My entry to the challenge "Character Mash Up" from the Masters of Metal forum. I was given the characters Nile and Kyouya, and told to do whatever I wanted with them, within reason. It certainly was a challenge, as I've never written Nile before, and it took me a while to get a grasp on his character. As I am exploring the unseen parts of the journey of Team Wild Fang, from the Savannah qualifier up to the battle with Team Chandora, he may act a little differently to his appearances in the anime, though.

This is a multi-chapter fic, with approximately 10 chapters planned. As per the rules of the competition, at least two must be uploaded before the deadline of September 1st, 2012. I intend to have them all posted before then. Wish me luck.

Stories From A Bunk Bed

Chapter 1 – The First Night

The first night was actually a day. They had been battling since the previous morning, twenty-four hours of fighting to keep hold of those precious bracelets around their wrists. It felt as if they had fought every blader in Africa twice at least, and both Nile and Kyouya were looking forwards to falling into bed for a few hours before they had to be back on the road again to get to the next of the African preliminaries.

They had arrived at the hotel in the late morning, straight after returning their bracelets to the president of Savannah and confirming their places as competitors in the World Championships. It wasn't exactly a stellar establishment, but it wasn't as if they chose it. Kyouya had used up almost all his money from Battle Bladers on the flight to Savannah, whilst Nile's part-time job as a waiter in a small inner-city restaurant in Egypt wasn't exactly well-paid. Savannah was too small a country to support them very much, either. Considering that they were also looking after Demure, who had come from the tribes with nothing of value except his phenomenal eyesight and his bey, it didn't come as much of a surprise that their funds were – to put it lightly – rather stretched.

Which was why they had to pick the cheapest room of the most run-down hotel, the one with the single bunk bed and the camp-bed on the floor. After all, getting three people into a room built for one meant more money per square foot, right?

"I get the top," Nile declared, dumping his bag on the higher of the bunks. "You can handle being on the bottom, can't you, Tategami?"

That was the thing. Kyouya had introduced himself as Kyouya, of course, but ever since he had assumed leadership of the little group of bladers, Nile had only ever called him Tategami. It was deeply frustrating, but Kyouya couldn't think of any way of fixing it. Especially not now, when his head was aching with exhaustion.

"I'd rather have the top one, Nile."

"Tough. I got here first, I claimed it first, so I get the top."

Demure ducked past Kyouya and collapsed onto the camp-bed. "Sort it out, you guys. I'm going to sleep right here."

And he did exactly that, only pausing to kick his boots off. Kyouya scowled. This was not working out anything like he had intended. For some reason, the intimidation tactics that had been so effective against the likes of Gingka were absolutely useless against Nile's stubbornness.

Gingka. That red-headed, pegasus-wielding nuisance – and, of course, the reason why Kyouya was the sole Japanese member of the Savannah team, which certainly wasn't an easy position to be in.

Right now, for example, he looked to be in danger of losing the coveted top bunk.

"I'm taller than you," Kyouya pointed out. "If I'm on the bottom bunk, there's a good chance I'll sit up and crack my head, and then where will the team be? You'll never win without me."

Nile didn't look impressed. "We're fighting the team from Botswana tomorrow," he said. "I've fought them so many times that I could beat them on my own with my eyes shut. I'm on the top bunk."

"Fine," Kyouya growled. "Be like that. But if you let me sleep on the top today, I'll let you sleep on the bottom tomorrow."

"Nice try," Nile grinned, hopping up the ladder. "But not gonna happen. You can't outwit an African on his home ground."

Controlling his temper with difficulty, Kyouya dropped onto the lower bunk. It seemed that he had no choice. For today at least, Nile had got the better of him.

"You two sorted?" Demure asked in a very sleepy voice. "Oh good."

They certainly weren't sorted, as Demure put it, though the problem of who was sleeping where seemed to be over. Kyouya rolled onto his back, glaring at the slats that his team-mate was lying on. This would be the last time that Nile ordered him about, he swore. He, Kyouya Tategami, was the captain of the team from Savannah, as the strongest of them and the most experienced. Just because Nile came from around here didn't automatically give him the right to boss everyone around!

"Goodnight, Tategami," Nile's voice floated down from above. "Get some sleep – you'll need it to beat the guys tomorrow."

The cheerfulness in his voice was deeply suspicious, but nevertheless Kyouya had little choice but to obey. After all, a tiny part of his mind pointed out, Nile was absolutely right on that one.