hello, all! this is the beginning to a multi chapter involving a different kind of Bennoda. I apologize already. There is a lot of information to be given, so this chapter and a half will be jam-packed. enjoy!

*****

"Nice one, Mike!"

"Ry, that was so sick!"

The boys high-fived, emerging from the ocean after the evening surf. The waves rose and crashed behind them. A couple of girls sat on shore in the sun-bathed sand wearing the most revealing clothing they could find without the classification of stark-naked.

Mike rolled his eyes at Ryan as he set his surf board in the back of his truck next to his step-brother's. Born and raised in the California surf, the boys had bonded significantly over the past three years of awkward parent-dating thanks to the tides, but they still weren't the closest.

Nevertheless, they both enjoyed the water, the power it had to offer, and the girls. Mike hopped up on to the tailgate next to his board and watched Caleb, a mutual friend of theirs, and Mike's childhood partner-in-crime Rob finish their playful argument over who rode the wave the longest.

Ryan had migrated into the gaggle of sun-tanned females, all lapping at his heels. The kid had some issues, that was for sure, but talking to women wasn't one of those. Caleb walked up to Mike, punching him in the shoulder after loading up his and Rob's boards as well.

"It never gets old," Caleb said, combing his fingers through his sandy wet hair.

Rob hopped on the tailgate next to his friend and enjoyed the view they had of the sun setting over the oasis in front of them.

Ryan sauntered back over with pink lips slightly swollen.

"Pig," Mike commented with a grin.

"Jealous," he shot back, but he too was grounded by the sight in front of him.

The colors painted the sky; the endless blue now bled into a violet. Countless shades of red and orange had a sobering effect on anyone watching.

"Fucking Sunday," Rob muttered.

"It's the last week though," Mike said. Agoura Hills High School was drawing a close on the boy's Junior year.

"I'll drink to that," Caleb laughed, "Only four days until we're free for the summer. There's the babes, no Ms. Sanchez, the beer, no Ms. Sanchez, the waves, no Ms-"

He was cut off by Mike's phone as the boys laughed.

"Dad says we've got some nasty storms on the way. It's probably best to head out," Mike said after hanging up. The swell had definitely gotten a bit rough in the past half hour.

"Your dad's such the worrier," Ryan said.

"Your mother isn't much better," Mike countered.

"And yet they still found each other and brought us together, huh Micky?" Ryan said, moving himself from a casual stance right into a fighting mode, arms up close to the face and he began smacking combinations into the air towards his stepbrother.

"Not funny, Ry," Caleb said, smacking him in the back of the head.

"Let's go, Ry," Mike said without a reaction and jumped into the truck, turning the engine over.

"Touchy, touchy," Ryan drawled, but got in the truck as well.

They waved to the guys and set off for the Shinoda/Catlin household.

In the fifteen minutes it took to get home, the rain had battered the windshield to near submission. Mike parked the truck in the garage and watched Ryan go inside their large house. The boy had potential, but was too arrogant to take advantage. He was an attractive kid and knew it by the way he walked. His constantly tousled brown hair was getting lighter due to the incessant sun. His face had changed since Mike had met him. No longer was it round and childish, but instead, it had thinned out into a chiseled jawbone, lined with a bit of stubble. At five feet, eleven inches, the boy had a thick frame. He had not one ounce of fat on his body due to the constant surf activity, and was quick on his feet. He made a worthy opponent.

Mike's appearance was somewhat similar. He was slightly taller at an even six feet. He was less gangly with more weight to him, yet more agile. His abs were by no means washboard, but they definitely existed. His jet black hair was never unruly like his stepbrothers. Even if it was tousled, it was gelled or prodded into that form. The hair was an essential piece to Mike's image. It gave him comfort knowing he could control something in his life for at least a half hour in the morning. The eyes differed between the boys as well. Mike's were chocolate, dark chocolate, but if one were to dwell, he, or rather she would discover that they were endless in their depth. Ryan's were blue and impassive. They were shallow, easily reflecting his maturity.

Instead of following Ryan into the house, Mike joined his father, standing in the safety of the structure, but observing the storm in his 'at rest' position: feet slightly splayed, arms behind his back, standing straight and tall, but still relaxed. His father was a former army medical doctor. He'd taken three trips overseas and put in his fair amount of time. His wife, Mike's mother, had left for another man five years ago this July in the middle of the last deployment. His father came home with the news of his private practice being approved by the army, as long as he served the base, only to find his wife had already left and that Mike had been living alone for the past three months at the age of 12.

Mike knew his dad had priorities over seas. His mother leaving wouldn't be the easiest thing to write up in a letter and not exactly ideal when his father needed to attend to other matters. His dad never blamed him. He actually felt more sorry than anything. Mike adjusted quite easily; he and his mother had never really seen eye-to-eye, always disagreeing with something. Things were better for his dad now. Now they had Helena, Ryan's mother, and when she had taken his father in, she welcomed Mike with open arms. Her late husband, Ryan's father, had been killed in an automobile accident when Ryan was a toddler.

The new marriage was a learning experience for everyone. Helena wasn't used to having a husband. Ryan never really had a father figure and Mike's father, Darren, had been happy to provide both roles. Mike and Ryan got along easily, long lost brothers, but they still had their disagreements...frequently. At the same age of seventeen, Mike just three months older, competition for anything was bound to exist.

Mike and his father watched the storm's duration from chairs in the large triple bay garage, as it lasted into the night.

"You look exhausted," his father said with a small smile, examining his child's face.

"Yeah," Mike said returning it, "It was a good day out there."

"Any impressive rides?"

Mike launched into his animated story of the day's events.

*****

Mike drove to school sleep-deprived the next day in his Chevy Silverado. It wasn't the most beautiful vehicle on the school lot, but it fit Mike and his personality. It was older, a '93, but the extended cab provided the necessary surf board transportation. It was dark blue and silver, rusting around the wheel wells, reflecting Mike rather well. He was a good kid, but like his step-brother loves to constantly remind him, Mike had recently been caught by his father participating in an underground fight club.

Mike had gone to a party and consumed one beer too many. Ryan put his lips on the wrong girl, no surprise there, and the boyfriend threw the first punch, missing Ryan and landing it on Mike's cheek instead. From there, it was game on. Mike pulverized the guy while he, himself, was already unsteady due to alcohol consumption. Apparently Kyle, the battered boyfriend was a known fighter in the underground, making Mike an accidental prodigy. A boy named Rhen had stepped forward and introduced himself and he soon introduced Mike to the fighting lifestyle, training constantly, learning new combinations, stances, breathing techniques and on the list goes. Mike had felt at home when he was in Rhen's giant home gym. He made it through one fight before his father found out..

Mike pulled himself out the past and walked to his locker before first period. He saw Ryan mingling down the hallway with a few girls dumb enough to believe they could ever get him under their thumb.

Rob walked over and they clasped hands.

"Those waves kicked my ass yesterday."

Mike laughed in agreement. He was sore and beyond tired. He'd always thought the surf's hangover was much more vicious than an alcohol one. Mix them both together and-

"Yo, you hear about the new guy?", Caleb asked walking up behind us.

"Dude, there's one week of school left. Why would you do that to your kid?" Mike asked with a bit of pity. This was a large school to put your kid into anyways, but at the end of the year? They were throwing him to the sharks. Caleb shrugged.

The bell rang for first period. Mike said his goodbyes to the others as he had first mod Physics by himself. He was a rather intelligent kid but preferred the surf over the books. His grades, without much effort, maintained a low A and high B average. Physics was a senior class that he and two other juniors had managed to squeeze into. At the end of the year, it was just them three since the seniors graduated, and Mike didn't associate with either of the two. They sat in the corner on graphing calculators conjoined by a cord. Nerds.

Mike sat on a lab desk and leaned his head on the wall, waiting for his teacher to enter.

He was very near to dosing off when he heard a loud, "Mr. Shinoda!"

He opened his eyes with a start and hit his head on the wall. As his eyes adjusted, he saw the principal standing in front of him with another student lagging behind.

"This is Chester Bennington. He's entering his senior year at our school next year and you are to take him with you on your schedule today as you apparently have nothing else of importance on your agenda," Principal Hastings said with a small smile. He was a kind man with a soft side for Mike ever since he watched the kid break up a 2-on-1 beating his sophomore year, singlehandedly in the men's locker room. Hastings had heard that there was a fight going on by another student, but when he burst through the locker room doors, Mike had the situation under control.

"Yes, sir", Mike said returning the smile and accepting the smart comment without any retort. Hastings patted him on the shoulder and left the room.

Mike observed the boy. He was at an even height with him, but was skinnier, yet extremely lean. He could kick ass at a second's notice. He buzzed brown hair that looked as if it had been cut the day before, which may have been true. But the thing that caught Mike's eye was that this man was exhausted. It wasn't the type that could be cured with one full night's sleep. It was the kind that had been caused by something Mike was now curious about. This man was years beyond his age.

"Well wasn't that just endearing", Chester teased. Mike laughed easily with the boy, shaking hands.

He had a firm handshake. He was respectful, and the way he stood, Mike knew immediately.

"Army?", they asked at the same time and both laughed.

"My dad is a retired medical doctor. He did three terms in Afghanistan," Mike explained.

"Ahh," Chester said, "My father is an active general. He did his terms there as well, but now he runs the prep for Riverside."

Mike was in awe. Chester's father was very high up in ranking, compared to his own father at least. When he said army, the last name Bennington had clicked. Riverside was a military base on the outskirts of Los Angeles, opposite the side that Agoura Hills resided on. He'd heard about Chester's father from his own. General Bennington was a popular general due to his work overseas and elsewhere. Mike's father went on and on about the times General Bennington infiltrated rival military compounds and extracted whatever the mission required. He had rescued international hostages and enemy intel.

The public didn't know that last part because General Bennington had retired in the public eye years ago. His missions now were top secret. But Mike's father went to military academy with General Jace Bennington. They were old friends. They hadn't talked in years as far as Mike knew, but Mike's father Darren was also highly respected in the military. He had saved his share of important people. He had access to all the interesting stuff. So this was the general's son. His father was preparing soldiers physically for their entrance and reentrance into the army base.

"That is so sick. I've heard all about that place. I guess it's supposed to be like a bootcamp on steroids," Mike said to him.

Chester shrugged, "It's pretty sweet. There's a hell of a lot of testosterone if you're just trying to use a treadmill. So who's your dad?"

Mike was proud of his father, and in this case, it showed. "He is Colonel Darren Shinoda, awarded Combat Infantryman, Combat Medical Badge, and Expert Field Medical Badge among others. He practiced as a medical doctor but things went south on the last tour."

Chester nodded, "That was a few years back, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Mike said, "I was just a kid."

"My father has said he's a great man, that he deserved everything they have him and much more."

Mike's beaming was interrupted.

A substitute teacher walked into the Physics classroom just then. It was a small, pudgy woman. It was one of those people that confuse everyone, for they hate children, but work with them on a daily basis.

"Which one of you is the new kid?"

"I am", Mike answered her with an innocent smile.

"And that makes you..?"

"Mike Shinoda," Chester answered, "top of the class kid, knows the run of the mill, and I can get you anything you'd like around here, ma'am. Fancy a glass of water? I'm your man. Say you want-"

"Enough! I have heard enough! Go sit separately and quietly. There will be no napping, no talking, and certainly, no foolish games," she sneered lastly at the nerds in the back. They disjoined their calculators and moved away. Chester and Mike snickered. This was the beginning of a new friendship.

*****

well, what do you think? any feedback you can give would go the longest way. these stories are for you guys/gals after all! thank you so much for reading, and I will update soon. comments/critique is much appreciated.