Summary – Rei Kon didn't want to be Captain. He was perfectly happy with Kai being in that position. However, when Kai disappears for no reason whatsoever, the spot is placed upon Rei…who would rather just follow than lead.

Disclaimer – I do not own.

Lead me Onwards

It was quite a surprise to find that Kai was gone. Of course, he was always gone unless it was time to train his team. However, this morning we had a visit with Mr. Dickinson, who explained that Kai had some pressing things he had to do in Russia and therefore would not be participating in the yearly Japanese Tournament that was always held on May 13.

Tyson gapped at the old, balding man who just grinned as if this was the best thing to happen since sliced bread. However, this was how he was about everything and so Rei had an inkling that there was a catch 22 with this whole situation. Max decided to bring this part up, knowing that everyone wanted to know this particular fact.

"So, who is in charge of the team till Kai gets back?" Max asked.

"I am!" Tyson yelled, he stood on top of the kitchen table with a fist pumped in the air. He was grinning like a maniac and Rei hoped that nothing in the world would make Tyson captain of the Bladebreakers.

"I'm afraid that wouldn't be fair to the others," Mr. Dickinson said.

Rei sighed, "So, have you decided, then?"

"We're going to draw straws, whoever has the shortest will be Captain of the team till Kai gets back," Mr. Dickinson replied. Rei wasn't so sure how he felt on this front. On one hand, Tyson could get his wish and be Captain, but then again so could Max. Maybe Max wouldn't be so bad, however…there was always the chance that he would be Captain till Kai got back, and no time table had been set for that.

"Straws? That is so juvenile, the odds of anyone getting the shortest straw is…" Kenny was interrupted by Mr. Dickinson, who was laughing.

"A good fifty/fifty chance," Mr. Dickinson explained. Then he produced the straws in his fist and encouraged the boys to take one. Rei wasn't sure how it happened, but it just did. He hadn't been Captain of a team in years, and there it was thrusted upon him once more and he had no desire for it.

"What? Ooooh maaaaan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Tyson was not happy. He had been counting on being Captain, however, when he saw that Rei had gotten the short straw, well, he was disappointed, to say the least.

"Wow! That's great Rei! You were a Captain once, right?" Max asked with a smile.

"Well…" Rei didn't know what to say.

"He was, of the White Tigers, till Rei here decided to travel in order to learn more about life and bay blading," Mr. Dickinson said.

"Oh, Rei! That is so cool!" Tyson's monetary disappointment was forgotten.

"Er – sure it was…" Rei rolled his eyes.

"Well, I will let you boy's get to training, seeing as how you only have two months till the tournament," Mr. Dickinson said, then he left the boys to their own devices.

It was quite still in that kitchen while Rei sat and wondered why the hell this had to happen to him. Even Kenny was a better candidate than himself. However, the thought that Kai would soon be back among them with Captaincy firmly in his hands, brightened Rei's thoughts a little.

"Well, seeing as how we are thirty minutes past the start of training, it'll go longer today," Rei said.

"What? Must we go longer…????" Tyson whined.

"Yes, now, let's go out back," and with that Rei lead the way outside.

The sun was slowly closing onto high noon, but that did not bother Rei. What bothered him was the fact that they had been out there no more than fifteen minutes and Tyson was complaining, once again, about not eating. Rei was not about to give in, however, he couldn't help but compare to his old team, the White Tigers, who took every opportunity to train because it gave them a ticket out of their little village and onto a better life.

That was how Mr. Dickinson found him on the streets, trying to become the best there was. Only because it afforded him a better life if he could do it. Life had much improved since that day when Rei had been wondering where his next meal would come from.

"Tyson, for the last time, lunch is a far way off, now, you and Max have a match to finish," Rei replied. He sighed as Tyson finally settled down to the match. Dragoon and Dracile were formidable alone, but when they went against each other, it was one of those matches that had absolutely no heart in it. Even if the two boys swore to get the other one. Rei watched, he understood where Kai came from when he angered one or the other.

Kai would make comments about how terrible they were in order to get them angry and therefore do better in the match. If the blader was angry they would do one of two things, a) they would lose by making some stupid mistake, or b) they would win because it meant that much to them.

Rei knew where Tyson and Max stood. They just couldn't get into it when they went against each other. However, making such comments went against his nature. Rei saw many points in which the two should improve, but the question was, how was he going to go about it?

It was then that he realized that he was thinking like a Captain.

Tyson was not happy, "Where does he get off telling us what to do?" he grumbled as he and Max went upstairs to wash up before lunch. Rei had made them fight against each other four times in that one practice match. ALL the while staring at them with this off look on his face.

Then, Rei beat them both soundly with Drigger. Which was truly not fun at all to Tyson; Mac had taken it better and had accepted what Rei had to say about his blading. Which was basically that he couldn't always not attack. When there was an opportunity, go for it! Damn it!

I never have heard Rei swear before…Max noted to himself. He wisely let Tyson rant on about their new Captain. Sure, Rei had been Captain before, but he had never shown any inkling to be one ever again. He had followed Kai's orders and he had no qualms with Kai. Well, much, of course there had been disagreements. But, that was just normal between boys who lived with each other all the time.

"Tyson, let's go eat, Rei said he was making your favorite," Max noted.

"Ramen? Yay!" Tyson ran downstairs. In the kitchen he found that Rei had indeed made Ramen noodles with egg rolls on the side. There was a huge bowl of it in the middle of the table, Rei was spooning the meal out into smaller bowls.

"It's not chicken, hope you don't mind beef," Rei said.

"It looks good!" Tyson dug in immediately. Rei rolled his eyes as he served the rest of the team. Somehow, he found himself sitting at Kai's normal place, at the head of the table.

Someone did that on purpose! Rei decided.

Moscow

Hiwatari Manor, outside Moscow

Kai couldn't always be described as a person who felt a whole lot. Half the time the best way to describe the boy was by using the word "Sourpuss" in every other sentence as Tyson usually found himself doing. However, even though Kai knew he usually put down most of Tyson's plans, it was because the fact of the matter was that half of them were usually stupid anyway. Why waist your time doing something stupid when you could think up a rather cunning and cruel plan in the first place?

Of course, Kai couldn't say that he had always done what he had always told his team. But, they did not need to know that, especially at that moment, they did not even need to know that he was drawing a blank. Finding out that he was only human and not a super human as his Grandfather had made him out to be.

A part of him had thought that his Grandfather was right. That he would rule the world and his Grandson would be right there with him, enforcing the rules. But, Kai had rebelled and look at where that got him? In Russia with his former team mates waiting for the day that they would put Voltaire away forever.

Sure, Russia was mainly a Communist country. However, event he government couldn't side with Voltaire when laws had been discarded. Children had been abused and tested scientifically which was strictly against the law seeing as how Russia saw the future in the young people.

Good thing that myself at the rest of the Demolition Boys are old enough to look after ourselves. If my plan goes like it should, we should be getting a large settlement from Grandfather and Boris. That aught to make it so that we can live decently for a while…Kai thought as he looked out at the boring landscape that was covered in boring snow.

He found himself missing the loud, rambunctious house that Tyson called home. He rolled his eyes at his own juvenile thoughts and turned a glare at the snow that was so boring to merit a glare from him.

Rei couldn't' sleep that night. Thoughts ran through his head from one spectrum to the other. Questions like: What would Kai do? To Should I call Lee? Went through his head. All discarded for one reason or another. In the end, Rei knew that no one really considered him a candidate for Captaincy. He was a last resort, even Tyson could do better because of his nature.

Rei was quiet and would rather train on his own than with his team. Which, of course, he knew would not work. And so, in order to show everyone that he could do this job (even thought deep inside he hated it) he decided that torturing his team was the best way to go about it.

A/N – Yes, I have returned with a beyblade fic! Bow before my brilliance! Er – Anyway. I am working now, but I will try to update when I can!