Hey everyone, I had been hoping to finish this chapter a couple of days ago, but things just get popping up. Oh well, here it is, and still within a reasonable time! Yay! Thank you to all my reviewers and random readers of the last chapter, remember that reviews –and me I suppose - keep this fic alive!

Disclaimer: Don't own Beyblade, at all. It's a sad affair.

I can't help but groan as my secret hiding/napping place is finally discovered. I ate lunch quickly with the rest of the guys and excused myself before Hiro started explaining the scheme thing again. The time it took to explain combined with the time gained from my ingenious hiding place means that I managed to get a whole hour of sleep. Ok, so it's not much but I'll take what I can get!

So, I bet you can't guess where my hiding spot is…I'll give you a clue. Its outdoors, up high, made of wood, and slightly green in some areas. Not too hard is it? Obviously I'm up a tree right?

Ha, guess again. I managed to scramble onto the high, wooden and slightly mossy roof of the dojo. And of course, when searching for people who actually checks the roof? Well Max evidently because he's just discovered me and woke me up. Damn, note to self: find even more ridiculous hiding place.

I blink the sleep out of my eyes and only then realise the impossibility of Max finding his way on to the roof. I struggled to get up here, so how the hell did Maxie manage it? "Max, how did you get up here?"

He grins and shrugs, leaving me even more confused than before. Does that mean that he doesn't know how he got up here, or is he just not willing to tell me? Either way it's certainly an odd encounter.

"Hey Rei, what are you doing way up here? We can't start training without you."

"Just getting some peace and quiet. Tell everyone that I'll be right there." I choose not to question how he found me, because then they'll all know that I was hiding, and then I'll have to suffer several hundred questions as to why I was hiding! See, it's good to think ahead.

I expect Maxie to get down the same way as he got up, but when he makes no move I raise an eyebrow. He must want to keep his roof-climbing route a secret, fair enough, its not as if it's the most exciting secrets. I walk to the ledge of the roof, the sloping and slippery wood not even bothering me, but just as I bend my knees to jump…

"Wait Rei!"

Ah, Shit! That kid is trying to kill me! Yelling just as I was away to jump like that, I may be a neko-jin but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have landed on my feet. Phew that was close. My heart is hammering against my chest and I turn round to glare at him. Man he looks scared, my glare must be improving, must be from over-exposure to Kai.

…

…

And he still looks scared, which is starting to scare me. I look over my shoulder, expecting to see Black Dranzer hovering right behind me. It's not. Well that's a relief. Maybe he thinks…?

"Max I'm not suicidal if that's what you're thinking, that jump couldn't kill Tyson if he landed on his head." I don't think I've been acting angsty lately, or ever, but really who knows what goes on in that little blond head of his?

"No it's not that Rei…I just realised that I'm scared of heights."

"…"

"Rei?"

And he only just figured this out now!? How many times has this kid been in high places, mountain climbing in China, in the Eiffel Tower in France, in half of the buildings in America? I mean what the hell? He only discovers his fear of heights now that he's stuck with me 12 feet from the ground?

"…I'll be back with a ladder."

"Hey what took you guy so long?"

"Max got stuck on the roof." I say bluntly and try to keep the amusement from my face. Failing terribly of course, because I mean, how often does one of your team mates get stuck on a roof? Then discovers he has a fear of heights when he gets there, and then discovers he has a fear of ladders. By the time he claimed to have a fear of 45 degree inclines (the slope of the roof) I actually checked that it wasn't April Fools. It wasn't. I swear these people are insane.

Everyone turns to face Max who is grinning sheepishly but strangely no one questions it. This is considered to be relatively normal around here. So if that's normal then…just what would abnormal be like?

"Hey there you are Rei. Guess you were already thinking up some questions huh?" Hiro asks me brightly, and you know what, he has such a proud look on his face that I lie by nodding. Well I couldn't exactly say that I snuck off and hid away so I could fall asleep now could I?

That's the weird thing about Hiro, he always looks pleased if you go out of your way and do any little insignificant thing. He bought me an ice-cream when he saw me taking out the trash! Then again with Tyson as a little brother he probably finds a responsible sixteen year old the greatest thing since sliced-bread. And sliced-bread really is great, you should have seen the look on my elders faces when I brought home a bag.

"Can we start now." And that's Kai once again phrasing a demand as a question. We all get the hint and Kenny quickly opens Dizzi and looks over that stats. Hilary leans over his shoulder and pretends to know what the two are mumbling about. Don't get me wrong, Hilary is a smart girl, but when Kenny and Dizzi are blabbering high-tech jargon I doubt even Emily could keep up.

"So that means that our first practise match should be Tyson verses Rei." Ah, now there's a sentence I can understand, but how Kenny reached that conclusion I'll never know. I take out Driger and take my place next to the dish and Tyson does the same.

"3…2…1…Let it rip!" We launch and to be perfectly honest I'm not really paying attention. Driger knows what he's doing.

"Rei, you're supposed to be working on your defence!" Oops, that's what I get for not knowing what the heck Kenny was on about earlier. I switch Driger to defence and watch as Dragoon charges towards him, only to fly out a second later on impact.

"…Defence seems to be working fine to me Chief." Which is really odd, I mean, a defensive manoeuvre that throws the opponent from the dish? Is that even possible? Well we like defying physics around here…

After a moment I realise that Kenny hasn't answered me so I look up at him, only to see him staring behind me open-mouthed. Tyson has the same expression on his face…sheesh what is it with people and looking behind me today?

Curiosity gets the better of me yet again and I turn round, and my mouth drops open too. Hilary seems to have found that hugging Max till he was black and blue wasn't making Tyson jealous so has now gone up a stage. Several stages actually, and is now enjoying a very energetic game of tonsil tennis with Maxie. …Well it looks like she finally got Tyson's attention anyway.

I wave a hand in front of Tyson's face. Nothing changes. I snap my fingers an inch from his nose. He doesn't even blink. Ok, so the kissing was a bit overboard Tyson, but this is just too far, he's watched plenty of teen movies and has seen this stuff before, so what if its your best friend and the girl I'm pretty sure you like?

Five minutes later and they're still going at it, and everyone else is still staring. For crying out loud! Has anyone got any maturity around here? Or at least some respect for privacy? This is getting ridiculous. I launch Driger, aiming just left of Tyson's head. Still no reaction.

And then…

"No, don't do it! I know what comes next! Ah!" Daichi yells and covers his eyes from the sight, then backs away and runs into the dojo. I guess the 'talk' with him earlier wasn't such a good idea, but as I said before if the kid was scarred then it would be Hiro's fault.

"What in the world is up with him?" Oh so now you decide to talk Hiro? Kenny seems to be coming to his senses too, while Kai…well he's walking away. Probably doesn't think much more training is going to get done here. And if he's probably thinking about what I think he's probably thinking about, then he's probably thinking right. Not much training is going to be happening now.

Tyson is still, for lack of a better description, shell-shocked. I however am not really affected, seeing as I know that this is just an arrangement and that this is not anything special. Max is putting on a really good show though, he may look sweet and innocent but he's been with more girls than the rest of the team combined. He really is the best for this job.

"I'm going to go see what's up with Daichi." I announce and leave the scene quickly, I would stay and try to get Tyson out of his state of shock but I feel more responsible for Daichi right now. Besides, the more he watches the more chance Hilary has of making him jealous.

I find Daichi hiding behind a sofa in the lounge. Why he was hiding behind a sofa, and how he thought that would help anything in any way whatsoever I have no idea, but I've learnt not to ask too many questions around here seeing as the answers tend to be more confusing.

"They're not going to do anything more than that you know." I say at last, getting a bit impatient that he's still hiding behind the sofa for no reason and refusing to say anything.

"Why'd they do that though, you said that none of that stuff happened till people were waaaay older! Its gross, its bad enough knowing about it, never mind seeing them at it!"

"Daichi you've seen worse than that on TV. Stop overreacting. Besides they're only doing that to make Tyson jealous." I sigh and realise that my headache has come back, this kid really knows how to make a mountain out of a molehill as the saying goes. I hadn't wanted to tell him Hilary's plan but the way things are going now everyone will soon know about it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was headline news in a few days.

"Wait you mean Tyson and Hilary? Eww, that's even worse!"

I sigh and nod my head in agreement. "Ok Daichi, Hilary and Max will likely have to do that now and then if they want the plan to work. Don't worry, I'll get involved if need be."

"Ewww, get involved in that!? That's not the kind of thing I'd want to get in the middle of Rei!"

Oh my god what have I done? He got the 'talk' just a few hours ago and already he's perverted! "No! Nothing that Daichi…" I force myself to stay calm and not whack him over the head or something. "Look I mean if things get out of hand then I'll stop it ok?"

He nods and I almost cry with joy that the extremely awkward conversation has ended. But of course after an awkward conversation something else equally as awkward follows. An awkward silence.

Daichi coughs. I yawn. He shuffles awkwardly from foot to foot. I stare at the floor. Damn I really really hate these silences. Just for the sake of something to say I ask him. "So the BBASUB thing…what do you think would help improve the team?"

And I really wish I hadn't said that, because now he's grinning at me evilly, and only then do I remember that I have to try out any suggestions given. Now I understand why they don't let children vote…

Damn I hated that chapter. I think I might be losing my touch, I'll have to get it back somehow. Or perhaps it was because I was determined to get a chapter up today no matter what. The next update wont be for a little longer than usual, just because I'm going away for the weekend and can't bring my laptop with me, and that I'm starting my Higher Courses at school next week and don't know what the homework load is going to be like. Well I didn't really like this chapter but I've got something up and that's alright by me! R&R and let me know what you think. Hopefully I'm just being too critical.