Welcome to the World of Beyblade!

They laugh at me because I'm EMO (3)

Zac doesn't think he's ever run this hard in his life. His chest feels like it's on fire but he cannot afford to have any pictures taken of him whilst he looks like this, and is dressed like this.

He runs and runs and runs, until he reaches a random clearing which is mostly deserted save for an old guy walking his dog. He skids to a halt before he can smack into a tree and rests his palms against the cool bark, wheezing hard, craning his neck to see if who's followed him.

Bowie is right at his heels, and he doubles over as he tries to catch his breath. Orochi isn't far behind them, and he leans against the tree for support as he regains composure.

Mick and Freddy are nowhere to be seen.

Zac is immensely stupefied when he sees Minato burst into the clearing, violin case in one hand and his sister's cello case in the other. He doesn't even seem to have broken a sweat, grinning widely as he jogs up to where Zac and his friends are panting like dogs.

"Wha- how-  you followed me?" Zac manages to get out in between heavy breaths. "How did you- catch up- cello- huge-"

"Oh, that was no big deal. You guys started running so I just did too, but I had to get these first otherwise my mum would kill me." He chatters amicably, and Zac is very jealous of this boy's athletic prowess. Is he even human? Zac isn't sure. How had he ran all that distance without any hassle, even whilst lugging a massive instrument with him? 

"Where's the other two?" Bowie asks him, adjusting his hat. His nostrils are slightly flared as he tries to conceal how winded he is by breathing in heavily through his nose, but Minato doesn't seem to notice anything. If he does, he doesn't let it show.

"Uh, I don't actually know. One second they were right there, and then I think my sister tripped and they all got sent flying." He scratches the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, great. We left the two idiots behind. Now they'll be swarmed by paparazzi. I genuinely think Freddy might die." Orochi adjusts the rings on his hands as he speaks, the silver glinting in the sunlight.

"Wait- they won't actually die, right? I think Minami is still with them." Minato says, in full seriousness. Zac wonders if Freddy has finally found a rival for the title of stupidest person in the country.

"At least you saved the cello," Bowie reassures hum. "That's better than nothing."

"I guess you're right, man. But I don't know..."

Zac's back starts to feel itchy, and he remembers that he's got all his hair stuffed down the back off his pullover. He yanks his hoodie over his head, pulling out the hair tie that Freddy had stolen from his mother's room and rolling it onto his wrist so he doesn't lose it. Luckily, Zac has silky, pin-straight hair, so it doesn't have any tangles in it. He sighs in relief, and wraps his black hoodie around his waist to make sure he doesn't lose that either.

Minato gapes with his mouth open, which makes Zac feel uneasy. He isn't wearing any stage makeup, he isn't wearing the usual flashy outfit, his hair is definitely not styled, and he suddenly feels a lot more self-conscious than he had moments ago.

"I still can't believe you're actually Zac the Sunrise. I'm like, your biggest fan. You wouldn't even believe. I can play all your songs on my violin, you know." Minato breathes, dark brown eyes wide. He's slightly taller than Zac himself, which means he has to look down a little to maintain eye contact, and Zac wonders if he realises how ridiculous the whole scene looks.

Bowie's phone suddenly rings. He pulls it out of his pocket and says, "Ah, look, it's Mick."

He picks up the call and places the phone on speaker mode.