Daitenji is Mr. Dickenson in the original.

Okay, so, wifey checked this over for me and told me that it wasn't trash, so who am I to argue with her?

It seems I'm in an art slump… and now I write (I sincerely hope that I don't have to sacrifice the one for the other.) It's not like I have a LOT of ideas, however, I wanted to do this one.

My latest works have not been popular ideas (indeed, my other postings will be from relatively tiny fandoms), however, it sure is fun to be a little bit different.

So for this one, I've tackled the world behind all of the sparkly hearts and happy ever afters. Sure, that's what I want for them, and good luck to them, but there's always going to be some problems on the road to happiness.

So here; KaRe… without Kai… anywhere. Eheh.

"I'm ashamed of you." The words were spoken lowly, but the slightest quiver in his tone betrayed the anger behind them.

Rei smirked, almost nastily. "Thank you."

"This isn't a joke, young man!" The man known as Daitenji – chairman of the BBA- shot back, his normally benevolent voice constricted with barely contained outrage.

Rei's faked amusement vanished in an instant, and the lines upon his face smoothed into a deadpan expression. "I rather think it is, judging by the complete over reaction."

"Over reaction?" Daitenji slammed his hand down upon one of the many papers spread across his desk. "Rei! It's in the headlines! Front and back—"

"—It's just sensationalisation." Rei interjected, looking wholly unconcerned. "It sells papers. I'm sure this time tomorrow some celebrity will be shown shoving whatever up their nose, and everyone will move on."

"I don't care about tomorrow though, Rei. I care about today! I care about the worried phone calls that my staff are currently being flooded with, right now. I have to think about what kind of spin we can put on the fact that you're…" He trailed off and looked away.

Rei's eyes narrowed. "That I'm what?" he snapped as his former, faked calmness cracked under the sheer amount of offence he had taken. "Say it, Mr Daitenji." When he was met with silence, Rei continued, purposefully goading the old man, in an attempt to hide the true level of hurt that he felt. "You can't, can you? You can't say that I'm gay."

"Don't be so childish!" Daitenji retorted gruffly.

"Childish?" Rei argued back. "So being unashamed of my love for Kai is childish now? Because I always thought that being true to yourself was the brave thing to do."

"Your apparent homosexuality," Daitenji corrected with a stern look, "has more of an impact than you've obviously thought about."

Rei looked extremely offended. "Impact? Do you honestly think that Kai and I didn't agonise over this? We've talked it through time and time again and we know full well that not everyone was going to be happy about it, but we've told our friends, I've told my village elders and Kai's told his parents. We thought that it was time for the rest of the world to know." He explained with forced calmness.

"You thought wrong." Daitenji muttered.

Rei's eyes narrowed. "So what were we supposed to do, then? Carry on this stupid act that we're just team-mates? Pretend?" He shrugged. "I've been there and done that, and there comes a point when you have enough of being a coward. So what if people don't like it? It's my human right to be happy."

Daitenji snorted softly. "Tell that to those who died in Tiananmen Square."

"Oh, please. Don't you dare use that on me just because I'm Chinese. That was almost twenty years ago and the circumstances were completely different!"

"People always get hurt though, don't they, Rei? Do you realise how much this will hurt all of your friends and colleagues?" Daitenji continued.

Rei frowned. "Well if they're homophobic, then it's their own fault for being small-minded—"

"I'm not on about homophobia!" Diatenji interrupted, fast losing his patience. "See? This just shows how little you've thought about this! Do you think that the sport won't suffer?" Rei opened his mouth to speak, but Daitenji ignored him. "The fans following your battles with such dedication are largely young boys and young men! And then it comes out that not one, but two of the most famous bladers in the entire world are homosexual, and, as if that wasn't enough they're in a," he picked up a newspaper and waved it around to emphasise his point, "'sordid affair' with each other! Rei, forgive me for not celebrating your so-called liberation, but have you got any idea of the trouble the BBA are in?"

Rei flinched and fell silent. Daitenji calmed a little and placed the paper back down upon his desk. As he so often did when he was worried, his hand found the bunched-up, white handkerchief in his pocket and bought it up to pat at the beads of sweat upon his brow. He sighed the sigh of a man with too much weight upon his stooped shoulders. "Rei…" Rei merely glanced at him before looking back at the wall. "Rei, I'm sorry for shouting, but you must understand. We're being inundated by worried mothers fearing that their sons are going to aspire to be homosexual because their idols are. Unless I do something fast, sales in blading equipment and viewing figures for the regional friendlies next month are going to plummet. I just wish that you could have come to me first before making such a rash decision…" He shook his head sadly.

It was Rei's turn to sigh. "Mr. Daitenji, I understand what you're saying, I really do, but please appreciate that I am eighteen now, and Kai is nineteen. We have his parents blessing—"

"Well I'm sure that they don't appreciate this, Rei." Daitenji interjected with a nod to the media coverage that littered his desk. "Because I don't think that this is the best sort of publicity for Hiwatari Enterprises either."

"We've waited two years, Sir!" Rei retorted with an edge of defensiveness. "We waited until I was the age of consent in most countries just so no one could accuse us of breaking any laws or being a bad influence. We thought about it, and I simply refuse to live like I'm ashamed of my choices any longer, because I have nothing to be ashamed of."

Daitenji frowned, his annoyance clear. "The world's not quite that simple, Rei. You think that people don't care any more about homosexuality?"

"I'm not that naïve, sir." Rei argued. "I know how the world works, but I also know that I'm not the kind of person who wants to hide. If I upset some people, then so be it, but no one can accuse me of being a liar. Besides, having gay men in sport isn't necessarily a bad thing." He sighed, and forced a smile, though it ended up looking rather wan. "It could help lead the way to more gay people pursuing careers in the public eye, and lessen the homophobic climate that surrounds professional sports. Think about it, this could help people to feel more comfortable with the idea of two men together without either of them compromising on their masculinity, it could help people understand those who—"

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Daitenji interrupted, looking utterly incredulous. "Do you seriously believe that people will suddenly dismiss the fact that they find such acts perverted? After Japan, America is the biggest consumer when it comes to beyblades, and I don't know if you've noticed but a good deal of Americans tend to be rather conservative and think that you'll end up in Hell. Half of Europe sees it as a sin, China thinks it's a mental health issue… can you at least see my point? You're not going to start some kind of revolution here, because all you've ended up doing is upsetting a lot of people."

Rei bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from arguing back and continuing the endless cycle. Rei refused to be apologetic for his tendencies and Daitenji would continue to stress over the well being of his company. Taking a deep breath, Rei decided to switch tactics and shifted his act from cocky, tough-guy to a casual enquirer. "And what about you?"

"What?" The surprise in Daitenji's tone was mirrored by his expression. He hadn't been expecting that.

"Have I upset you? Are you disappointed that the boy you were mentoring turned out to be some sort of queer?" Rei was genuinely interested in the answer, though his heart constricted painfully in anguish at the thought that the only person he had to call a guardian could be ashamed of him. His face, of course, revealed nothing of this.

"I…" For a moment, Daitenji looked lost, before he shook his head, clearing the expression from his face. "My opinion does not matter. I need to look out for the best interests of my company."

"You are, aren't you?" Rei asked softly.

Daitenji frowned. "No, Rei, I'm not disappointed in you." He cleared his throat when he saw the open hope upon Rei's face. "I do however believe that you are confused."

"Confused?" Rei's eyebrow rose, his mood reflecting the word that he had uttered.

"Rei… being a teenager is difficult. Your hormones are unsettled and you get strange crushes, so it's natural for you to mistake—"

"Oh no." Rei interjected, shaking his head fiercely. "I am not having this conversation with you."

Daitenji moved to prevent him from storming out of the room. "I am, and I will, young man." He said, voice stern. Rei glared at him, daring him to continue. Daitenji took the hint and moved back to sit down as Rei leaned against his desk, still looking ready to leave at any moment. When Daitenji was settled, he gathered his patience and forced his calmest, 'concerned grandfather' voice. "Now, Rei. As I was saying, being a teenager is a big thing. There's a lot going on in your body and—"

Rei cringed. "Please stop patronising me." He interrupted.

"Fine," Daitenji almost quivered as he tried to maintain his patience. "Fine. All that I'm saying is that it's natural for you to think that you're in love. Many young people think that they're in love, but sometimes it's just all very confusing. I know that you're close to Kai and that you have been for a very long time, so I think that somewhere along the line, you've mistaken close friendship for something more romantic. I know that you respect Kai, so it's understandable that you've turned that into something deeper." He broke off and waited for Rei to respond.

Rei only stared at him incredulously. "You… you think that I've been with Kai for two years because I'm confused?" Rei shook his head to shake off his stunned expression. "Do you honestly, honestly think that I am that stupid, that I can't tell the difference between feelings of friendship and romance after two years?"

Daitenji found himself strangely aggravated by Rei's genuine astonishment. "I've been a teenager!" He persisted. "I know that it's a time for exploring who you are and trying things out, but you have to know that it's not all set in stone. I had a friend when I was younger who thought that he was homosexual. Ten years later and he was happily married with a baby son. Do you understand what I'm saying, Rei?"

"Yes, sir. I do." The boy bit out. "Just give me ten years and I'll be happily married, right?"

"Who knows, Rei? I'm just saying that that could be the case." Daitenji replied.

Rei waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, I plan on it. Rei Hiwatari. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"For goodness—" Daitenji rolled his eyes. "Will you grow up?"

"And settle down with a nice girl?" Rei sneered.

"Rei Kon!" The elder of the two snapped out. "You are trying my patience. Why can't you understand the problem here? Unless you deny these allegations –and quickly- the entire sport of Beyblading will be in serious trouble!"

"I won't lie." Rei said in a quiet, but determined voice. "Not any more. I'm tired of worrying about whether I'm standing too close to Kai. I'm tired of stopping myself from grabbing his hand, and hugging him, and doing all of the thing that I naturally want to do when I'm around him. I can't keep acting indifferent around him, sir, and do you really want that to happen? How bad would that look? Telling the papers that it was all just lies, suffering through the inevitable lawsuits, and then I accidentally slip up? It'd destroy the integrity of the sport and you know it."

Daitenji's shoulders sagged as he realised the truth behind his young protégé's words. "Yes, but… what if you just tried to put your little romance to one side for a while, surely—"

"It's not a switch!" Rei broke in. "I can't just turn my feelings on and off, Buddha knows, I've tried. Do you not think that I don't know it would be easier if Kai and I weren't together?" Rei sighed the sigh of a boy with the world on his shoulders. "I love him, sir. You can think that it's some sort of misinterpretation or experimentation as much as you want to, but it won't change the fact that I know that I'm in love with him. If you can't respect that, then at least convince yourself that I'm under some sort of delusion that I can't break myself out of." Rei finished bitterly.

"Rei…" Daitenji placed a hand to his forehead, willing away what he knew was the start of a splitting headache. "Rei, I'm not that obnoxious. Look… at least tell me that you're abstaining." He conceded.

"What?" Rei said, looking rather startled.

"We can at least lessen the damage if we assure the public that your relationship is purely innocent. A lot of people will still disagree, but it's the act of… well, you know, that most people believe is wrong." He paused, waiting for Rei to answer. When he received little more response than Rei refusing to meet his eyes, his heart dropped. "Won't you at least humour me, Rei?"

"I won't lie." Rei said again, firmly.

"Fine." Daitenji replied, sounding slightly tart. "Can I at least discuss this with Kai?"

Rei looked genuinely surprised at that. "Why?"

"Because Kai is business- minded, Rei, and besides, I can't choose the best course of action after only speaking to you. I need to speak to Kai too." Daitenji explained slowly, as if talking to a small child.

Rei bristled. "Oh, so because Kai's cleverer than I am, he's more likely to agree with you, right?" He stood up and glared down at the old man. "Kai didn't want to come today. He offered to accompany me, but I know that he didn't want to listen to this drivel. He said –and I quote- 'I'll stand by whatever you say and do, Rei.' If you had Kai in here, I guarantee that he would have walked out by now. So fine, call him in, but don't expect to get very far." Rei finished with a wave of his hand. "I came alone, because I thought - fool that I am- that you and I had some sort of friendship between us and that we could come to a rational agreement." His voice and eyes dropped in disappointment. "I never dreamed that you'd be a bigot."

Daitenji rose to his feet, flushed red in outrage. "Now see here—"

"You're only looking out for your sport, right?" Rei finished. "Sure, I see that, but can you honestly tell me that you're not letting your own personal feelings influence you? You outright refuse to believe that what Kai and I share is just as special as the most happily married of couple's."

"I have to, Rei. Because you're trying to destroy everything I've worked for, and all of the happiness that it brings, just for your own selfishness." The old man all but cried, stress clearly evident in his voice.

For a moment, Rei regarded him with soft, and apologetic eyes, before he blinked them shut and took a deep breath. "I know…" He started slowly. "I know that it seems that way to you, but believe me when I say that I love beyblading. It's all that I've wanted to do since I was five years old, but now I've found something more important to me. I wasn't counting on it happening, but it has, and now you're trying to destroy my happiness, simply because you can't believe that two men can love each other just as a man and a woman can."

"I'm not prejudiced!" Daitenji shot back. "I'm merely reflecting the views of the general population."

"Are you?" Rei asked, looking very serious. "Because I can't help but feel like people just won't care. They have more important things to worry about in life than a couple of sports stars who actively avoid celebrity, being gay. So maybe there'll be uproar for a week or so, but after that, life will move on. Kai will still be the best blader around and I won't be too far off him." Pinching the bridge of his nose, Rei scrunched his eyes shut. "Look… I think we can conclude this meeting right? I've been here ages and all we've done is establish that I won't deny the stories." He let his arm drop back to his side and made to move towards the door. "Call Kai if you want to, but I'm leaving now. I hope that some day you can come to be proud of me again, but I'll understand if you want to terminate the friendship that we previously had."

He was at the door and turning the handle by the time Daitenji responded. "You may have to make a choice, Rei. A very serious choice." He said gravely.

Rei paused for a second, before turning determined, yellow eyes to his former mentor. "Then it will be the easiest decision I will ever have to make."

With that, he walked out of the office. Daitenji could only slump back in his chair and bury his face in his hands.

Choice refers to blading or Kai.

Until next time, take care. xx