A/N: Would you believe it? I actually wrote something! It's the end of the world as we know it! :smiles: This was written as a response for a Valentine's Day fic rush on the KaixRei ML and afterwards beta'd by Hikari no Donya, who I love very, very much and my baby Pretty Crimson Eyes, who I also love very, very much! :winks: Do enjoy!

I do not own BeyBlade!

Please do read and review!

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Your Wish Is My Command

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Humming along to the tune in his head, Rei moved from the stove to a cupboard to get the ingredients he needed for the stir-fry he was preparing for dinner. He was in a good mood.

A blizzard had hit the day before, so everything was covered in white. Outside looked soft and welcoming, and at the same time prevented them from being able to train, so practice had been cancelled. Not even Kai had been able to get anybody up or out, so they had ended up sleeping in. They went out later to play-fight in the snow and have fun. It was nice to do something normal, instead of just training, training, and training.

It had been a great day. Not only had their sleeping in given him and Kai some time for a little fun of their own, their snowball fight had also resulted in an immediate need to go have a shower, together.

The smile making its way to Rei's face could not be stopped by anything. He was sore and aching, but training would have done that to him too, and this way it just felt better. It was strange, though, how Kai had been so eager to drag him into the shower, as their having sex was nothing more than just having sex. Twice in one day was a treat, but also really weird in a way, as days, sometimes weeks, passed between their encounters.

Rei rummaged through the fridge for some milk – why on Earth couldn't Kenny just leave it where he found it, instead of always moving it around? – and decided not to waste any more thought on the topic. He was a guy, he was getting laid. Who was he to complain!

Finally finding the milk – in the box where the onions were! – Rei made his way out of the fridge again, to see Kai with his head in the cupboard where the plates were.

Now this was getting increasingly unusual, for several reasons.

1. Kai didn't seek out Rei unless they were going to have sex.

2. They had already had sex twice that day.

3. Kai was never in the kitchen; unless somebody had told him that they were ready to eat, and even then he could not be counted on to show up.

Just what was going on?

Kai pulled his head out of the cupboard, and counted out five plates. He placed them on the table, and then went to look in a drawer for chopsticks.

Rei did a double take. Was Kai actually helping out in the kitchen, by setting the table? No way, that could not be. Yet now he was getting glasses and water, too... Maybe, just maybe, pigs had grown wings and started flying, because what other explanation could there possibly be?

Turning back to his stir-fry, Rei laughed a little to himself, and then directed a question to Kai, who seemed to have some problems finding whatever it was he was looking for.

"Hey, you okay back there?" Rei looked over his shoulder to see Kai crouching down to look into yet another cupboard.

"I can't seem to find our dish mats." Kai fumbled further into the cupboard.

"Well, you're in the wrong place, they're over here." Rei nodded towards the drawer next to the oven, making Kai crawl out of his cupboard and move to stand beside him. "So, did you lose a bet since you're helping me out here?" Rei just could not help it. As nice as it was to have Kai around trying to make himself useful, it was also odd.

"Don't be ridiculous," was the answer Rei got, making his smile a little wider, and Kai crawl back into some cupboard, looking for yet another indispensable utensil.

"I was kidding, take it easy!" Rei turned around. "What are you looking for now?"

"A dipper," Kai replied from somewhere deep inside of the cupboard.

"Oh, don't. We won't need one, we'll just use this." Rei held up the wooden spoon he had been using for the stir-fry. "It's just as easy and there'll be fewer dishes for me to do afterwards." Rei looked over his shoulder once again. "And would you please get out of the cupboard? I don't like talking to you when you don't have a head!"

Kai obediently pulled his head back and sat on the floor, giving Rei a very puzzling look. "You know what I don't like?" he said, taking Rei by surprise. Kai never talked about what he did not like. "I don't like that this isn't before." He snorted. "I don't like that things have to be so fucked up, and complicated." Kai let himself fall back and lay on the floor.

That was something else alright. Kai didn't like that things were complicated and fucked up? Fucked up? Kai hardly ever cursed, but here he was doing it because now wasn't before?

Rei shook his head. "What?"

"I liked things better before, okay?" Kai was suddenly on his feet, towering over Rei. An almost frustrated tone had entered his voice. "I liked the way everything was simple, and made sense." He accentuated every syllable as if he were speaking to a child. "I hate how I have to be there and do everything right, whereas it didn't matter before. Just like I hate waking up every morning, knowing that there will be you, but then again, not really." Kai turned around and crossed his arms; the tension was visible in the set of his shoulders, and radiated off him.

Rei's curiosity had gradually died down, and been replaced by anger as he realized that most of Kai's rant somehow had to do with him. He did not want to jump to conclusions, Gods he did not, but was there really more ways than one to interpret the degrading mass of insults and complaints coming from Kai?

"I really don't see what the hell your problem is," Rei said, surprised by how offended he actually sounded, but unable to do anything about it. "Is it about us? Come on! We're still fucking each other senseless at every opportunity we get, so why are you complaining? And besides, I put out to you twice today, so really, shouldn't I be the one thinking everything's messed up? I really don't see how it should be you."

Kai rubbed his forehead and ran his hands over his hair; an act of pure frustration. "That's not what I meant," he ground out. "How is it that no matter what I say or do you always manage to turn it upside down?"

"I turn things upside down! Oh please, you don't even know how things are supposed to be in the first place, so how the hell can I turn them upside down!" Rei slammed his hand against the counter. "Why I keep putting up with your shit is really beyond me. You're just too fucked up to deal with anyway. But okay…" He almost laughed. "If you wanna go back to when things were simple and uncomplicated, you go ahead and do that; it's not like I'm keeping you here. We're just fucking, for heaven's sake. We can stop, you know!"

Kai turned around so fast Rei could not help thinking that it was not humanly possible. "Why is it you always insist on making everything so damn difficult, when it doesn't have to be?" He seethed, taking a step towards Rei.

"I insist on making things difficult?" Rei sighed, and looked to the floor. "Look Kai, I still don't see where we're going with all of this. Is there a point somewhere? Something really obvious that I just haven't caught on to yet? Because if there is; tell me! Why can't you just be straight about this like you always are? What is the big deal?"

"You want to know what the big deal is?" Kai moved closer, once again.

"Yes, I do, dammit!" Rei pushed away from the counter he'd been leaning against. They were closing in on each other, like a hunter closing in on his prey. Though neither could tell which one of them would be the hunter and which the prey.

"I want to go back to when we were just sleeping together and no more. I can't handle things the way they are right now, too complicated and demanding, too much of my involvement. I want it to be without any attachments. I want it to be easy!" Kai took a step back, and a deep breath, but before he could do anything else, an incredulous voice made its way towards him.

"You want easy?" The dangerous tone in Reis voice made Kai look at him again. "Easy," Rei laughed a little making it sound almost insane. "Okay Mr. Wiseass, I can make it easy, no problem. But you're either gonna have to find it somewhere else, or you'll have to stop bitching around like some goddamn woman and just tell me what the hell is wrong with you!"

That last line yelled directly into his face, his pride, his very being, was the proverbial last straw.

"Well in that case," Kai said mockingly, his eyes on fire. "Your wish is my command. I'll be gone now!" He passed Rei without touching him, and headed out of the kitchen.

Rei could not help but follow him, his anger fading and being replaced with worry. Maybe he should not have said that, but… "Kai! Wait!" Rei entered the living room to see Kai almost at the sliding doors, which led to the back porch. "I didn't mean it like that. I- I… just don't know what you want me to say."

For a second it did not look as if Kai would turn around and respond, but he looked over anyway. "There's nothing I want you to say." His voice was as cool and calm as ever. "You've already said more than enough." He left the room and slammed the door behind him.

The room fell silent, except for the TV, which continued to talk about ancient Egypt, as if nothing had happened. Looking around, Rei realized that his three friends had most likely heard every word of the argument. He sighed and slumped against the doorframe. He did not really care though. They knew about him and Kai sleeping together, so what would the harm be? He raised his head and looked at them, they were watching him carefully.

"Hey guys," he said, smiling a little, not really knowing what to do with himself. The atmosphere was more than a little awkward. "I'm sorry about that whole thing." He waved a hand around to indicate what had happened with Kai. "But yeah, dinner is ready, so come eat." He turned around and went back to the kitchen, followed by the others.

Quite a surprise was in store for them as they entered the kitchen. Kai had done a great job setting the table; everything was just the way it was supposed to be. From the plates, to the accompaniments, and he had not forgotten one single thing.

Rei could not help laughing a little. He had been so focused on their fighting, that he had not even noticed what Kai had done with the table, or even how well he had done it. His laughter seemed to dispel some of the tension in the air. The weariness on his friends' faces was almost gone, when he brought the food over and told them to dig in.

Tyson was the first to recover from whatever politeness that had been holding back the flood of questions. Tyson had matured a lot lately, he was not as ridiculous as before, but he was still a kid at heart and sincerely wanted his friends to be happy. So, when it came down to it, Rei was not surprised that Tyson was the first to break.

"So, Rei, what was that all about?" Tyson asked, after he finished chewing some rice.

The question somehow made Rei feel exasperated all over again. "Can I be completely honest?" He toyed with the food on his plate. Receiving three simultaneous nods, he continued. "Fuck if I know!"

That somehow magically broke all of the tension. After a second of silence and weary looks, all four of them started laughing. The situation was so weird, and so out of control, that nothing but laughing would have had any kind of effect. So laugh they did.

After a minute or two, Rei sobered up enough to continue his little summery of what had happened. The others had heard pretty much everything, but going through it all once again would not hurt. They might even spot something that could explain why everything escalated the way it did.

"I'm really not sure what happened or how it happened," Rei started, thinking about what had taken place. "He said something about things being easier before and insanely complicated now; and of course he wants the easy times back." He leaned back in his chair. "But I don't get it. I mean, he doesn't usually explode and leave like that, does he?" He looked around and saw all of them shake their heads. "That's what I thought. He's not like that, but then I thought maybe I just don't know. Maybe I just don't know him well enough to say anything, 'cause at the end of the day we're fuck buddies. It's not like we're deeply involved in some honest and meaningful relationship, where we talk about everything and anything." Rei leant his elbows on the table, and glanced around.

"Couldn't that be the thing?" Kenny asked, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"What do you mean 'the thing'?" Rei sighed. "Look, if you're gonna speak in riddles like Kai; you might as well leave too. I am not in the mood for anymore bullshit!" He let his head droop and rest on the table.

Kenny smiled a little. "You need help Rei, and lots of it," he said, and had to dodge a salt shaker mysteriously flying his way. He laughed. "No really, think about what you said. Just for a minute. I mean, Kai seems to think that everything is complicated now, whereas it wasn't earlier. What changed?"

Rei sat up quickly. "What exactly are you implying, Chief?" He looked at Kenny. "I mean really, that's… that's ridiculous." His head touched the table, once more. "So he was trying to tell me that… that… you know, and I… Well that's just fucking perfect. What do I do now?" He raised his gaze, and looked at them.

Kenny tried to look neutral, Max offered a soft smile, and Tyson was almost on the floor rolling around with laughter.

"Gee guys, thanks for you support!" Rei snickered, and then turned serious. "Is it really that? It couldn't be anything else?"

"Well," Max said, voicing his opinion for the first time. "Kai's been awfully pissy lately, haven't you noticed?"

Rei had noticed, and it sucked balls! Even the sex had changed, but there was no way he was telling Max about that peculiar aspect. Rei slumped a little. "Yeah, I noticed, but what am I supposed to do about it?"

"I don't think you're supposed to do anything about it. It'd just be really good if you figured out why he's been so pissed off. Don't you want to know why?" Max looked very honest and serious, and he did have a good point; why had Kai's mood - which was never even good to begin with - changed so dramatically lately, and for the worse? "I think," Max continued, "That it might have something to do with you, Rei."

"So it's my fault now? Look…"

"I said no such thing, and if you'd let me finish you would've known so too!" Sweet and innocent Max almost glared at him. "What I'm trying to say is, what if the reason behind Kai's messed up behavior, is that he's grown some feelings for you lately?" Max both sounded and looked more like himself now. "Imagine the kind of pressure he'd be under. Being with you, but then not really being with you the way he'd want to. And this is Kai we're talking about, he'd never admit to having feelings for anyone unless he had a written attest stating that yes, they were equally interested in him. And perhaps not even then."

Wasn't that a neat image? Rei could just imagine himself signing some contract-like thing saying that yes, he was also head over heels for Kai, could they get it on now? He had to smile a little at that.

Tyson laughed across the table. "Whatever you were thinking I don't want to know about it! But, continuing Max's train of thought; have you ever even indicated that you might be interested in Kai… err… romantically?" It was as if the word did not really fit Tyson's vocabulary. "I mean, for all he knows, you just stick around for the sex and then that's that. What about a… uhm… relationship?" That word sure did not fit Tyson's vocabulary either.

"Tyson's right, for once," Kenny said. "Kai was clearly trying to communicate something important to you by coming in here and helping you out."

"Yeah, by setting the table he was declaring his everlasting and undying…" Tyson was thwacked hard, by both Max and Kenny.

Rei smirked. "You're really sure that I'm the one who needs help, Chief?"

"As I was saying," Kenny said, casting a pointed glare at Tyson, making him to shut up; and another at Rei, making him listen carefully. "The real question is whether or not you're interested in having him in your kitchen? I mean, in your life…"

Rei rolled his eyes and laughed. "Do I want him in my kitchen? You sure do have a way of saying things, Chief. But no, I don't particularly want him in my kitchen, it'd be disastrous. I just know it. As for my life…" Rei looked thoughtful. "You know, when you find something you want, and it turns out to be way out of your reach, you settle for the next best thing. Then…"

"So you really wanted Tala in the first place? Or how am I to understand this?" Tyson interrupted, and in return received a used tea towel right in his face, courtesy of Rei.

"That's not what I meant, you idiot. What happened to your sense of occasion? If there ever was one in the first place…" Rei let the sentence linger a little, making sure to have their attention, before he spoke again. "When Kai and I first met, I found him extremely interesting. That's the effect he has on everybody, and I really wanted to get to know him. I wanted to find out what might be going on behind his walls and all that. Then we became friends, sort of, and out of nowhere ended up in bed on more occasions than not, if you know what I mean. But it wasn't anything beyond physical." Rei shifted in his chair. "And then I guess at some point… I don't know, maybe I didn't always want us to throw ourselves into bed, at any given opportunity, but it was the only thing we knew how to do." He suddenly seemed focused again. "We never really reached a level where we could be without the sex."

An uneasy and almost sad silence filled the kitchen. They were all done eating, and now they were just waiting for somebody to make the next move, to break the silence.

Rei could not stand it anymore. He needed some distraction from all the scenarios his brain had come up with. Showing him all the things he had rejected, all the things he wanted. "Alright." He looked around. "I'm not just gonna sit here and let you, and my brain, pester me with things that'll never be. Kai and I in a relationship, as pretty as it sounds, is never gonna happen. It's not even an option. So please, let's talk about something else. I don't wanna deal with this right now." He got up, and moved to the kitchen window to look out, effectively turning his back on his three friends.

"Just out of curiosity, Rei," Max said. "And I'll stop being a pain, I promise. But for how long has this thing with Kai been going on?"

The sincerity of the question made Rei want to answer it. As did the smile he heard in Max's voice, and the general sense of support he felt, radiating towards him from all three of them. Even they wanted it to work out. As crazy as it was they believed that Rei could somehow work out the problem, and make sure that everybody was happy, and got what they wanted. Stupid friends.

"It's been going on for a long time, Max," Rei said. "A long, long time." He turned around to face them again. "And judging by the looks on your idiotic faces, you want it to keep going on for another long time, am I right?" He did not really know where his smile had come from, but it was there.

"Think about it this way," Tyson said. "Kai made the first move; he did all the hard work. Now all you have to do is finish it, and collect the prize." He shared a private look with the other two. "Come on Rei, how hard can it be?"

Maybe Tyson did have a point. Maybe Kai really did want something more; considering what had happened, there were some clear indications. "Right, so I should go talk to him, and fix this whole thing?" Rei asked no one in particular.

"Unless of course," Tyson said, looking mischievous all over again. "It was all because both of you wanted me, what with the food and all." He flashed a huge smile.

Rei simply had to laugh at the absurd suggestion. "In your dreams, loser boy," he said before doubling over with laughter. "But, hey." He sobered up a little. "I better go talk to Kai, and make everything alright, before he literally turns into ice. He is outside in the backyard after all." Rei deadpanned. "I trust you children are capable of clearing the table, yes?" He left for the sliding doors leading to the back porch, pretending not to hear the roar of laughter, or the sound of plates breaking.

After exiting, Rei spotted Kai, sitting on the stairs leading from the porch to the garden. He had brushed away some of the snow, but only where he sat, so he was still surrounded by the huge mass of white. It seemed like he was just staring off into nothing, as if he was trying to make himself one with the silence and cold, so he would not have to deal with his problems. He looked so focused, so concentrated, that Rei almost felt bad for being the one who would disturb his peace. The peace, on the other hand, was probably just an illusion so there would be no harm in approaching him, right?

Being very thankful for his almost catlike skills, Rei tiptoed over to Kai, and sank down next to him, without Kai noticing before Rei was there.

They sat for a while in silence. Rei wondered just how long Kai had been out here as his skin, which usually radiated warmth, was now cold. This worried Rei, and made it easier to swallow his pride and start talking. No matter how everything would turn out, Rei was not interested in Kai freezing to death.

"I- I want to thank you for helping me out in the kitchen earlier," Rei said. "Y-you did a great job…"

He looked over at Kai, but he was still starring blindly at nothing. There was something very noncommittal about him, and Rei did not like that. Rei sighed. "Look, there's something you need to know." He started to pull himself together, knowing that this was his fault. Kai's pride was hurt, which made the situation a lot worse. "You need to know that I misunderstood you terribly earlier, and that I am so, so sorry for reacting the way I did. I was out of line, and I was also being unfair. I-" He stopped again. This was really a lot harder than he had originally thought. "I didn't mean to come across as such an asshole, that doesn't appreciate you for being you. It's just… I didn't really understand what you were trying to say, and I jumped to conclusions. Conclusions that made me feel really threatened, so yeah…"

He wanted an answer, but all he got was Kai tilting his head a little, and then resting it in one of his hands, without looking towards Rei at all. Rei decided to continue, there was still something he had not said, and if that did not get a reaction out of Kai, then nothing would. Then Rei could officially say that he had done everything in his power to mend their wounds.

"I felt so threatened, because I thought you meant you didn't want anything to do with me, and wouldn't sleep with me anymore. And yeah, that's really lame, but it's all I have from you and I don't want to lose it. So I acted the way I did because I thought I'd already lost it, and somehow it would be less painful if I was being a real jerk about it. Then I said all those things, which I didn't mean… At all." Rei cleared his throat. "Yeah, that's what I wanted you to know."

They sat in silence again for another little while. It started snowing, but nobody said or did anything. Rei waited, and waited. He waited until the snow started pooling in some of the folds of his clothes, and his hands started shaking from the cold. He heaved a sigh, and got to his feet again.

He had tried. Tried hard at that, but apparently it had all been to no avail. The obvious answer to all of his talking had been painfully clear in Kai's complete lack of both response, and reaction, which made the entire situation all the more unbearable. It really had been too late to redeem what he had so carelessly destroyed.

Rei started for the door once again, only this time he would walk through it with all of his hopes dashed, and a very important part of him broken.

He damned Kai and his stupid pride, which never let him say the important things the way they were. He damned himself for not having caught onto it a little sooner, so that they could have avoided all of this mess. He would have beaten down all of his own walls, if only he had been given the chance. Hell, he even would have beaten down all of Kai's too, but that was entirely unimportant now, wasn't it? It did not matter to anybody, because he had not gotten another chance. He had blown it the first time, and now he had to deal with the consequences.

Rei finally reached the door, after what felt like miles and hours of walking away from Kai, who still had not moved or said anything. He reached to slide the door open, wanting this nightmare to be over as soon as possible, but the second he grabbed it something… somebody grabbed him, and held onto him tightly, draining all his strength so that he was left frozen on the spot.

Rei felt like he was floating. Like there was an immediate danger of disappearing into thin air, but the fear he should have felt coursing through his body was nowhere to be found. Nowhere, because as much as he felt like he was being dissolved, he had never felt so real, and so alive. The arms around him, strong and defined, kept holding on and would not let him dissolve or disappear, no matter what happened.

Rei let himself sink backwards a little, until he hit what he logically knew would have to be there; a body. He felt a sharp intake of breath against his back, and suddenly realized that he had been holding his own. He released it slowly, savoring the feelings and impulses that all at once seemed to flood him. The heaving chest behind him; the gentle and wandering hands, caressing his hip and his shoulder; the soft hair that was not his own, touching his ear; and above all the entire body that enveloped him, making him feel safe and secure.

"Stay!"

…Stay!…

……Stay!……

The word slowly echoed in Rei's brain, into his understanding, telling him that this was real. Telling him that he had made it, and that it was okay to believe it as everything had finally worked out the way it should.

With a small, yet teasing smile he let himself fall completely against Kai, knowing he would be there, and more importantly stay there. He turned, letting his eyes travel up the expanse of Kai's neck, over his mouth and nose, to finally reach his eyes, where worry was soon overridden by joy and playfulness.

"Your wish is my command."

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The End

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