Welcome new readers and fellow writers. Thanks for taking the time to read my story. I have had this idea kicking around in my head for awhile and have finally attempted at getting it down on paper. I know this first chapter starts off a little slow, but it's just getting started. It'll be full of action-ey goodness soon! I'm alsonot the best at consistently updating, I'll admit that right now, but I will definitely try to have chapters up every couple of weeks. Thanks again and I hope that you enjoy!
Chapter One
Whish, whoosh, whish, whoosh. The windshield wipers beat energetically against the relentless downpour on the glass; the sound also beating brutally against his eardrums. Kai closed his dark amethyst eyes, squeezing them shut against the throbbing pain in his temples. Damn migraine. He always seemed to get them when it stormed, or on Wednesdays, and after meetings, or maybe just for no damn reason.
Are you alright? Dranzer whispered quietly in the back of his mind, so as to not disturb him further.
He nodded once, resting his head against the coolness of the window. He was fine enough, as fine as he could be for having been good as dead just a few months earlier. It had been three months since his bey-battle with Brooklyn that had left him collapsed in the back hallway of the beystadium. In that time, once he was able to escape the confines of the hospital, he had been retired to office and business work, work that was supposed to be less physically straining.
He opened his eyes to look down at the hefty stack of paperwork sitting on his lap. It took everything in him to not shove it off to crash into the dark, spotless corners of the limo. It was less physically straining work, sure, but it was tedious, frustrating work that he did, trying to piece the puzzles of the Hiwatari Enterprises back together. His grandfather Voltaire had done a royal job of screwing everything up before he had disappeared, supposedly going into hiding after his dirty little empire had been upheaved and finally destroyed.
"Sir? We have arrived." The chauffeur peeked his balding head over the divider separating the two sections of the limousine. "Shall I get the door for you?"
Kai looked at him for a moment, debating if he wanted to grace the question with a snide comment. He decided otherwise and simply shook his head once with a sigh. After shoving the paperwork back into his briefcase, he opened the rather heavy door himself and stepped out into the pouring rain. The butler was already making his way down the cobblestone driveway, hastily trying to open the umbrella in his chunky hands.
The poor chaps, you have them all in a right panic after your display this morning. Dranzer actually sounded genuinely sympathetic for the portly man. Kai grunted quietly under his breath in acknowledgement. The 'display' she was referring to might have been a moment of weakness in his temper that had driven him to smashing several prized family heirlooms and setting a drape ablaze. Honestly, waking up to a vacuum outside his door at seven in the morning when it took until five for him to fall asleep in the first place was enough to send anybody into a frenzy. Stupid trainee maid learned from that mistake nice and quickly.
Kai smoothly evaded the butler and trotted towards the grand, solid oak and wrought iron decorated double-doors. He stepped up the stone stairway and then entered into the large, beautiful lobby, complete with polished hardwood floors and antique coat-hanger and cushioned bench. With an air of complete indifference, he avoided the rest of the concerned staff and bounded up the long, west-wing bound staircase, not stopping to look or talk to anyone until he had reached his own private quarters and shut the door behind him.
"Damn, finally," He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The warmth of the fireplace hit him first, followed by the sweet smell of burning wood and vanilla, no doubt the maids had rushed up here as soon as they saw the car at the gate, in order to make the room as warm and welcoming as possible. Such pathetic suck-ups. Nonetheless, he was thankful for the heat as the chill of his soaked clothes and hair settled in.
Hurry up and change before you freeze us both to death.
"You're so full of hot-air that it'll be quite some time before you freeze to death," Kai quipped back, but he started to do as she suggested, stripping off the clinging suit jacket, tie and dress shirt. He dropped them on the floor on his way to the giant bathroom and kicked off the obnoxious dress shoes. toeing off the damp cotton socks. He stopped for a moment to chuck off the charcoal dress pants and to toss his briefcase onto the couch before the fireplace, before finally padding into the bathroom bare foot .
Kai wandered over to the gigantic, porcelain soaker tub and reached over to turn on the nozzle for the shower. Steaming hot water immediately surged from the shower-head, pounding enticingly into the tub and filling the room instantly with warm steam.
Kai turned away and leaned against the counter. It usually took a few moments for the water to heat up to the blistering temperature that he and his phoenix counterpart personally enjoyed. When you are joined with a fire element, average heat really doesn't affect you much. He looked into the mirror, dark violet eyes staring back at him, currently shadowed underneath with a grey-blue that nearly matched the shade of his hair. He closed his eyes and yawned widely.
God, was he tired. Since the disappearance of his grandfather and all his business, the BBA had seized the company and all of its finances, returning it to Kai himself to take control of once he was well enough, since he had the 'joy' of being the only living Hiwatari left. It had been a long three months of figuring out just how deep and scandalous the Hiwatari Enterprises had gotten involved in the whole Voltaire and Boris mess, catching and thwarting illegal contacts, digging up the finances. Basically, with the help of the BBA, the authorities, and several expensive and brilliant business agents, Kai had been able to completely tear down the organization that his grandfather had created, and was now able to rebuild the company back to the original, clean glory that it had been when Kai's father had been alive and running it. After many sleepless nights, the company was quickly growing and becoming one of the world's largest powers in the industry of creating and distributing all things beyblade-related. It was huge, and the BBA loved it.
Kai hated it. In just a few short months, he had gone from a simple competitor to being thrown into the mainstream of the BBA company, he was now a big-time businessman, the face of Hiwatari Enterprises. He was powerful, sought-after, and completely over-run and exhausted.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, snapping him back to reality. Kai blinked and lifted his head, not realizing that he had sunk down to sit on the side of the bathtub, resting his head on his hand on the counter. He rubbed his hand over his face, trying to wipe away the sleepy grit in his eyes and the thick fog in his head, which was still pounding with every heartbeat.
The knock sounded again. Kai sighed and pulled himself to his feet, stumbling towards the door hazily. He opened the door and regarded the maid standing before him in the hallway, her hand poised to knock again.
Ah, the trainee maid. "What is it?" Kai growled lowly, fixing her with a dark glare. He hid a smirk at her wide-eyed stare and how she blushed a bright red, no doubt in response to his state of very near undress. He mentally chuckled.
"Uhm, uh, th-there's a man-a Mr. Dickenson at the door for you, sir. He says he apologizes for the late calling, but he had tried to phone you earlier today with no luck. He wishes to speak to you if he may-" The poor girl gushed her message, nearly stumbling over herself in nervousness, her face flushing even more.
Kai flicked up his hand, cutting her off. "Enough. Tell him that I have no time to see him today." He said gruffly, turning away to close the door. He had been dealing with Mr. Dickenson's contacts lately while the old geezer had been gallivanting in the States somewhere, Kai had absolutely no energy to deal with more business and shit tonight.
"Wait. He says it's very important. He had a tigerman with him!" She squeaked urgently at the last part, her voice nearly breaking.
Kai stopped and looked back at her. A tiger? Ray? That kid had been holed up in China for the past five months without any contact with any of them. Apparently he was trying to patch up everything with Mariah and live the simple life, or some shit like that. What could possibly be serious enough to drag that hermit out of his hiding hole to come and play in this corporate world?
This is an interesting turn of events, quite interesting. Dranzer sounded intrigued, if not a little excited. There was no way he could just turn them away now. Kai closed his eyes in annoyance. Ugh. He turned back to the maid.
"Alright, sit them in my office. I'll be right down."