Link to the past
A young man of 21 strode easily down a windswept avenue in the suburbs of London. He was a good height with neat brown hair flopping, turfs of chocolate, into his amazingly deep purple eyes. The irises held flecks of gold that shone behind thin round glasses, perched comfortably on his well modelled nose, when shafts of autumn sunlight shot through the myriad of trees. The man was clad in a long black trench coat swirling about him in a mind of its own, caught in the chill breeze of an advancing rain cloud. Underneath a pair of deep blue jeans and a cream coloured polo neck long sleeved shirt accented his well built, lithe body. This man's name was Kenny, now a world famous gymnast, former beyblader and ex nerd. As he continued his walk leisurely across the blustery street and beyond his mind wandered back to his child hood days, the days where Beyblading held precedence over every other sport and he had been part of the world renowned Blade breakers. Allowing a half smile to grace his lips the man wondered what the team would think if they saw him now; after 7 long years.
The streets of Tokyo were as crowded as usual but all the bystanders hurriedly scurried out of the way of a shadow of a tall man with two toned blue and grey hair. Kai Hiwatari the business shark of the capital, dressed formally in a crisp black suit and tie, cut his way swiftly to the sleek black limousine parked indiscreetly on a street corner. With out hesitation he snapped open the door and slid impeccably into the driver's seat. The limo glided silkily into the street. Air conditioned and with quiet music playing softly in the back ground, kai easily pulled the car to a halt. The rush hour and stand still traffic like another world away through the black tinted glass. Seeing the jam was no where near to clearing Kai switched his mind off and let it wander away from work. He wondered longingly for the days of his youth; the Beyblading ones in particular. They had been so full of excitement. He thought of his former team. What would they think if they saw him now?
The quiet dusty tracks hummed with hidden insects, The Chinese Mountains silently bearing the sticky heat and humidity of a sweltering noon. A young farmer dressed in a white tunic with beige trousers rolled up underneath and a pleasantly tanned face framed by jet black hair hidden under a large brimmed straw hat stood up from where he had been paddling in the water of the rice fields. He raised a hand to his brow to keep the sun from his eyes and sighed. Although Ray Kon enjoyed his life of farming in harmony with the land a part of him still pined for the days fraught with danger and surprises of his youth when drigger had been at his side and he had the best friends a kid could ask for; The Blade breakers.
The sun was setting on a small flat. Hidden in the business district of New York amongst others of its kind all squashed into an almost prison like mass of living conditions. A still vibrant blond stood on his balcony watching the last of the dieing rays stain the sky red. The young American, wearing black office trousers and a white buttoned shirt open casually at the neck, ran his hands through his golden locks in relief that the work day had finally ended. Max Tate, former defensive master of the blade and current number cruncher for Micro-swift industries, longed for his care free days when he could simply go out and play with his friends, and Beyblading; he missed that most of all.
The cool night swept in fast for a young blue haired man plodding the lazy streets of his Japanese town. Tyson Granger stopped under a bridge, sighing loudly to himself. His mind on what had always plagued him ever since his youth: thoughts of his team, the Blade breakers. Still jobless and never getting any younger the pony-tailed man had supported himself by selling his deceased grandfathers house and moving to a small bungalow. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his cargos worn in memory of a certain secret idol, a red bandana for another and a small turtle pendant for another friend Tyson turned on his heel and began his mournful trudge home.
A young brunette made her way quickly through the evening streets of London, shoulders hunched against the breeze, burying herself deeper in her denim jacket and jeans. Hilary Tachibana having recently moved from Japan to 'sunny sunny' Britain was presently hating the weather and wishing for a warm oriental night like the ones she had shared with her old friends. Quickly forcing her way into her dingy flat she got her supper going and let her mind wander back to them. Tyson, Max, Kai, Ray, Kenny. She wondered longingly where they were now…
All still single, all still trapped in memories wondering if the others were the same, Hilary looked at the phone wondering how much it would cost to call a certain boy in a quiet town in Japan to meet one last time. Though, she mused, he would be all grown up now as well. God she hadn't seen Tyson for years, seven in fact. Ever since the final tournament all those years ago, blading had been banned and other sports had taken over, though none as addictive and thrilling to watch. Sighing, her hand hovering over the phone Hilary almost jumped out of her skin as it suddenly rang. Hands shaking for some unknown reason she picked up the receiver. Silence on the other end. Heavy breathing, was it her own? Holding her breath to make sure, the woman listened intently. "Hilary!" She let out a yelp as a deep voice sprung up on the other end of the line. "Hello?" replying to a soft chuckle she gripped the phone tight the voice halted it's mirth before stating coolly "It's me"
"Who's 'me'?'"
"Don't you recognise my voice?" the soft laughter filtered to her again through the speaker.
"No. Tell me who you are!" Getting scared that she had a stalker on her hands, Hilary almost yelled down the phone.
"Calm down" the voice sounded mildly alarmed "it's me…Kenny…don't you remember?"
Yes of course she remembered, after all, who could forget?
"You sound…different" she said breathless with shock.
Her mind was a whirl of thoughts, after all these years of sitting here wondering if she would ever see any of them again, secretly wishing with all her heart that she could meet, even by chance for a few hours with any of them, just to catch up over coffee or... something. Her chest felt like it was suddenly constricted all the emotion building up in to knot in her throat.
"I want to see you again" she managed to whisper down the line
"It's been a while" the other voice was quieter too.
Silence settled for moments, each lost in thoughts and memories.
"Yeah let's meet up" Hilary took charge of the situation, her voice becoming stronger with every word.
"The New World restaurant" Kenny suggested "China town"
"Couldn't have thought of a better place my self" Hilary smiled. Even after all these years he was still the brains of the operation.
"Right" she snapped back to business "where and when?"
After all the arrangements had been made and memories surfaced, Hilary begrudgingly hung up, it was past midnight and her supper had long ago gone cold. Shoving it in the fridge for the next night the young woman retired to bed, the long forgotten feeling of anticipation welling up in her stomach. Some how, even if it wasn't the whole team, just a link with the past was enough to rekindle the feeling of excitement she had got every time she had walked down the road to Tyson's house. The thrill that today was another adventure, even if it was just lazing around the dojo.
Tyson drove with feverish enthusiasm, guiding his battered old blue car through the packed streets of the awakening capital. He was going to pay a certain blader a surprise visit. Pulling up by a hatefully named building Tyson stepped out "Bio-vault…" It was still hard to believe that Kai had taken over his grandfathers company. But after transferring it to home ground Japan and using it as a large time computer company with links all over the world, it wasn't nearly as threatening to world safety. No secrets behind any doors and Kai had personally paid the Russian government to knock down a certain, now disused, abbey with earnings from his own, extremely large, pocket.
Tyson rushed inside and up the clean carpet stairs, deaf to the woman insisting he needed an appointment, ignoring her as she dialled the personal security force for the building to throw him out. He was at the door with the shiny name plate 'Hiwatari' before any resistance could be mustered. Smoothing down his crimson shirt and clearing his throat the man knocked on the door. No answer. Slowly pushing it open Tyson found the room "empty…" Hearing footsteps behind him he whipped round. Face to face with an armed security team. Putting his hands up and sweat dropping nervously Tyson managed to stutter "heh…hi fellas what's up?"
The leader stepped forwards. "We have been asked to escort you out of the building now." Tyson stepped back in alarm "No you don't understand. Kai and me, we're old time buddies-" The man raised his gun threateningly. "we are to escort you out, please comply of we will be forced to-" He was cut off as the window in the room in which Tyson was now standing slid open of it's own accord. Stepping past him into the room, the unit apprehensively neared the window. Thinking vaguely this would be the perfect time to escape the dragon blader remained rooted to the spot in curiosity. Silence perforated only by the flapping of the curtains ensued.
Suddenly a head of two toned coloured hair popped up and remarked irritably to the leader of the startled men "Taros what have I told you knocking?"
Climbing easily over the sill Kai emerged to be wearing baggy black sports trousers and a loose grey synthetic shirt. Black sweat bands adorned each wrist and a crimson bandana with a blue phoenix kept his still unruly, unique hair from flopping into his sharp violet eyes.
The dragon gaped. Kai was like a good wine, he defiantly improved with age. Still keeping the same perfect body Kai had grown into his muscles as they now knotted round his arms with the pale perfection Tyson was sure could only be achieved with computer imaging.
Rising to face Tyson, Kai's visage of stoniness never lifted. Instead of addressing him the large time MD turned again to his security team and snarled menacingly "clear off."
Once the men had exited hastily from the room, kais glare at their heels, the blader in question sat down behind his desk, leaning back and closing his eyes with his arms crossed in the 'Kai pose' so familiar it made Tyson almost want to run up and hug his old friend on the spot.
Choosing wisely to sit opposite him instead Tyson let the easy silence settle for a moment.
Kai considered him from one half closed amethyst eye. Tyson hadn't changed a bit. Still long midnight blue hair, tied back in a low ponytail; fell in a mane down his back. Only the man's height and clothes showed any difference in time. Tyson was wearing a short sleeved crimson top and black cargo trousers. A small pendant, reminding the dual haired man forcibly of draciel and its bouncy blond tamer, hung shimmering round his neck. Similarly a red yin-yang bandana kept his hair out of his hazel eyes, reminding kai of the white tiger he had missed for so long. Tyson, Kai decided, was definitely still living in the past. And who could blame him. Kai himself often found his mind wander to his action packed childhood like it had been just yesterday in the traffic jam.
The long haired blader himself was on the edge of his seat using all of his will power and patience not to leap on his old friend and hug him to the floor. "So kai" starting up a conversation seemed the best outlet for his enthusiasm without leaping up and dancing round the room "why were you erm…climbing up the side of your office block?" With out even blinking the phoenix replied "I like to go for a jog sometimes. It helps to clear my head." Tyson stared nonplussed, Kai still hadn't changed, Tyson still couldn't figure him out. Deciding he didn't want to know why Kai choose to exit down the drain pipe rather than use the door, the master of dragoon resumed the silence, now gazing at his battered trainers.
It was kais turn to ask a question "so what have you been up during these what is it now? About…" Kai paused to calculate. "-Seven years" Tyson answered for him, he had been working it out in the car journey on the way over, "-well I've haven't really got up to much…still single heh." Kai snorted at this, keeping to himself the fact that, apart from a few drunken flings, his love life had been pretty dismal too. "So…want to catch up over a drink some time?" Tyson posed the question. "Sure why not?" Kai lent back in his chair again, arms crossed, trying to disguise the fact that he was over the moon to see his old friend again and ecstatic to break out of his exhausting work routine.
It was quiet in the restaurant; save for the chinking of cutlery, as Hilary and Kenny surveyed each other over a candle lit oriental meal. Kenny's quick eyes spotted Hilary had matured a lot since they had last seen each other. Her deep brown eyes held a darker presence that came with the hardships of life. While her chocolate hair, now almost black, had grown longer and unkempt, it curled naturally around her shoulders, shining deeply in the wavering light.
Hilary was awe stuck at Kenny. The little, shy nerd she had known was totally gone. In his place was a lean strong man, not hiding behind his glasses, afraid to face the world, but quietly confident, surveying her with intense purple eyes. She was finding it hard to believe this man was Kenny.
"So what do you do now?" It seemed an appropriate question as she wanted to find out where he had acquired such a fine body. "Well" he said, eyes now fixed on a slippery piece of noodle that refused to be picked up, "I'm a professional gymnast." Hilary gasped, it seemed such an odd career change for the boy who had been destined for Nerds-Ville. As if reading her mind he chuckled softly again, remarking "odd isn't it? If you had told me back then that seven years down the line I would be a world famous gymnast then I would have probably run away and hid behind dizzy" He laughed again. Hilary was warming to this easy going new companion. He didn't seem to have a bit of the old Kenny left in him. But…she though as he returned to his stubborn bit of noodle, there was a flicker, when his eyes where hidden in shadow and his hair flopped down. There it was! She managed to place it. It was the smile, his mouth still held that slight air of nervousness that she had grown so used to, every time he had spoken back then his voice had shook for some reason or other. May it have been because he was under pressure or simply lack of sleep and mental rest. She smiled slightly relieved. He was still the same Kenny inside. Now sure that she wasn't with a total stranger Hilary opened up to him with what she had done with her life, the man in front of her listened intently as she explained that she was here on a teaching course at a local deprived school.
Figures, Kenny thought, grinning inwardly; Hilary had always had a loud mouth. Teaching would be the only way she could cope as any other job she would have wanted to be the boss but simply didn't have the patience to deal with important matters. His train of thought wandering from patience to Kai as Kenny knew he had inherited Voltaire's company, the man wondered how he was doing in Tokyo.
Bringing this subject up at a lull in the conversation Kenny notice Hilary go quiet. She had always had a place for Kai that much had been obvious ever since he had saved her from falling in the sea when they had been trapped on an island. And when he had sheltered them from falling rocks, when they had been going to the light house on that same island to get help, he had put their lives above his.
Kenny still remembered the scene like it was only yesterday.
"I think we should all meet up again" Hilary spoke up with a far away look in her eyes "it would be fantastic to see them after all this time." Kenny nodded, likewise stuck in memories, his gaze far away.
The bar was crowded, too crowded Kai though bitterly as he was shoved to and fro once more. "Hey this is great kai!" Figures he would fit right in here… Kai thought sullenly turning his baleful purple stare on Tyson, regretting more and more about meeting up with him. This was Tyson's element, crowds and noise.
His patience finally snapping Kai roughly shoved his way to the exit. Tyson didn't notice him disappear into the drunken throng; he was preoccupied with ordering their drinks, along with almost every other member of the pub.
Leaning against a wall letting the warm air waft around him, alive with evening scents, Kai breathed deeply. At last he was away from the racket!
The stone was uncomfortably warm against his back. Pulling away with a disgruntled sigh, Kai turned without a second thought, and headed out alone into the neon lit night.