Disclaimer: I don’t own Beyblade. No one of does! If they did own what they were writing about, it wouldn’t have to be on some website, it’d be playing on JETIX!

Kid Blader here with a brand new story! I haven’t forgotten about “At the End of the Rainbow”, but I swear I’ll update it soon! My great (even if it’s nothing compared to the thousands some get but I don’t really give a damn) reviewers inspired me to write some more. This isn’t the sequel for “Let Me Count the Ways”. It’s a BRAND NEW story! With a brand new plot and brand new pairings. New. Totally. So, I stole the plot from “At the End”, but it’s MY story anyway and I don’t give a monkey’s tail.

indicates thought

On with the story!

The chilly wind blew through the park. Max was walking his dog Draceil (A/N: Lame, I know.) through the gorgeous Bella Parco. He stopped at a bench near the small pond in the center of the “beautiful park” (bella parco). He set up his easel and canvas and tied Draceil to a lamp post.

“Stay,” the blonde said to the black and white Dalmatian. He smiled and patted the dog on his head. “Good, boy.”

He took out a paint brush from behind his ear and few tubes of paint from the pockets of his dingy, baggy cargos. He straightened out his green Quicksilver t-shirt and brushed a strand of soft, blonde hair from his face.

“Now let’s see...” he said, squinting and eyeing the pond. He turned and looked towards the playground and smiled. There was a little boy and girl playing in the sandbox. Just like my childhood days, Max reminisced. He took out a small Sony digital camera and snapped a picture of the pair building sand monuments around the orange slide. He sat down as he waited for the picture to appear so he could post it to his wall.

Max was an artist. He painted, sculpted, drew, took beautiful scenic pictures. Or at least tried to. But, his occupation was a comic artist for the local newspaper. He hated his job, but as long as it made others happy...

He began to pet his loyal spotted dog as he tried to remember what he was doing in Italy in the first place.

He’d been in art school. He had always dreamt of going to school in Italy and learning the fine arts. But he’d ended up with a simple University degree and a comic strip gig. He had settled down in a small apartment near a beautiful park and bought a Dalmatian puppy. Life had NOT been entertaining. He loved Italy and all it had to offer, compared to New York (his prior residence) Italy was gorgeous. (A/N: No offense to New Yorkers! I love Brooklyn! Even if some people say it's not that great...) But, it was beginning to dull him. True, hardly any people his age had been able to go on their "Europe back-packing trip" so soon after high school, but he'd been living his life far before he'd grown up.

Having been a very intelligent child, he was only seventeen and he had already completed college - in a foreign country. But still... His job was a comic book artist. Not a famous European artist, like he wanted to be.

All his life he'd been good at observing and getting in ink what he'd seen. He could replicate the beauty around him. But no one seemed to care at the Italian Times. (A/N: Lame newspaper, I know, I know.) What they wanted was juicy gossip or hilarious comics. Nothing too classy for some daily reads. Although, Max was always one for a good laugh.

Nothing seemed to be funny these days. Max sighed and stood up to begin again. He stared at the digital copy of the scene before him and stared at it thoughtfully. He raised his brush to the canvas and-

"In coming!" someone shouted. Max whirled around and stumbled backwards as a dog and its runaway master-on-wheels sped up to Max, knocking them both over. Draceil looked at his fallen owner and opened his mouth, his tongue falling out of his mouth and barked.

“Oww...” Max groaned, clutching his head, which he’d hit on his easel on the way down.

“I’m so sorry,” came a feminine voice. Her legs were strewn underneath her and her helmet had fallen into her face. “I tripped and we just kept rolling and the dog, she got me all tangled up and I just kept rolling-“

“It’s fine,” Max said, brushing himself off as he stood up.

“No, it’s my fault,” the girl said. Max reached a hand down to help her up. She blushed beneath her helmet. “Thanks,” she muttered.

“It’s my fault for painting in a ‘caution – runaway skaters’ zone,” Max joked. The girt stood up and tucked her helmet under her arm. “I hope you’re not hurt-” He stopped talking when he looked at the girl. She was Gorgeous! Her long blue hair was wrapped in a ponytail and her long bangs hung in her face. Emerald green eyes peaked out from behind Oakely sunglasses and her slim figure was clad in a white, sleeveless t- shirt and baggy basketball shorts.

The girl giggled. “That’s funny!” Max took note to hurriedly close his gaping mouth and set the girl on a bench. Her knees were slightly bruised and her elbows were bleeding slightly.

“Ow...” she muttered. “That smarts!” She examined her elbows and knees.

Max smiled. “So, you’re a Yankee, I take it?”

The girl smiled. “Yup! Hundred percent Californian! See the label,” she pointed to the Lakers logo on her shorts. Max laughed. She took her inline skates off and let her sock clad feet drop to the cement.

“I take it you must be okay to be cracking jokes,” Max smiled. He took out some bandages from his backpack he’d set on the bench. “Here, give me your arm.” The girl stretched her arm out to Max and he wound the bandages around her bloody elbow.

“Name’s Miriam,” the girl said. “Where are you from, umm...”

“Max,” he said, finishing her arms and starting on examining her legs. (A/N: Not in THAT way!) “I’m from New York.”

“Cute dog,” the girl said, petting Draceil.

“You too,” Max said, glancing at the Dalmatian that sat quietly observing her master. “There,” he said, finishing her left knee. “All done. I always keep some bandages around when I’m in this park.” Miriam giggled.

“No, really! I nearly got run over by a bike rider the other day,” Max laughed. “But, she wasn’t as cute as you,” he said, with a blush.

“I’m not cuter than a biker. They're cute and muscular and all that. But, do you think so?” Miriam asked, putting her hands on her hips as she stood up, above Max. He stood up as well, he was a little taller than her, enough so she didn’t have to look up so high to look him in the eye. They watched a biker speed by, nearly running over their toes. He had on tight biker shorts and a bright shirt that clung to his chest with sunglasses strapped to his head. Miriam and Max burst out laughing.

“Let’s just say it’s a hunch,” Max said, handing her her dog’s leash and skates.

“Well,” Miriam said, walking away. “I’ll be seeing you.” She turned to walk away but a skateboarder sped past her and a biker after him and she fell to the ground again, this time landing on her bottom. “Owww...” she groaned.

“Maybe I’ll walk you back to where you need to go,” Max said, rushing over to help her up. This time it appeared that she couldn’t stand up on her own, so he reached down and gently picked her up in his arms. She blushed slightly as she felt his strong hands wrap around her.

“Thanks,” Miriam said, resting on the bench again. "But I don't want you to have to go to the trouble of walking me back to the University."

"University? How old are you?" Max asked, smiling.

"Seventeen," Miriam said. "How old are you?"

"Same."

"So I guess we're both child prodigies?"

"Guess so..."

"I'll just pack up all of this junk and I'll bike you to the University," Max said, packing up his easel and paints and scooping them into his backpack. "The one on the corner, right?"

"Yup." Miriam said, trying to hobble off the bench. "Ow."

Max easily slung the heavy bag over his shoulder and tied both of the dogs to his handle bars. He awkwardly picked up Miriam again and set her behind him on the bike. She wrapped her hands around his waist and lifted her feet up. He started peddling and reached a steep hill.

At least she's not heavy, Max thought when they reached a hill. He peddled all the way up and then they glided down to the gate of the park.

"So, let's get you home!" Max said, smiling back at the girl behind him, who clung to his waist for dear life as Max zigged through the on coming traffic in the streets.

This guy is pretty cute, Miriam thought to herself. I just hope he doesn't kill me!

End! Review! Yeah!