AnimeKiwi369: And finally we get the sequel to "Phoenix Punishment"! You would not believe the difficult time I had with this story! I hope you didn't mind all that much. But I'm sorry I couldn't get this done sooner. I decided to try something new and focus on my OC, Adeline a little more this story.

I don't really have a lot more to say other than I don't own Beyblade or its characters. I just own my OCs, and the storyline. And I apologize if any of the canon characters/actual character from the show are OOC.

Please enjoy!

Breaking the Surface

Adeline Taskwood let herself fall flat on her bed, exhausted. The day had been too long. The final lab her Chemistry class had for the day didn't go as planned, and half the college campus ended up calling class early. One person messes up and half the college ends up pretty much evacuating. Hopefully there wouldn't be any questions about the lab on the final. Only another week before her last final, then it was summer. Though she did work, a break from school would be nice. Still, the botched lab hadn't been a very good omen.

If that wasn't enough of a strain on her, work was a killer that day. It might not have been as difficult if she hadn't twisted her ankle an hour into her shift. But it was partially her fault for not taking a break to ice her injury; she had just wanted to get her job done without anymore mishaps. Plus, she hated when people fussed over her; she'd been fussed over for so many things when she was growing up.

All she wanted to do was take a long, hot bath and go to bed. Fortunately and unfortunately for her, she'd gotten a call from her occasional job at a hotel restaurant and lounge. The normal lounge singer, who was also the pianist, was leaving early, so the brunette was the second choice to finish off the late night shift. She didn't have to be there until nine o'clock though. She'd have time to ice her ankle and take a shower; it was only seven-thirty. She'd get her bubble bath in later in the weekend. Besides, she didn't want to rush such a relaxing activity.

At least she would be able to sleep in the following day. No school, and no family events she was forced to attend. She did have work, but she didn't have to go in until noon. The following day would hopefully be an easier day. And hopefully, Saturday would be uneventful. Although knowing her sister, something would come up and the brunette would be dragged off to do something. Then again, her sister was engaged, and the green-eyed girl was a part of the wedding party.

Shoving all future plans out of her head, Adeline forced herself off the bed. She carefully undid the zipper on her uniform and grabbed a towel. She briefly looked into her mirror; the bruise she had received from her date a couple of weeks ago was just about gone. Luckily her split lip had already healed. She quickly took a shower, slipping her somewhat short bathrobe on after, not wanting to dress completely yet. She limped slightly from the bedroom to the kitchen and got an icepack, carefully wrapping it around her injured ankle.

A knock came from the front door; she knew who it was before she even opened the door. It was going to be Kai. He only knocked once when he came up here. He hadn't been up much since he came to check up on her after her date-gone-wrong. Lately she had felt an awkwardness hang between them. She knew it was because she started to develop feelings for him. She wondered if he felt the same way. The brunette sighed; he probably didn't.

Adie opened the door to her downstairs neighbor. She honestly didn't care that she only had a bathrobe on; she wasn't embarrassed. The Russian pushed past her into the apartment. He leaned against the island in her kitchen and looked at her seriously as turned to him after shutting the door.

"Care to explain what the chemistry class did to cause an evacuation during my exam?" He demanded, his arms crossed over his chest.

"One of the other students accidently didn't measure the chemicals correctly," she explained, moving around her kitchen cautiously. "Sorry about that. Did you get to finish the exam though? The business buildings are across the campus, right?"

"Yes, but I had to take a different way back to the apartment," he told her crossly. He noticed her limping, "What happened to you?"

She looked down at her ankle, "I twisted my ankle at work. It's not a big deal." She glanced at the clock and then to her downstairs neighbor, "Feel like staying up here for some dinner?"

He shook his head, "Not really."

The brunette wasn't surprised; the only time he'd stayed for dinner was during a study session. She shrugged, "Your loss." Her neighbor began to make his way out of the apartment before she remembered something, "Hey, Kai, wait a sec."

The said man turned towards her, "What?"

"Can you do me a quick favor?" She inquired. He raised an eyebrow, and his eyes told her to continue. She turned away, going back towards her bedroom, "Just wait here for a second, all right?"

The Bladebreaker stayed silent and leaned against the apartment door, waiting for her to come back. He thought about the day ahead; he'd be practicing with the rest of the team. And Tyson would complain it was too early to be up when it was eleven. Then again, maybe the Dragoon holder wouldn't act that way since the championships were going to be coming up soon. The Russian wanted to participate, but with how his life was at the moment, he wasn't sure he should go. He loved beyblading, but he wasn't sure if it should be put on the backburner or not. If he did participate, he decided he'd stay with his current team to make things easier.

He heard the door of the green-eyed girl's bedroom door shut as she went in. He had been curious as to why she had been in nothing but a bathrobe when he came in, but didn't ask. After all, the brunette could be a little odd at times. He was surprised no heat came to his face when he saw her in the bathrobe. After all, it was pretty short. The violet-eyed beyblader wondered what the favor was, probably something to do with the girl's clothing or something. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door of the girl's bedroom door open, signaling she was coming out.

The brunette made her way back out to him, walking gingerly on her ankle, which was now wrapped in a gauze-like wrapping. She carried the ice pack in her hands along with a pair of black two-inch high heels. She was wearing a spaghetti-strap black dress that ended about her mid-thigh. It was tailored so that it hugged her figure perfectly. She casually dropped the shoes on the floor as she came over to him. The green-eyed girl turned around again, tossing her hair in front of her shoulder.

"Before you go," Adeline started, "could you please zip this up for me?"

Kai rolled his eyes slightly. Of course; she usually asked him to do that. He obeyed and zipped up the black dress. He turned to leave when he had finished.

"Thanks, Kai," she told him as he began leaving.

He shrugged it off, like he always did, "Whatever. I'll see you later. Oh, and Adeline?"

She tilted her head. He'd never used that tone. It was sincere and almost concerned, yet it was casual, "Yes?"

"Be careful on you ankle," he told her.

The brunette smiled lightly at him, "Thanks. I'll try to be."

The Following Day

Adie grimaced slightly as stood at the cash register, running a customer's credit card for him to pay. Her ankle was killing her. High heels were not the best footwear for a twisted ankle, which, she was almost positive, was now sprained. Why did the stupid uniform have to have high heels? She sighed. She knew that it was only because it looked best with the maid uniform. The waiters were lucky; they only had to wear dress shoes with their butler uniform. She ignored her ankle as she took the now-paid bill over to the customer's table, smiling gently at the customer.

"Please come again," she said sweetly as the customer stood and left.

The brunette liked working in the restaurant, even though the uniform was less than convenient. She'd been there since she was sixteen and she'd gotten to get to know many people over the years. The rest of the staff had been pretty kind to her over the years. They had been especially supportive when she'd had to go through her surgeries. There were quite a few regulars that came in at least one every few weeks. The BBA chairman, Mr. Dickenson was actually a pretty regular customer. She didn't always serve the older man, but it was always pleasant when she did.

The green-eyed girl made her way back to the kitchen after clearing what was left on the table. She placed the dishes in one of the sinks for one of the other employees whose job was to wash dishes. She heard the entrance chime of the bells attached to the front door. She started to make her way back out to the front to see who the new customer or customers were. There were only a few waiters and waitresses that day. At least the sign at the front of the restaurant was turned to the "Please Seat Yourself" side.

The brunette heard a slight squeal as she made her way out. She saw her friend and fellow waitress, Hana. She was about the same age as the brunette and had began waitressing about a year after the brunette. Hana was a petite young woman with mid-neck-length light sky blue hair that hung loose and coppery brown eyes. She wore a uniform similar to the green-eyed girl's.

"Hana?" She asked, "Everything all right?"

The other woman grinned, "Mr. Dickenson just came in."

"All right," she replied. "What's the big deal, though? He's a regular customer."

"He came in with the Bladebreakers," the other woman responded, still grinning.

The brunette's eyes widened, "What?" she asked, peeking out from the kitchen door. The full team was there, including her downstairs neighbor.

She started to push the brunette out from the kitchen entrance. "Adie, you're down to earth. You serve them. I wouldn't be able to stop giggling."

"Fine, just stop pushing me," she responded, beginning to walk out carefully on her ankle. She grabbed the appropriate number of menus and went over to the table, avoiding her downstairs neighbor's gaze, "It's good to see you again, Mr. Dickenson," she greeted, smiling, starting to hand out menus. "Sorry for that slight delay. We're a little short, and I got a little distracted by one of my co-workers."

"Hello, Adeline," the elder man responded, smiling back. "It's all right for the delay."

"I see you brought guests today," she commented.

"Yes, I thought I would treat the Bladebreakers to lunch while we discuss the upcoming championships," he told her.

"That's nice of you, Mr. Dickenson," she responded with a light laugh. She took out her note pad and pen, looking at the team, "What would everyone like to drink?"

A Little While Later

Adeline was mentally cursing her ankle in French as she quietly placed the Bladebreakers' lunch plates in the sink. She had been avoiding Kai's gaze as she served his team, only looking at him when absolutely necessary. It wasn't so much she was embarrassed with him seeing her in her uniform at her workplace, as the fact she was seeing him with his team. And she wasn't sure if he'd told his teammate about her being his upstairs neighbor. So she was a little embarrassed to look at him.

But she was still the perfect, friendly little waitress to the team and the head of the BBA. In turn, they were each friendly back to her. Well, except her downstairs neighbor, who was just acting like his normal self. Hilary, the team manager, had been a little amusing with telling her how cute her outfit was, all the while the green-eyed med student had begun mentally cursing the shoes that were affected her ankle. Then Tyson and Daichi had been amusing with their slight arguing over the menu. Ray had been a perfect gentleman, and Kenny had been so polite.

Max, though, had seemed a little distracted, like he had something important on his mind; he kept looking at the clock. She hadn't inquired though, since it seemed personal. The brunette just made sure to be a little extra sweet to the blonde Bladebreaker.

She glanced out at the Bladebreakers' table as she left the kitchen to get a pitcher of water. They were finished eating, but they were still discussing things with Mr. Dickenson. She'd only caught bits and pieces of the conversation, so she knew enough of what they were talking about since Mr. Dickenson had told her. The next beyblading world championship and what the team would do when it came around. She hadn't rung up the bill yet either, in case any of them might want dessert.

The brunette was curious as to what the Bladebreakers would do for this championship. Half of her was hoping they would go their separate ways, so she could see their battles against each other. She hadn't really seen the last championship due to her heart condition and final surgery. But she really would have loved to see the team battle together again. They were practically unbeatable as a whole team. Although when she'd first seen them when they had first formed as a team, she'd been a little apprehensive. Those apprehensions were soon dispelled after they had won the China Tournament.

Adie also had to admit, she wasn't the biggest fan of Kai when she first watched him beyblade. She had actually had pretty intensely hated him when he betrayed the Bladebreakers to go to the Demolition Boys. Even though she was a quarter Russian, she hadn't liked how ruthless the Russian team was. She liked them better, now that they were no longer under the control of Boris and Kai's grandfather. And, obviously, she was now a fan of her downstairs neighbor. She'd actually admitted to these facts to him, and, oddly enough, he hadn't been much fazed by him.

She quietly went over to the table, refilling their glasses of water as they continued to discuss the championships.

"So what does my brother think of all this?" Tyson asked.

"Yeah, we should get Hiro's opinion on this, since we haven't decided on what we're going to do. Especially since I'm assuming he'd be our coach," Kenny put in as the brunette-haired waitress refilled the genius's water.

"I know I would love to participate again as the Bladebreakers or G-Revolutions," Ray started, "but at the same time, I love having the spirit and passion of competition when we face each other."

"It is a rush. And it would be fun to compete together again, but I still want to beat Tyson!" Daichi exclaimed, jumping up, startling Adeline, as she refilled Kai's water, just barely not spilling it, and making her want to cry out in the Dutch she knew.

The world camp scoffed, "Give it up, monkey boy, you'll never beat me! You've already tried."

"I wish this was an easy decision for all of you," Mr. Dickenson said. "But, I know how busy you all are at the moment." He looked at Tyson, Kenny, and Hilary, "You three are going to be going seniors soon, so you have a busy schedule already ahead of you." He looked at the blonde beyblader, "And you're going to be a junior, Max, right?" The older gentleman noticed the blonde looking at the clock again, seeming to be daydreaming, "Is everything all right, Max, m'boy?"

The Draciel holder sighed and looked at the head of BBA, "No, Mr. D."

"What's wrong then, Maxie?" Tyson asked, looking t his friend.

The blonde sighed, looking at the clock again, "I'm just worried about my girlfriend, Ryn. She was having surgery today, and I really wanted to be there when she woke up."

Surgery? Adeline thought, looking sympathetically at him, I can see why he's been so distracted. I know how distracting surgery can be on loved ones.

"What was she having surgery for?" Hilary asked Max.

"I'm not completely sure what it was for other than she was having some surgery on her stomach," the blue-eyed teen replied, not looking away from the clock. "She should be getting out soon."

"Max, you should go see her," Ray told him understandingly.

"Ray's right, Max," Mr. Dickenson told him. "I completely understand if you want to leave and go see your girlfriend."

The blonde stood from the table and nodded, hurriedly leaving the restaurant.

The brunette looked after him, smiling softly.

Kai watched his upstairs neighbor as she looked after his teammate before going back to re-filling the rest of the glasses of water. She went back to the kitchen, and he noticed she was walking even more gingerly on her ankle than she had earlier. He only half paid attention to the rest of the conversation as the rest of the team and head of the BBA continued to discuss the upcoming tournament.

Later that Day—Apt. 286

Adeline sighed as she looked through the peephole in her apartment, finding her downstairs neighbor. She had a feeling he'd come up. Especially after she'd re-twisted her ankle as the Bladebreakers had begun leaving the restaurant. She had been walking back to the kitchen after wiping down the table when he ankle had twisted on her again, causing her to collapse a little. They hadn't really noticed. Except Kai. He'd noticed. She didn't want to let him in, since she was expecting a lecture. That and she wanted to be able to sit down and rest her ankle, which she was having issues putting pressure on. She hadn't even gotten out of her uniform yet, so that was another reason.

She relented though, knowing he knew she was there and opened the door, sighing again, "Yes, Kai?"

"Didn't I tell you to be careful?" He asked, rolling his eyes as he pushed his way past her inside the apartment.

"It's not my fault I twisted it again," she retorted, closing the door and facing him. "And you really need to stop barging into my apartment. How often have I barged into your apartment?"

"You haven't really. And don't try to change the subject," he told her, catching on to what she was trying to do.

The brunette leaned back against the door and crossed her arms over her chest, "I was trying to be careful. It's not my fault my uniform has one-inch high heels. Why are you even worrying? I'm going to be fine." She told him, limping past him, towards her small living room.

He caught her by the arm, spinning her to face him, "I'm taking you to get your ankle looked at."

"No, you're not," she resisted.

Kai suddenly lifted her off of the ground and tossed her over his shoulder, "You are not getting out of this, Adeline."

She balled up her hands and hit his shoulder, "Kai Hiwatari, let me down! Now!" He rolled his eyes and obeyed. She stood lightly on her ankle, "My ankle will be fine in a few days. Besides, I don't have to walk on my feet you know."

He looked at her with a cross expression, "What?"

She took a step away from him, "I can always walk on my hands." She told him, bending down, placing her hands on the floor, and kicking as best she could to get her feet off the ground. Her uniform skirts fell around her, and she realized that was not the best idea. She fell onto her knees as quickly as she could, pressing her skirt to her legs and the floor, her face as red as a tomato. She looked down, closing her eyes, trying to not be as embarrassed as she felt, "You can go ahead and throw me over your shoulder now."

She refused to look at him as he knelt down and lifted her over his shoulder. She didn't see that his face had turned a few shades pink from what he had just seen. She sighed, closing her eyes and she rested her forehead against the back of her friend's shoulder.

"I cannot believe I did that," she sighed, still embarrassed. "I'm such a scatterbrain. That was so embarrassing. Can you just carry me to my bedroom and let me die in peace?" She heard Kai shake his head and sigh. But it wasn't an annoyed sigh. It was amused. She heard a slight and brief chuckle from her downstairs neighbor. Adie's head shot up, and she craned her neck to try and get a look at her friend's face. Sure enough, there was a small amused smile on his face. She glared at him, "And just what's so funny?!"

"Just you," he replied, with an amused note in his voice.

She stared at him in disbelief as he carried her over to the couch, instead of out the door, and set her down. She watched him as he went about her apartment for various things for her ankle. He seemed different, in a good way. This was so strange though.

Maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to break the surface that was the real Kai Hiwatari.

AnimeKiwi369: Yeah... I kind of jumped all over the place, didn't I? You can see why I had issues with this story. I also had issues coming up with a title, which always throws me for a loop. And I apologize if anyone, especially Kai was out of character or if you didn't enjoy the story.

As this was installment three in my Apartment Series, there will be a sequel to this and many more (I hope) to come. I have a vague notion of what I want to do for the sequel of this, so I hope you'll all be patient with me in waiting for the next installment to be put out.

All I have left to say is, I hope you all enjoyed this! And please be kind and please review! :3