For Iluvbeyblade

A Brief Encounter

The sound of the excited crowed battered at Kai's eardrums. The scream and yells and incessant pleas for attention were like an almost physically thing that wormed its way inside his head and caused his temples to throb in time with the manic chanting. That it was his name a fair percentage of the crowed were chanting did nothing to help improve his mood. Less than an hour away from a championship match, he'd have much rather been spending his time on mental preparation than dealing with a throng of people whose intelligence level was probably similar to the square route of the number of people it consisted of.

If he'd been left to his own devises he would have walked pass the unruly mob and into the arena with giving them so much as a passing thought. Unfortunately good public relations, and one very emphatic brunette, insisted that he at least pay some attention to the fans that had congregated to see their heroes. Even so Kai wasn't going to let them have it all their own way. He would do as Hilary had asked, but he would choose which fans he dealt with.

For the most part he confined his attention to the younger elements, those who clung onto a parents hand and stared at him with starry eyed wonder. He did so partly because they became so tongue-tied in his presence it meant he had to do very little in the way of talking. But also because there was something so innocent about it for them. He loved blading but had been exposed to the darker side of it at such a young age that it was refreshing at times to see people to whom it was all still shinny and new.

So pen in hand, he always carried his own, he walked slowly towards the building pausing here and there to scribble a signature on a program and offer a fan something that could almost be called a smile. At least it had started out as a smile all be it a forced one that would not look out of place on some heading for a straight jacket and a padded cell. But all to soon his jaw was clenching, his teeth were grinding and it was talking all of Kai's considerable willpower to keep from openly snarling. It was only the knowledge of what Hilary would say to him afterwards that kept him from revealing just how irritated he was.

Because for every young fan, wide eyed and wonder us, there were three screaming fangirls vying for his attention. They yell and screeched, hands waving wildly as they tried to grab him making Kai decidedly glad that his current outfit no longer had a scarf. Famous Beyblader Kai Hiwatari strangled by fangirls, or perhaps that should be infamous? Either way it was not the sort of ending he would like, if for no other reason than it would be an embarrassing way to go. Though if given the chance he might strangle one or two of them himself. The hormonal insanity he could deal with, it was the way they carelessly shoved other people out of the way to reach the object of their affection that really got to him.

It was with that thought in mind that Kai turned his back on two girls who were desperately reaching out to him. They either didn't notice of didn't care that they had pushed one young boy so hard that he had fallen and was now in floods of tears. He was also still tightly clutching the program Kai had signed for him with was one more signature than the girls were going to get.

It was as he turned away that something in the crowed caught Kai's eye. In the moving mass of humanity, all bright colours and raised voices, the point of stillness pulled at his eyes the way a loadstone pulled at steal. And the more he looked the stranger it became. The girl, for it was a girl short and slight with bright azure hair, didn't even seem to be interested in what was going on. She was half slumped over the guard rail her focus on the open program in her hands rather than the people around. She didn't even seem to notice the way raging fangirls jostled against her as he approached.

It wasn't until Kai actually reached out and pulled the program away from her that she even looked up. For a moment he found himself admiring the way she could stay so single minded and focused even with people all but shrieking in her ears. He got a brief impression of honey brown slightly slanted eyes and full if rather pursed lips before she dropped her head to stare at his hands. Or rather at the program they now held.

She didn't need to look quite so disapproving Kai thought a slight twinge of irritation tugging at him as he pulled the top off of his pen, it wasn't like he was trying to steal the damn thing after all.

"What's you're name?" The words came out in a slightly gruffer voice than he had intended, but as he wasn't going to apologise for that he simply stood there pen poised. And stood there and stood there.

"Ming-Ming." She said finally, grudgingly just a split second before Kai had decided that the best thing to do would be to toss the stupid program back at her and walk away.

"You're a blader?" He asked, deciding that screaming at her an calling her rude would do his PR no good besides it would make Hilary tetchy and Tyson would find it hilarious which in turn would only make Hilary worse.

"Yeah." She responded not looking up but instead keeping her gaze on his hands as he wrote. She also didn't move her own hand to reassuringly stroke the telltale bulge in the front right pocket of her jeans, which either meant she was supremely confident or had iron clad self control.

"Good?" Kai question as he tried to gage from the size and shape of the swell in her pocket just what sort of Beyblade she was using. Long espouser to the Chief had thought him that you could tell a lot about a person from the attack ring they used.

"No," She said after a moment and finally raised her head to meet his gaze, her eyes all but burned with intensity. "Better."

"Ming-Ming," Girls had looked at him that way before, sometimes out of lust, or longing and once or twice even out of love. But what gleamed in the blazing amber depths that watched him now was pure naked ambition, whatever else this girl was she wanted to win. "I'll remember the name."

"You should." The program had been pulled from his fingers and the girl had vanished back into the crowed before he could decide if her words had been meant as a challenge or a threat. Or perhaps something else entirely.

It was the first time, as far as he could recall, that a fan had ever turned their back and walked away from him, as if somehow she were the one who had been doing him a favour. Not, Kai thought, as he absentmindedly singed a few of the books and magazines that were thrust towards him that he was sure she counted as a fan. After all she hadn't done anything to get his attention, hadn't called his name or even offered her program out towards him. Ignoring the fans still calling his name Kai turned away, unsettled. It was the only way to describe it, their encounter had been brief but something about that girl had gotten to him, and not just the way she had acted so uninterested.

Still in thought Kai walking the final few paces until he stood in front of the entrance to the arena. He had now officially arrived at the venue and therefore no longer had to pay lip service to the crowd, venue meant match which meant focus which meant no more distractions. Still if he had to wait until Tyson was done playing up to the fans before going in he would probably still be stood there when Christmas rolled around.

It took a few more minuets before other bladers made it to the entrance. Some, like King and Queen, walked straight in without so much as acknowledging anyone else. Others remained outside but all were very careful about who they did and did not stand close to. A public brawl would do none of them, not to mention their sport as a whole, any good.

Kai was aware of Rei standing next to him, but didn't feel the need to acknowledge the other's presence they were team mates after all. Besides what was their to really say, hi haven't seen you for all of five minuets. Even if he was the sort of person to indulge in small talk, all that could be said was minuet chatter. Personally he much preferred silence, though it seemed Rei didn't share his sentiment.

"So?" The Chinese balder asked, or rather prompted. Though what he was prompting Kai didn't know, as far as he could recall their last conversation had been over breakfast and had pretty much consisted of pass the milk.

"So what?" Kai muttered, storm grey eyes squinting a little against the bright sun as he turned to look at the other blader, who it turned out didn't even have the common courtesy to look at him while speaking to him.

"So you don't talk to fangirls, so who is she?" Rei ask as he jerked his chin in the direction he was looking ignoring his companions peeved tone. Sometimes it seemed Kai was only himself when he was grumping and grousing.

Kai was unsure who or what Rei was indicating until he saw the tree and the girl that stood on the bench that was situated in the shade it provided. It was hard to make her out clearly such was the contrast between bright sunlight and the cool shadows in which she stood, also the distance between them was considerable. But it was her he was sure, something in the stance or the shape of the silhouette, it might have even been the way she held her self so still.

"Her," Kai responded, even as the figure under the tree turned her head until she was clearly staring back at him. "I don't know yet. But I'm going to find out."

Rei gave him a look which could have had any one of a hundred meanings, none of which Kai felt particularly happy about. No he didn't talk to fangirls, it was a well known fact, but that didn't mean that him talking to one girl today was any sort of big deal and it certainly didn't warrant the sort of apprising look Rei was giving him. Luckily before he found the words to remove said look Tyson descended upon them and they were swept up in a whirlwind of chatter and excitement and into the arena.

Naturally, given what followed, it was understandable that Kai would forget a brief encounter with a girl who hadn't seemed all that pleased to seem him. It was easy enough to forget names and the faces that went with them even when you were trying to remember them and it wasn't even as if he had promised to remember. But later, after everything, he couldn't help but wonder if things might have been different if only he had remembered her name.

Ming-Ming, the girl with the burning eyes who above all else just wanted to win.

(A/N) Squish this is all your fault and that's all I've got to say about. Well, that and it did feel good writing Kai and Ming-Ming again, I didn't realise how much I missed them. So, thank you.

Lamanth xx