gets molested by aliens, though, I'm not to blame."

"Yeah, because she's not even awake enough to fend off dust particles at this point," Johnny poked her side with his foot. Tala grabbed his ankle and threw him off balance, causing him to fall on his side.

"Ow, you fucking psycho, what was that for!"

"You bug me. And I'm getting back at you for falling on me and elbowing me within the same ten minutes." Tala smirked.

Lynn tried to look sympathetic toward Johnny's plight and failed. "Ah well. We'll just blame it on Karma, ne, Johnny?"

"Shut up."

"I have class too, anyway." Kai said softly.

Connie quirked an eyebrow. "And so?"

"I'd like to walk you to class."

"Oooooh, I think he likes you. Brave, aren't you, with Spencer right behind you?" Lynn teased.

"Yeah, well, I'm bored, I need to get to class and you girls can show me around the campus," he replied.

"Or get him lost," Lynn told Connie in a loud whisper.

"Sounds good," Connie smiled.

"All of a sudden, I don't like where this is heading," Kai muttered.

"I do!" Lynn jumped up, green eyes sparkling. She scooped up her books. "Come on, Kai, Connie. We have places to go!"

"The only place I want to go is to class," Constance protested, "And don't even think about making me late."

"Ah, well, we'll see."

When Kai stood up, she dragged them both by the arms toward the building.

"Exuberant, isn't she?" Tala grinned at Johnny.

"You have no idea."

Ivy glanced at her sulking nephew. No Johnny, she thought, you're the one who has no idea.