DISCLAIMER: I HAVE NO RIGHTS TO BEYBLADE.

Author's Note: I just wanted to do something short and cute for Christmas; so, I thought, why not use Kai and Ty?! They're my favorite couple - and the ONLY yaoi couple I support. Eep. Damn inner fan-girl, it always betrays meh! I don't know for sure how many chapters this will have. Two? Possibly. Ten? Maybe. Eh. I guess we'll find out. (:

Feedback: Would be very, very much appreciated!

Rating: T

Couple: Tyson/Kai


- CHAPTER ONE: DAY ONE -


Tyson Granger cannot deny the beauty of the forest that surrounds his hometown. The mountainous terrain has stunning valleys dotted with looming trees, flowing rivers that have frozen over in the winter conditions, gorgeous, but wilted, plants covered in a shimmery dew, and a fresh scent that the city portion of the land has long since lost over the years of air pollution. It's a truly breathtaking sight. Especially once you reach the peak of the central mountain that overlooks Bakuten. The city seems so small from the height.

He sighs, then stills momentarily, his nostrils burning. Great. He refuses to sneeze. His back arches in preparation, his eyes watering, one eye twitching, and jaw clenched taut. He won't, he can't, dang it -

"ACHOO!" he begrudgingly rubs at his nose with a gloved hand, sniffling and pulling his red coat closer for warmth as he treads the forest floor, but atlas the material is thin and offers no additional warmth. Really, he might as well just be wearing a t-shirt by itself. Which brings up another important aspect: although the forest is easy on the eyes, it's too damn cold for any normal human-being to be outside for extended periods of time. In fact, he's certain that it is way below freezing.

He glares at the seventeen-year-old in front of him walking seemingly unfazed, two tails of white cloth billowing behind him that extend up the male's body and wrap around his neck and settles on his broad shoulders. If it were not for Kai Hiwatari, then they would not be in this situation. He would still be in the comforts of his dojo, curled up on the couch, reading one of his favorite manga or watching a comedy movie, stuffing extra-buttery popcorn into his mouth.

But of course, Mr. Sourpuss insisted that they train even without the rest of The G-Revolutions present - Max and Diachi are in New York City, Ray is visiting his friends in China, and Kenny and Hilary are both studying for fall midterms (which, Tyson should be too, but he's proudly decided to procrastinate!). He crosses his arms and pouts. Some team spirit Kai has. Not that he ever has had much of a team spirit, though he has improved a lot. He even called Tyson his 'friend' once.

Too make matters even worse, Kai practically dragged him away from the dojo - you know, the place they usually train? - and to the forest, mumbling on about how enduring the cold 'will toughen us up' (though he's certain Kai meant more Tyson than himself). Why couldn't they have endured the cold, just five feet away from his house? It's practically the same, except when they get the urge to eat, there is food nearby. What would they do out in the wilderness? Hunt with their beyblades? Dranzer would scorch the meat and Dragoon would send any poor animal flying to its doom.

"Quit sulking and hustle, Granger." Kai remarks calmly without even sparing a glance back his way.

"Ah, shut it," he grumbles, pausing to blow a stray strand of navy blue hair from his sapphire gaze, "I still think this is completely stupid."

"That's why you, of all people, should know to leave thinking to those who are effectively capable of doing as such."

Tyson huffs in response, his cheeks, which already are pink and burning from the cold air, heat up further and change into a deep shade of ruby, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "If that's so, then do tell, Almighty Kai, why is it that I can hand you your ass on a golden platter every time when it comes to beybattling? Huh? That takes some thought and I seem to outsmart you in that category."

Kai noticeably bristles at the comment, but instead of a witty insult, he calmly replies, "Hn. We'll see about that."

Tyson mumbles something completely inappropriate and inaudible under his breath, shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and tilts his chin towards his chest, his blue, heated stare determined to burn a hole through Kai's soul. He will never lose to Kai. Ever.

A few minutes of silence pass between the two as Kai leads the way through the thicket of bare trees, Tyson trailing behind, occasionally sneezing and panting when they ascend a slope. He really wishes that he had taken that aerobics class that Hilary forced him to attend with her once just a little more seriously now. Kai's constant glares he keeps shooting over his shoulder aren't helping either.

"I didn't realize how poorly in shape you've become." the Hiwatari adds as if an afterthought, more like an observation in this case. Tyson growls. "I guess I'll have to be as strict as before about our training regime . . ."

"You can forget it!" Tyson blares in response, shaking his head, a few random flecks of snow flailing out from the dark strands attached to his scalp. He then adds, thumbing towards his own chest: "Besides, I'm team captain now. Or do you need a reminder?"

"A captain incapable of keeping himself in shape. Let alone those he's in charge of." Kai snips in a matter-of-fact kind of tone that Tyson does not, by any means, appreciate. The younger teen scowls.

"You know, you've gotten pretty talkative these past few months."

Kai arches an eyebrow and gives a shrug so slight that had Tyson not been intently watching the teen, he would have missed. "Hmph."

"Aw, now don't start that again." Tyson mutters with a dramatic roll of his eyes before lifting his sleeve up to wipe at his running nose. Kai gives him a look of disgust. What? Would he rather see his snot plastered to his upper lip?

After that the two lapse back into a comfortable silence, the crunching of their feet against the fallen leafs on the ground the only sound that fills their ears. A couple more minutes pass, and Tyson starts to get a little fidgety - he's only been to this part of the woods once before and that was when he had been a five-year-old child, following his older brother, Hiro, through the dense forest. His memory of its layout is pretty vague. If they were to get lost . . .

Tyson shakes his head. No time for thoughts like that. Instead, he opts to come to a standstill and asks in a whine: "Are we almost there yeeet?"

Kai doesn't answer. His legs cease all motion atop the hill they were trekking and peers outward, a usual mask void of all human emotion in-tact. Tyson blinks and furrows his eyebrows together, his sights trained on the back of his former captain's head, perplexed. "Hn. Hurry."

"Okay, okay, give me a sec." Tyson murmurs, forcing his tired lower extremities into action once more. When he finally reaches the top, out of breath and sweating like a whore in church, despite the cold air, he spots a fifteen-foot, flat surfaced rock directly in front of them, just inches away from a steep, unforgiving slope. The stone almost looks man-made it's so smooth and unblemished. "Wow."

"Get ready to launch your blade." Kai directs, approaching the left end of the rock. Tyson takes a moment to catch his breath, hands resting on his bent knees momentarily, then rises up to full height and goes to the opposing end of the rock while tugging Dragoon from the pouch attached to the upper part of his left arm.

"I'm going to make this quick." Tyson declares as both prepare their launchers, attaching their blades with a small 'click' and identical smirks on their visages.

"The more pride one has, the bigger their fall is." Kai quips in response. Tyson narrows his eyes and both give a nod simultaneously, the odd and unique connection that they somehow established during the last tournament coming into play as their minds shift to the same wavelength. Neither are too certain if they want to understand how they can sometimes read each other's thoughts, it's . . . too weird for the both of them. So, they both agree, mentally, to drop the thought and focus on the game.

"Three . . ."

They extend their launchers out before them, their fingers instinctively curling around the loop in their rip-cords.

"Two . . ."

The adrenaline for the ensuing battle kicks in and it takes all of Tyson's self-control to refrain from allowing the smile that quirks at the corners of his mouth appear on his face. Kai's smirk grows into a soft half-smile, his crimson eyes burning with a cool confidence. This is how it always is when they face-off now. It's familiar, yet exciting and always evolving at the same time. And neither teen would want it any other way.

"One . . ."

Their elbows lock, the muscles lining their backs tensing up. Their eyes meet in a clash of red and blue - fire and wind. Tyson takes a deep breath that Kai mimics softly.

"Go shoot!"

Both blades land on the stone stoop with little effort, sparks flying as the two skip towards their opponent. Then, when the blades collide, the results are catastrophic from the force applied to them. A powerful wave of energy ripples outwards from the metal contraptions, carrying a gush of wind and a blast of fire with it. Kai gasps and barely manages to keep his balance, while the wind from Dragoon sends Tyson away from the stoop and towards the slope. He attempts to cover his face with his forearms and lean forward, but the wind is too strong.

"Tyson!" Kai yells, calling Dranzer back into his palm and picking up Dragoon, a frantic look twisting his normally calm features. "Stay there!"

"I'm okay!" Tyson chimes, genuinely confused as to why his best friend is so concerned. He moves to take a step, when his legs wobble. That's not right. He glances down, his blue irises widening into saucers. He's tottering on the ledge! "A-A-AAH!" he yelps, flailing his arms to keep his balance (a feat which is next to impossible for the blue-haired teen).

"Shit!" Kai hisses, lunging for the blunette, both with a hand extended out for the other, their fingertips brushing against one another, just as the worn out bottoms of Tyson's tennis shoes give, forcing his feet up towards his shins uncomfortably before he is sent toppling down the rocky hillside with a strangled whimper.

The next thing the world champ knows is that his back hits hard against the steep decline, the air in his lungs being pushed out of him with a strained sigh from his lips. Then, before he ca even take a moment to recover his wits, his vision starts to spin wildly. His body flops down the mountain, receiving a brutal thrashing from the jagged rocks strewn about, one clipping his side, successfully breaking the flesh and tearing through his shirt there, and even causes him to cry out in pain.

All Tyson knows is that he cannot decipher the difference between which way is up and which way is down as his hands claw at both the air and ground in an attempt to put an end to this horrible experience that is like a bad carnival ride. In the distance, near the bottom of the hill, he somehow makes out a drop off far worse than the one he's oh-so-enjoying currently. He's going to die! He is! And all his adoring fans will be devastated. And who will Kai pick on? Oh, the irony -

Then it stops abruptly. He gasps, his eyes darting every-which-way, disoriented and disheveled. He does manage to make out a glove-clad hand grasping the collar of his red jacket though - and when his head has settled a little more, he trails his gaze up the length of the arm holding him and finds refuge on a very familiar face. "Kai . . ."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, much longer of that and I would have upchucked my breakfast, not to mention this killer headache . . ." he trails off when he catches sight of how distraught and sweaty Kai is. He frowns - only to hiss in pain and place his right hand over his throbbing left side where one of the rocks had penetrated his flesh during his rather ungraceful tumble, a warm, sticky substance greeting his fingertips.

"Let me see it." Kai coaxes, swatting Tyson's hand away from his side. His garnet stare flickers to the wound instantly. "You'll need stitches." he finally says with a slight nod. "We need to head back."

"Dude, I'll be fine! Promise!" Tyson chimes, trying to get to his own feet when he notices something is most definitely off about Kai. Is it because he ran down the mountain after him? It's not his fault that he fell . . . his eyes drift down to Kai's feet, then freeze, expanding. "Your leg!" he exclaims, horrified, pointing towards the torn and bloody pant-leg, a deep gash that runs from his ankle up to his knee visible against his pale skin. He must have hit it on a rock on the way down.

"Hn. It's nothing."

Tyson stumbles to his feet, his hand trembling against his burning side. "That's not 'nothing', Kai!" he snaps, "You're bleeding even worse than I am!"

"Just drop it," Kai retorts, tugging at the end of his scarf, shredding the material and handing the piece out to Tyson. The other teen arches an eyebrow, confused by the action. "Wrap it."

The world champ blinks, calming and making an 'o' face while reaching out for the cloth. "Thanks, buddy. You . . . you should do the same."

Kai doesn't respond, instead, he repeats the same thing with the other billowing tail of his scarf and crouches down, making quick work of his pant-leg and discarding it on the ground beside him, exposing the wound fully. Tyson has to wince and look away as Kai quickly bandages it like a pro (how many times has he done that in his lifetime?), a vat of guilt bubbling within his stomach. He clenches his hands tightly at his side. "Damn it! You shouldn't have come after me! You'd be fine -"

"Tyson." the other interjects in such a stern tone that Tyson can't help but become silent. He glances at his greatest rival, stormy gaze wavering with concern - just as a few white specks cascade down from the sky, mostly landing on the bridges of both of their noses and sticking in their thick hair. Both blink and shift their stares straight up to the sky, a horde of frosty flakes drifting lazily towards the ground.

"This sucks." Tyson grumbles, slightly shivering as more snow drops pelt his skin and melt instantly.

"Hurry up before it gets worse out." Kai says tersely, now standing and facing the top of the hill that Tyson had rolled down.

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Pushy." he retorts, tugging at his shirt and frowning upon realizing that in order to bandage his side himself, he will have to remove his clothes - and it's too damn cold for that! "Er, Kai, could you, um, fix it for me? I don't want to take my clothes off."

Kai sighs, clearly irritated, and drops his arms to his sides, moving to approach Tyson, when a sharp stabbing pain shoots up through his injured leg, causing him to stumble and almost fall - but Tyson catches him by his elbows and helps to steady him on his feet. "Kai?!" he inquires, worry flashing in his big, silvery-blue orbs.

"I'm fine." Kai says shakily after a moment of silence, nudging out of Tyson's grasp when his frame is sturdy again. Tyson opens his mouth to reply, but Kai just tears the piece of his mangled scarf from his hands and instructs him to lift his shirt. Tyson softly groans and does as he is told, turning his flushed visage to the side, his bottom lip pushed out to form an obstinate pout.

After that, the two are silent, Kai's chilled fingertips brushing against Tyson's abdomen in random places as he quickly wraps the tattered cloth around the other's injured torso. Tyson blushes at the contact, as it is uncomfortable - even though the two are best friends and he may feel a little more than that - and why the hell is Kai staring at him like that?

Kai is hunched down slightly, his maroon eyes narrowed close to his chest. "Uhhhh, like what you see, Kai?"

The other snaps out of his trance and extends his legs back out, the corners of his mouth slowly going down. "I think you fractured a rib."

Tyson creases his brow, blinking at a rapid pace. "Eh?! What makes you think that?!" he implores with a frightened expression.

"There," Kai states, a finger pointed at a certain rib of his where the skin is bruised a dark purple, a slight dip apparent in the spot. Tyson suddenly feels queasy. He gulps.

"It is." he finally agrees, trying to ignore the fact the snowflakes are now falling more rapidly. If this keeps up, before long they'd be left with little-to-no visibility, and with them both injured, this is the worst case scenario. They are too far out in the woods to be rescued and neither even cared to bring a cell-phone.

Kai must have read his thoughts, because he soon he stands and says in a low, dark tone: "The snow doesn't look like it's going to relent anytime soon. We'll need to seek shelter for the night."

"Um, wouldn't we better off going back to the city?" Tyson questions, lowering his shirt back down with chilled fingers. "It's too cold to stay out here."

"Tyson, neither of us are capable of making it back up that hill," he admits, looking displeased as he does so, but continues nonetheless, "Regardless, we'll need to find a way around and search for somewhere to seek refuge just in case."

Tyson sighs but nods in agreement. That hill is almost vertical after all, and he knows that Kai being as stubborn as always, does not want to admit that his leg is hurting him as bad as it is. "Alright."


About an hour later, the two are becoming desperate for some shelter against the horrid wrath of winter. The snow is falling so hard now that Tyson, nor Kai, can see beyond twenty feet in front of them, making their search for another route next-to-impossible.

The younger teen rubs at his arms, his fingers numb, and his teeth chattering, his body quivering. "That cave sounds pretty awesome right now!" he shouts over the roar of the wind, his blue hair whipping painfully against his reddened cheeks.

"There!" Kai crows back, his hand extended northwest of them. Tyson squints and follows where Kai is pointing with his eyes, relief flooding his chest when he sees a small rocky entrance to what is hopefully a cave.

"Let's hurry!" Tyson bellows, running ahead of Kai and taking his hand to help pull him along. Kai audibly gasps from an acute pain that shoots up the length of his leg, but instead of faltering, forces himself to keep up with his rival.

When they reach the six-by-six opening in the side of the steep mountain, the two are ecstatic to find that it is certainly a cave. It is cut about seven feet deep into the soil and undeniably moist. Any chances of starting a fire are quickly snuffed out. Kai frowns. It has been raining and snowing for the past two weeks. It's no surprise the ground and trees are so damp.

The inside of the cave is just as cold as the outside, but it lacks the harsh wind and frozen droplets. Tyson settles about three feet back in a crouch, rubbing his hands together then pausing to cuff them around his mouth and blow warm air. Kai merely shuffles just past the stony entrance, his crimson gaze focused intently on the swirling storm outside.

"It doesn't look like it's going to let up anytime soon." Tyson mumbles, rocking slightly on his heels to regain some sort of feeling to his limbs. Kai's frown deepens at his words.

It's already late afternoon. If the blizzard doesn't relent then they will have no choice but stay in the cave. Better that than risk getting lost. "It will be dark soon." he says so quietly that Tyson has to strain his ears just to hear.

"You can't be serious, Kai." he retorts, standing to full height. "We haven't eaten for a few hours, we're injured, and it's cold. We need to head on back. Storm or not." Kai arches an eyebrow.

"And how do you think we're going to do that?"

Tyson opens his mouth to answer, but draws back with a hiss, his hand going to his rib-cage. "I guess you're right. We can't see anything. But we at least need to try to make a fire."

"It's too damp. Any wood is soggy and the dirt in here is no better."

"Why don't we - augh - tsss."

Kai whips around to get a glimpse of his teammate only to see him hunched over and cradling his tender side, sweat beading along the contours of his face. He's beside him in an instant, one arm sliding around his back and helping him down onto the ground. "S - Sorry." Tyson grunts out, giving Kai an apologetic expression that looks more like a grimace than anything.

"Just rest before you hurt yourself even more." the elder of the two snips.

"Worry about yourself." Tyson remarks, laying his head back against the cave wall, one eye cracked open to peer fondly at the other male.

Kai smirks and does not give a reply. Instead, he simply slides down the wall beside Tyson and sits, the dampness of the soil and rock seeping up through his jeans. He fights back a shiver.

He can only imagine how cold Tyson is if he's this chilled. Hell, Kai even dressed more warmly - trench coat, scarf, gloves, and boots included. He steals a peek at Tyson, just noticing the slight tremble wracking his body, his normally tan skin almost a pasty white. He feels his lips pull down taut in the corners. How had he missed that?

Tyson closes his eyes and continues kneading his arms repetitiously over and over. It only helps a little, but it's better than giving into his body's instinct to curl into a ball and shake violently in an attempt to retain any heat. That would be embarrassing - and Kai would probably reprimand him for not wearing appropriate winter attire like he had insisted earlier that day. If only he hadn't been too damn stubborn to listen!

If only -

A sudden warmth spreads across his shoulders and up the length of his neck.

Tyson blinks and glances down at his chest, his vision greeted by the sight of a white scarf. "Kai . . . ?"

"Hn." Kai answers, giving a tug on the end of the heavy scarf to secure it around Tyson's neck, accidentally tugging him closer in the process. Tyson flushes and jerks away using one hand to pull the scarf up over his nose and tinted cheeks. What's with him today? He never acts this way - this coy - around Kai . . .

"Thanks."


A couple of hours pass and the heavy snowfall has not decreased in the slightest. The sun has completely disappeared from the sky, having settled in for the night, leaving the duo in total darkness as the temperature plummets. And neither blader wants to admit that they're actually worried about making it through the late hours of the night.

"I'm so sleepy." Tyson murmurs, eyelids flickering between open and closed every few seconds. Beside him, and a source of subtle warmth that he's drawn to, Kai, gives a brief shrug. He sighs. "But it's too cold to sleep."

"Hn."

"Yeah, I can tell you're tired too."

After that, they fall back into silence - if you can call it that with the way Tyson's tummy keeps growling. Tyson wants to suggest that they huddle - not cuddle by any means - together and sleep that way. Their body warmth may be the only thing to save them at this point. But he's afraid Kai will get royally ticked off by the suggestion.

The world champ goes to speak, but pauses when his nostrils start burning again. His chest flares, back arches, and - "ACHOO!"

"I hope I'm just allergic to douchebag instead of getting a cold in this." he snickers playfully. Kai snorts (even though there's a playful gleam in his own eyes that can't be seen in the veil of darkness).

"Real mature, Tyson." the older quips. Tyson smirks.

"Well, maturity IS my forte."


A couple of more hours pass and the two are visibly shivering at this point. Their limbs have long since went numb, their eyelids heavy, and their breaths becoming shallow. Tyson's certain that his fingers have frostbite at this point, despite having them crammed in his pockets.

The sixteen-year-old presses his elbows tightly into his sides and sends Kai a sideways look. The other is in just as bad a shape as him. Well, he sighs, it's time to suck up his pride. Better that than possibly dying. "Kai?"

The older male looks over at Tyson with a blank gaze. Tyson gulps, his palms suddenly feeling clammy. Why is he getting so tore up over this?

"Um, do you wanna, you know, er, h-huddle up?" he inquires weakly, "Our combined body warmth might save us from, I don't know, dying." He looks away with reddened cheeks, glaring at his worn tennis shoes now stained with mud and other muck, the ends of the laces frayed.

A few seconds of silence follows, and Tyson is certain that Kai is about to decline his offer, because it's who Kai is, when: "Fine."

Tyson blinks in surprise and squints in Kai's direction, had he heard right? Really, truly, heard right? When Kai shifts closer and his left arm moves to drape across Tyson's shoulders, he supposes so. "I honestly figured you would punch me in the face for that one." he admits, wiggling closer into Kai's grasp with little shame, the added warmth already seeping through his clothes and becoming addicting.

"Tch. Don't make me change my mind . . ."

Tyson smirks and lulls his head to the side, the fatigue hitting him like a ton of bricks suddenly. "Aye, aye, former captain."

"Tyson?"

"Hmm?"

"Shut up."


Back in Bakuten, sitting on the couch side-by-side in a certain dojo, both wearing thick sweaters, pants, and expressions of concern, their mugs of coffee left forgotten in their palms, is Hiro and Ryu 'Grandpa' Granger. The younger of the two glances at his gramps and asks: "Did either Tyson or Kai leave a note before they left?"

Ryu's shoulders droop in response. "No," he says, "and I was gone to the grocery store when they left, yo. Do ya think the two little dudes are together?"

Hiro shrugs. "There's a good possibility." he answers, shifting to move one leg over the other, his chocolaty gaze lingering on the fire-pit in front of him. "I say we call Kenny. If he doesn't know where they're at, then we can try Hilary."

Grandpa nods and reaches for the phone on the table beside him. He picks it up and hands it to Hiro. His eldest grandson gives him an odd look. "What?" he questions, "I don't know the little dude's number."

Hiro huffs and snatches the phone away from his grandfather's awaiting grasp and hits the 'talk' button. His finger tips slide gracefully, yet frantically, across the numbers, and when he has dialed the correct combination, holds the device up to his ear. A moment later, his heart racing in a frenzied panic in his chest, though his face remains calm, he hears Kenny say: "Tyson?"

"No, this is Hiro." he says, "Unfortunately, seeing as you thought me to be Tyson, you don't know where he or Kai is at do you?" Beside him, grandpa stiffens, knowing what the implications of his statement mean.

"Um, no," Kenny replies, "Hilary and I have been cooped up in my room all day studying. Why? Are they okay?"

The twenty-three-year-old sighs, his heart sinking into his gut. "Honestly, I don't know."

"What do you mean?!"

"They went out sometime today and haven't returned. Nor did they leave a note of any kind."

"So, you're saying that Tyson and Kai might . . . be out in this blizzard?!"

Hiro's hold on the phone tightens drastically, the plastic whining in protest, and he answers in a strained voice: "Yes."

To be continued . . .


That's all for now. I hope everyone is in character for the scenario.

On another note, I know the beybattle was way fast, but I honestly didn't feel like going into detail with it.

Your opinions and constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated!