Another Chapter, woopwoop.

BY THE WAY: i would be really grateful if some of the people reading this could leave me a bit of feedback on my OC's, the Survivors, which, to remind you, are Ali Cat, Panther, Viper, Foxi, Lion King, Buggy and Raven. Can you just let me know if you think they are interesting, not interesting, well developed, not enough detail on them, or just plain terrible etc. I would really like to know what people think of them. Thanks :) .

Here you go:

Street Life

Chapter 18

It was almost dawn by the time Kai wandered back to the base. He didn't know if they would be angry with him for coming back so late, and he quickly realised that he didn't care.

Upon coming up to the entrance, he noticed that Ali Cat had been replaced by Viper as guard. She stretched her head up lazily as he came over to her.

"Well, well, look who's showed up," She chuckled, "Panther isn't happy with you..."

"Tell me something I don't know..." He grumbled.

Viper pulled her legs out from crouched under her casually, "We're supposed to stay at or near the base at night, but you must have known that?"

"And you must have known that I was very unlikely to follow the rules..."

She chuckled again at his words and lent back against the cool rock, her hair fell into her eyes and Kai knew she had nothing else to say.

Kai rolled his own eyes before making his way into the base. Obviously he had not slept that night but he didn't feel tired at all. A lack of sleep wasn't one of the worst things he had faced, but it was one of the most common and eventually, his body learnt to function better without the needed rest.

Inside the base, most of the occupants had yet to wake up, it was still pretty early. Kai wasn't about to go to the Survivors bunk, many of them were likely to be there, including Panther...and Ali Cat.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Kai led himself over to an empty part of rock wall, and sat with his back to it, not unlike how he had left Viper. A few people who had been awake gave him a fleeting look before turning their gaze back to their own. It was almost refreshing, Kai realised, when he didn't have to worry about being hounded where ever he went, because of his fame in Beyblading. That meant nothing here.

Leaning his head back slightly, Kai's piercing gaze hit the ceiling, inside his mind, he was forcing all thoughts to edge out, he couldn't be bothered to think on it now.

His rest was short lived.

"Kai?"

Looking down, he was met with a big eyed, sweet faced little girl, Raven. Just behind her, Buggy was making his way over.

She smiled brightly, showing a set of surprisingly clean teeth, "Good morning! We wondered where you were all night..."

"Out," He said simply. "You're up early..."

Her grin brightened, "We like mornings don't we, Bug?"

Buggy, who had been rubbing at his eyes, stifled a yawn, before nodding, "Mmm hmm..." he mumbled. Kai wasn't convinced, poor kid.

"LK's taking us to the park just out of town, I want to see the dew and the birds and stuff!"

Kai almost smiled at her enthusiasm, finally, a little kid that didn't take being outside for granted.

"I don' know 'ow you talk me into this, Raven..." Came a sleepy voice, Lion King was making his way over too, stretching his arms into the air, his eyes shut. Opening them, he glanced at Kai "Yo, Loney, been here all nigh' 'ave ya?"

"No" Kai said bluntly.

LK laughed, "Panther won' like that, wanna head ou' with us before 'e finds ya?"

Kai shrugged, 'Sure, why not?'

"Cool, I need a bit 'o comp'ny. Ready you two?"

Raven jumped up, "You know, you wouldn't have to get up if you let us go on our own, we're old enough..."

"Ya' twelve," LK said, with the air that they had already had this conversation, "Even normal folks don' let their kids loose tha' young, tha' far away."

Raven pouted a little, before taking Buggy's hand, who was still half asleep and started to pull him over towards the exit. When she turned to look back at them, the big smile was back in place.

"Hurry up!" she called back.

LK laughed, as people around them who had been sleeping were awakened by the overactive child. Some laughed with him, obviously used to the child's behaviour.

"Come on, Lone Wolf, their 'alf way ou' the door."

He lent down to haul Kai up, but Kai quickly dodged it and got to his own feet.

Twenty minutes later, plus a few short cuts, the four of them reached an edge of the town on the other side, opposite the main base. Kai had taken careful time to take in his surroundings, learning more and more about the place he now lived in.

They came across the park that Raven, and now Buggy, who had woken up during the journey, had wanted to go to so badly. Kai stopped at the sight, his version of amazement.

The little place was a little run down but Raven had been right about the dew, it made the whole place sparkle as the first rays of sun hit it across the horizon. It had a cute little swing and slide that still looked like they worked okay, and it was surrounded by large towering trees, where the call of morning birds could be heard floating around like poetry. If Kai had known this place existed, he would have come here the night before, he knew he would come here again.

"Kai?" Buggy asked gently from next to him, he was always such a shy kid.

"Hm?"

He hesitated a little, "Do you want to play some football with us?" (Soccer, for those of you who are American)

Kai frowned, "With what ball?"

At that moment, he looked over at Raven who had gone over to a hedge. She pulled out a well hidden football from within the bushes and brushed off the sticky leaves and twigs before setting it on the ground and kicking it over toward them.

LK patted Kai on the back, "Fancy a bit o' two on two football?"

Kai's frown deepened, he hadn't expected to have to join in, "Maybe later."

"Suit yourself," LK shrugged, before going off to the two younger kids and promptly stealing the ball from Raven. The two followed him laughing as they tried to get the ball back.

Kai watched calmly from the side as LK easily out mastered the two children without much problem, he had some skills, Kai supposed. Kai had a fleeting thought of actually being allowed to go to something as simple as football practice as a child and almost laughed a little from the absurdity of that thought.

"LK! It's not fair!" Raven called, after minutes of being unable to touch the ball, "Give it back!"

LK's booming laugh reached over the park, before finally, he kicked the ball over to Buggy, in a manner that made it look like the younger boy had managed to tackle it off of him.

"Errr...hey! Raven, I got it!" Called Buggy, happy and proud of his win.

"Aww, no way!" LK feigned disappointment, "Guess you were too good fer me, eh?"

Buggy was already kicking the ball away over to Raven, looking behind him to make sure LK wouldn't get it back.

Still laughing, LK stretched his arms over his head, before making his way over to where Kai was sitting in the grass.

"Do ya always do tha'?" LK asked Kai as he flumped down next to him.

Kai was puzzled, "What?"

"Tha' bit o' grass in yer mouth," LK asked frowning.

Kai reached up and took it from his mouth; it seemed he had done it without noticing.

"Habit" he said as he chucked it away. A habit formed that reminded him that he was outside, and not shut up in some dungeon or cell or...

"Wha' ever, dude," LK shrugged, "So, we 'aven't talked much 'ave we? 'Ow are things with ya, like it 'ere?"

Kai raised an eyebrow.

"Hehe, alrigh', maybe not like it, but ya know, yer really becoming one o' us more and more ev'ry day, ya get me? You like it don' ya?"

Kai understood, he wasn't asking if he liked the place, but if he liked them.

Kai didn't have an answer.

LK waited a moment, but sighed when he realised he wasn't going to get anything. He laid down in the grass and yawned a little, even after just playing football with the kids.

"'Ow'd you get ou' 'ere anyway?" LK asked, absently, "Ya kinda just came bloody and battered ou' o' the blue one day."

Kai frowned, "It wasn't my choice..."

"Oh yeah? Yer gonna tell me abou' it?"

Kai surprised himself by saying, "Let's just say that I came from a family with high expectations and I couldn't measure up, so I was let go..."

LK's eyes scrunched at the thought, "Dude, tha's harsh, was it yer folks?"

"No, they're gone."

"Yeah, I know the feeling, mine are gone too, mate, car accident."

Kai felt slightly uncomfortable but curious at the information.

LK looked over at Kai's gaze, and smiled a crooked , sad smile, "Me and Bug weren't in the car, lucky for us, or unlucky depending on how ya look at it. He's my lil bro ya know? Barely gave us enough time for the funeral before shipping us off to some god-forsaken orphanage. I'm just glad Bug was too young to understand it all."

There was a silence for a time, but Kai soon realised it didn't explain why the two of them had come here. "And then?" He prompted.

LK looked up, he seemed to have forgotten, lost in memories, "Oh yeah, well this orphanage we got dumped in was a pile o' shit, no otha way to put it really. The carers, so they called 'emselves were evil little...you get the idea. Nah, weren' no way I was stayin' there and o' course, Bug came with me. 'Itch-'iked a couple o' trains after that and some 'ow ran inta Panther on the other side o' this town right 'ere. He offered us a place and we've been 'ere since. We were the last to join before you I think, well, except for Raven but she was there with 'er family before she joined properly, anyway."

Kai nodded slowly, what could he say to that? Try to comfort him? Tell him his own story? He chose to deviate slightly.

"So, Panther joined first?" He asked.

LK pondered, "Ya could say joined, it was more started. As far as I know, 'ol Panth' was born out 'ere, and by the time 'e was five, 'e was all alone. I guess he stayed tha' way for a while before the others started showin' up. Panther 'ad 'is own lil' 'ideout by then and when 'e met them, 'e jus' invited them to join 'im, I reckon 'e was lonely but 'e would never admit it."

Kai almost snorted, he couldn't help returning Panther's dislike, yet feeling respect, living out on the streets from birth must have been tough, but Kai was willing to wager where he had grown up was far tougher.

"What about the others?" Kai said after a minute, his curiosity getting the better of him, "How did they meet up with Panther?"

LK scratched the back of his head, "Jeez, all diff'rent ways, 'aven't though' abou' it in a long while. Well, you know about lil' Raven. Out 'ere with 'er family, bless em. Jus' too poor to 'old on to their 'ouse. Ended up at the base and Raven joined permanently in 'er own time."

He took a quick pause to think.

"Then there's my Foxi. Told me all abou' it, she did. 'Er mother didn't mean to get pregnant, righ'? Never really wanted a baby at all, but she still waited the nine months to have Fox, anyway. God knows why, but 'm glad she did. Point is, she tried to take care o' Fox, but jus' couldn't 'andle it. Foxi over-'eard 'er talkin' on the phone about shippin' 'er off to some other person ages away in another par' of the World altogether. Instead of waitin' for that, Fox jus' took off on 'er own, 'er mum never came lookin' for 'er or nothin' and she met up with Panth. Eventually me and Bug turned up and its bin me and Fox for a long time, never bin so happy."

LK smiled brightly at the thought of his girlfriend, before he started to chuckle, "It's funny, the gang is a family but also an excellent match maker. I mean me and Fox were meant to be, I reckon Bug's got a lil' crush on Raven over there, and of course there's Panther and Viper..."

"Viper," Kai interrupted, quickly, trying to move his thoughts away from the idea of matchmaker and the only girl left single in the group... "What about her? How did she get out here?"

"Ah, tha's a curious one. Ya see, Viper doesn't 'ave to be 'ere if she don't want to. She could go off with 'er parents if she liked, they...well....they like to travel, I suppose."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

"They...they like to....collect things?"

Kai raised on eyebrow, "They're thieves?" He more stated than asked.

"I think they prefer the term 'criminal masterminds'," LK used air quotes with his fingers, nearly laughing. "But yeah, you're pretty much righ'. Never been caught as a matter o' fact. Viper used to jus' tag along before they stopped at the base for shelter for a few days. Viper met Panther while she was there and decided not to leave. I've only met 'er folks a few times, weird lot they are."

"They come to the base?"

"O' course, they wanna see their daughter once in a while don't they? And they give us a lot o' money towards our supplies. 'Alf the stuff we 'ave is cos of them."

Kai nodded, he hadn't expected anyone other than Raven to actually have caring parents, he considered them both very lucky.

It quickly dawned on him that only one member of the group was left in the dark. Did he want to know about her past? LK answered the question for him.

"I'm not gonna tell ya abou' Ali Cat. The others don't mind but 'er's is not my place to say. If she wants you to know, she'll tell ya. It's up to 'er."

Kai nodded, 'If she even speaks to me at all after last night.'

LK looked up at the sun, before standing up and brushing his trousers off.

"Time to get back, duties and all tha'."

LK called over to the other two who groaned for a few minutes before finally hiding their ball away back into the bushes and walking out of the worn but pretty park.

Kai trudged along behind the three, they were chattering happily and with clear smiles on their face. It still amazed him.

"Hey, Loney,"

Kai looked up from his feet at the older boy.

LK patted his shoulder, "I just realised that you didn't tell me you're story, not properly anyway. You gonna enlighten us?" He asked brightly but carefully.

Kai thought about it, honestly considered telling this boy everything.

"No," He said simply, before walking ahead and back towards the base.

That's it. I'd like to remind everyone that I was a lot younger when I started writing this so some parts seem childish but cannot be changed at this point, my bad. Please Review.

Drentai Wolf

PS, I hope everyone understood Lion King okay.