Kenny's Secret

by Mad Duck

Kenny kisses Max and quits the team. But the team is family and they they want Kenny back, even after discovering the secret that Kenny's been hiding all this time.

Kenny's Secret - Mad Duck

It was the last night the Blade Breakers would be hanging out together as a team. Tomorrow they'd all be going their separate ways for good old fashioned well earned week long holiday.

It was also Kenny's birthday.

So they were celebrating both events at their favorite (or at least, the usually ended up after most Beyblade practices) Pizza Place.

Somehow a small chocolate cake appeared.

Kenny blew out the candles as everyone sang to him.

Tyson hyped that he needed to make a wish. Max seconded Tysons statement.

Kenny didn't even need to think what to wish for.

He wished that the night could last forever, that they could always be together.

His heart sank as he recalled the phone call he had received earlier when his sister had phoned to wish him.

He looked at the cake that had one candle that had managed to survive amongst the others he had managed to blow out.

Who was he trying to kid.

"Hey Kenny." Max greeted with his usual sugar rush kid enthusiasm "Why are you so glum?"

Kenny was startled for a moment. He hadn't even noticed Max coming up behind him. He had been to busy checking his wrist watch and wondering if he had packed everything.

"S…sorry Max. Guess I'm just tired." He laughed "You know, since it's past midnight."

"Yeah I guess." Max laughed "Did you have a good birthday."

"Yeah. I did."

Until the call.

"So what did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you." Kenny replied shocked "It won't come true!"

"Okay Okay." Max laughed Kenny's reply off. "Well, I'm going to bed. Kai wants us all up early for one last training session before we leave. I'll see you then."

"Um…Max…"

Max stopped

"Yeah Chief?"

"I wished we would all be together always." Kenny clenched his hands. "Do you think that was wrong?"

Max smiled "No Chief. I think it's the nicest wish ever. Tyson might have wanted you to wish for us to be champs though but I like yours. And I think it will definitely come true."

Max winked "I promise I won't tell okay."

"Okay." Kenny looked up "Hey Max, since we're leaving, can I give you something."

"Huh, sure. Okay." Max replied with a grin. "What is it?"

"A surprise." Kenny's voice sounded dull

"Cool, I like surprises."

"But you have to promise that you're not going to think I'm weird or anything."

"Why'd I think that?"

"Close your eyes then. You always have to close your eyes for surprises."

"Kay."

Max obeyed

Kenny hesitated before standing on tip toes to touch his mouth to Max's.

Maxies eyes shot open but Kenny was already moving away.

"Bye Max." Kenny told him sadly as he headed to his own room.

Max stared down the empty corridor in shock.

"Hey anyone seen the chief?" Tyson asked at breakfast the next "If he doesn't hurry he'll miss the bus."

Max knocked over his glass of orange juice at the mention of Kenny.

How could Kenny just kiss him like that? That was…he wasn't….he couldn't even talk to anyone about it. What would they think?

"I knocked on his door when I passed it this morning" Rei reached for a piece of toast. "But I didn't get any response."

"You won't." Kai finally joined their conversation "He left already."

"What!" Tyson exclaimed "Ah man."

"Withought telling anyone?" Rei frowned

"You were all asleep." Kai replied "Since it was three this morning."

"That early? No way."

"Ah well." Rei shrugged "We'll see him again after the holiday."

"You won't." Kai informed them as he stood up "He informed me last night that he was quitting the team."

"NO WAY!" Max blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Not Kenny! He lives for this team."

"Not anymore." Kai replied before leaving "You have five minutes before the buses leave.

Kenny rang the doorbell.

The door was opened by a beautiful brunette with red highlights in a ponytail. She was wearing a stylish gym tracksuit and baby blue sneakers and looked as if she didn't have an ounce of fat anywhere.

She looked at him and smiled before hugging him. "Kenny! You're home!"

Kenny tried to smile.

"Hi Miriam."

She pulled away.

"Oh honey, is that cello-tape on your glasses?"

"Um…yeah?"

"Why didn't you get them fixed?"

This was going to be a looooooooong holiday.

It was bad. Real bad.

Even though they were meant to be on holiday all they did was run up huge phone bills calling each other to talk about one thing.

How could Kenny leave?

"We have to do something." Tyson was all but yelling over the phone. "Something must have happened."

"But what?" Rei Asked "How can you fix something if you don't know what Tyson."

"You're meant to be on holiday!" Kai frowned

"We are, we are." Tyson replied. "But we have to get Kenny back. Him and Dizzy are part of the Team."

"Maybe Kenny just doesn't want to be part of the team anymore." Max suggested

"I'll believe that like I believe Boris is secretly trying to solve world hunger and loves us so much he wants to adopt us." Tyson replied

"I have to agree with Tyson." Rei replied "Although the Boris bit is very disturbing Tyson. I think you need to get your head checked while you're on vacation."

"Look the point is Beyblades is in his blood, just like it's in ours. Why would Kenny just go 'hey, I'm out of here!' without saying anything to anyone else?" Tyson pointed out.

They all heard Max mutter something

"What's that Maxie?"

"I think it's because of me." Max replied in a tone that was far from his usual cheerful self.

"You? What in the world did you do?" Rei asked

"You see he…I…we…"

"Max spit it out already." Tyson ordered

Max took a deep breath.

"That night of his birthday… he sort of …well…"

"Maaax." Tyson's voice indicated he was getting irritated "He what?"

"He kissed me."

Silence

"He kissed you?" Rei asked, double checking he heard right.

"Yeah, but…I don't think he meant it like that."

"So like what did he mean? He just tripped and it happened?" Tyson began laughing.

"TYSON" Rei and Max yelled at him.

"What?"

"He could have just meant a brother kiss on the cheek Tyson." Rei's voice came over the phone sternly "Sometimes you really need to grow up."

"Someone finally agrees with me." Kai growled from his end of the line.

"Well was it." Tyson asked

"….."

"Max?"

"Look, this is why I didn't tell you guys before. It's no big deal and you're making it into one."

"No, you made it into one. You said it could be why he quit." Kai pointed out.

"I have to agree with Kai." Rei replied.

"I just thought maybe he felt bad about it and quit because he thought I thought he was a freak or if you guys found out you'd think he was a freak or something."

"So it WAS on the lips!" Tyson exclaimed

"TYSON! THAT'S NOT THE POINT" Rei yelled

"But Kenny's got a crush on Max." Tyson replied "It's so cute!"

Max wished the floor would open up and swallow him.

Kai stepped in to take control.

"Regardless on who Kenny's has a crush on. We were discussing on getting him back onto the team."

"We'll use Maxie as bribery bait." Tyson Teased

"Not cool Tyson." Max replied

"Look, let's go talk to Kenny." Rei suggested "If his really uncomfortable being on the same team as Maxie then nothing we can say or do will help. Otherwise we might be able to reach a compromise."

"Yeah, like Kenny gets Max every Thursday!"

"I meant like letting Kenny know we don't care if he does like guys Tyson." Rei's voice was starting to get into pissed off mode "Stop throwing Max into it. He probably only kissed Max because he felt less threatened by him."

"Well, listening to Tyson's loud mouth, it's no wonder." Max laughed "I'm more likable then you Tyson."

"Oh yeah! Bet I can get Kenny to kiss me too."

"Dream on."

Rei sighed as the two began to fight.

Only he heard the click signalling that their team leader had disconnected.

He was thinking it was a good idea.

Finally the week long holiday which had felt like it had taken forever to go by was over.

Now the boys had one last thing to do before officially being able to get back into the groove of training.

Get Kenny back.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Max asked

Kai didn't reply. He knew he had the right address and honestly was a little impressed. Who had guess the sloppy looking kid lived in such a trendy district.

The other three don't even hide how in awe they were in.

They finally reach a house with the same number that's written on the piece of paper in Ray's hand.

They rang the doorbell.

A lady in a maid uniform and a friendly smile answers.

They were all sitting in the garden around a table with cake and biscuits, having tea with a woman that had introduced herself as Miriam, Kenny's sister.

Kai sat with his arms folded in his usual stance while the others enjoyed their tea and snacks.

"Kenny should be back from school in" she glanced at her elegant wrist watch "about another five minutes. But I'm glad you all came. Poor thing could do with seeing friends again after everything that's been happening around here."

"Might we ask, just what's been happening?" Rei inquired

"You see, When Kenny left, he never told us why. Just that he was quitting." Tyson added.

"I see." Miriam crossed her legs "Kenny left because I said so."

"You what!"

Miriam nodded.

"You see, our family tradition is that when a child comes of age their sent to a finishing school that's been in our family for centuries. It's Kenny's turn to go."

"But…"

"It's my responsibility to make sure that Kenny's raised properly. I allowed The Beyblade fancy only because I believed Kenny needed a normal childhood but the reality is I allowed to go too long. I already have my parents complaining because Kenny hasn't started classes yet."

"Say where are your parents?" Tyson inquired

"They're both models and live in New York. I model too but fly in and out so I could still look after Kenny."

Tyson and Max nearly choked on their tea.

Kai didn't react to her statement though Rei looked taken aback.

"You're a model?"

"That's right." She nodded, taking her tea and sipping it gracefully. "Most of our family are Models, Actors or artists of some form. And once Kenny's done with finishing school…"

Miriam halted mid sentence turning her head to the approaching footsteps.

"Kenny, you're just in time for tea!" Miriam smiled warmly.

"Kenny!" Tyson exclaimed happily, excited to see his old friend again.

Even Kai opened his eyes to acknowledge Kenny's appearance.

Rei and Max were sitting there both just as eager to see Kenny as Tyson was.

….Only it wasn't Kenny.

The person standing there looked absolutely horrified to see them.

And they could see! No big over sized glasses which hide a persons' eyes from the world held together by cello-tape. These were fine glasses a girl would wear that showed clear blue eyes staring back. The brown messy hair was tamed into two pigtails and the fringe was held by hairclips.

The biggest change was the dress. Kenny in a dress. Not the sloppy geek outfit but a honest baby blue school uniform that actually made him…her…Kenny!...look attractive.

Finished off with small white socks and black school shoes.

Kenny's looked ready to burst into tears.

Kenny turned around and ran.

"Kenny." They called out.

Kenny ignored them and kept running

"Kenny, open this blasted door before I break it down!" Tyson banged on the bedroom door. They had all been there for the last half hour trying to coax Kenny out but the only response was muffled sobs and Kenny's voice yelling at them to go away.

Miriam was with, looking extremely worried.

"Kenny honey, please come out."

"NO!" came the reply "I'm not coming out. Not EVER!"

"Kenny Please," Max tried "We all came to see you. We want you back in the team. Your one of us! It won't be the same without you and Dizzy."

More strange sobbing sounds.

"And…And I'm not mad that you kissed me."

"She KISSED YOU?" Miriam sounded surprised

Max carried on weakly "I mean, I want you back with us too. Wither your gay or straight or…ah Kenny please come out and talk to us."

"Nice going Moron." Tyson frowned "Now Kenny's never gonna…"

Tyson was interrupted by the sound of the door being unlocked. Next it opened slightly and a small part of Kenny's frowning face peeked out.

"I'm not gay you freak." Kenny muttered.

"We came to talk to you about the team Kenny." Kai glared at the others "Not your love life."

"I quit the team."

"We won't let you." Rei frowned "You not just a Blade Breaker, you're our friend and family."

Kenny sighed before stepping back and letting them in.

"Kenny." Miriam had a note of faint disapproval in her voice though she was smiling with relief.

"I know, I know. No boys in my room." Kenny looked at Miriam with tired, puffy from crying eyes "Just this time okay."

"Just this time. Leave the door open though."

"Okay." Kenny agreed

Miriam left to continue her work in her private study leaving Kenny alone with Kai and the other Blade Breakers.

Kai was leaning against the wall of the light pink room while the rest of the guys looked at the room in shock. Pink and white, frills and teddy bears with a fluffy carpet was the main theme of the room. On the dresser Dizzy was chatting up a storm.

"About time you all got here to save me. Do you have any idea what Kenny did! Reprogram me! No beyblade stuff. I have to play opera music and listen to the same stupid lines over and over and..."

"Dizzy, that's enough." Kenny told the computer sharply.

"I haven't even started. POSTURE! Studying postur...mmmmmm" Kenny closed the laptop.

"Good night Dizzy."

"Dude…What's the deal?" Tyson frowned "Is your family trying to turn you into a girl or something?"

"No Tyson. I am a girl. You all've just been to blady blind to notice."

"LANGwage!" came the rebuke from Dizzy.

Kenny's hands clenched.

"The problem is I'm one that's too smart and that's not how I was meant to be."

"It's not?" Tyson blinked

"No. I'm supposed to look pretty so I can model like the rest of my family, or became an actor or artist or something."

"You can't be serious." Max exploded "Kenny, you're family's trying to force you into doing what they want."

"No duh." Kenny sat on the bed "So now I gotta go to this dumb finishing school and I HATE it. Everyone there move like ballerinas and look so pretty and I move like I'm carrying rocks in my pocket and feel like the ugly duckling. I miss Beyblading with you guys."

"So come back."

"Do you ever listen Tyson? I can't! This is a family thing. The only way I could join you all again is if my guardian says I can. And Miriam won't. I was supposed to go last year already but she let me stay for the championships."

"Wait a minute. Why didn't you tell us that you were really a girl." Max asked

"I thought if you knew I was a girl it would make everything more uncomfortable. Besides, girls don't get a lot of respect when it comes to beyblades."

"That's not true. Mariah beyblades and she gets a lot of respect." Rei informed Kenny

"I meant with knowing their parts." Kenny looked at Rei "I don't usually blade, I build them and customize them. But that's seen as a guys thing. That's why I disguised myself as a boy before I met you all. No one was interested in my advice before but when they thought I was a guy they listened to me more."

"Not cool." Rei shook his head

"Well, I didn't mind." Kenny shrugged "I preferred shorts to skirts anyway."

"Well, this explains why you always insisted on your own room." Kai humphed

"Which you wouldn't always get me you jerk. You're just lucky it wasn't that time of the month otherwise the person sharing with me would really have suffered."

All four of the male bladers tried to block the image from their mind.

"Anyway, now you know Kenny's big secret." Kenny checked her watch "Oh flippppp. I have dance class in fifteen minutes!"

"Dance class?"

Kenny looked dismayed as she quickly rushed to her cupboard and began throwing things into a kitbag.

"Yeah, I hate it. But I have to take it. Ballet's on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and then its Ballroom on Tuesday and Thursday."

"Kenny slow down."

"I can't slow down. If I slow down I'll see what's going on and become miserable all over again and…"

She sighed "I hate this so much."

A few days later Kai was on the phone to Miriam.

"I don't know…"

"It will just be for one game." Kai replied "Kenny was always our reserve and we need one for the tournament next weekend."

"Why do I have the feeling you're trying to convince me to let her back on your team."

"I'm not. She quit. Letting her back on would be my decision." He informed Miriam

"Okay, I'll allow it this time."

"Thank you."

Miriam hung up and stared thoughtfully at the phone for a long time.

Kenny rejoiced. Oh the Stadium, the crowds, the bench! The old nerdy outfit with cello-taped glasses, how I missed thee!

"Right," Kai began, "The line up for todays' game is Tyson, Max then Kenny."

"Wha…Me!"

"It's you're last time here." Kai replied, glaring at Kenny "So make the most of it."

"But…but…"

"Don't worry Kenny. You'll be fine." Tyson slapped Kenny on the back.

"Yeah Kenny, you'll do great." Max and Rei added

"Yeah…great." Kenny attempted a laugh. "Just great."

Miriam checked her watch for the thousandth time. A habit, she had gained when she stopped baiting her nails.

"Miriam."

She looked up.

And smiled at the couple coming towards her.

Kenny won. Match and tournament. It had been a tie from the previous two games and they had needed her game to decide the victory.

And she had won!

Her team-mates were hugging her and the crowd was yelling out her name and the teams name. It was perfect! It was a high! It was a great way to end!

"Hey Kenny!" She turned to look at Maxie in the confusion.

And he quickly kissed her cheek.

"Great game!" he grinned in that addictive hyper sugar rush way.

Kenny blushed slightly as she grinned back. "Thanks"

"That was such an awesome save." Tyson was going on "And then Kenny …"

"Kenna."

Kenny froze. Only one person called her that in that tone. She turned around and found Miriam standing to one side along with …their parents!

And they didn't look pleased.

By now the guys had noticed that Kenny wasn't vibey anymore and looked to see what had taken her good mood away.

Miriam they recognized but not the two other good looking people with her.

Kenny gulped before taking a step forward.

"Mom, dad. What…What are you doing here?"

SAY WHAT.

"Miriam invited us." Kenny's father said gruffly. "She suggested a family day."

"Kenna, what in the world are you wearing? Cello-tape on your glasses?" her mom tutted

"But…But I LIKE cello-tape on my glasses."

"Really Kenna." Her father scolded "You can waste time on this stupid game but you can't practice your dance class?"

"But I hate dance. I like this."

" Listen I didn't ask you here to fight about Kenna's choice of activities." Miriam frowned "This was meant to be a fun outing."

"Don't think you're getting out of it Miriam. You've been too slack with her."

"Daddy."

"You're moving to New York and you young lady are going to boarding school."

"No way!" Max yelled "You can't do that."

"You stay out of this young man. This is a family affair."

"So, I'm family." Max protested

"So am I" Tyson stepped in

"And me." Rei joined in

"And I'm the head of it. So if you have a problem you can deal with me." Kai frowned

"You will not tell me how to raise my children."

"But you haven't Dad." Kenny straighten "Miriam raised me most of the time"

"Kenna." He used that warning tone again

"I respect you dad but you don't know anything about me. I don't want to go to finishing school. I've never been so miserable. I'm not pretty like any of the girls there. I can't act. The only place I shine is out here. When I'm with my friends, when I'm customizing a beyblade, I feel like I can do anything!"

"Oh Kenna, you have it all wrong." Kenny's mom placed a hand on Kenny's head "The finishing school is to help you with improving your confidence. Our family has a bad run of low self esteem."

"Maybe it works for you but for me out on the floor blading against someone with a big crowd like I did today, with my friends backing me up, That's where I can do anything." Kenny protested "That school makes me feel like a loser. This is where I feel I belong. This is ...is...This is my set, my audience, my crew and my props."

Kenny's mom looked at her husband.

"We want Kenny to stay." Rei began "She's one of us."

"Please." Maxie begged.

"With chocolate sprinkles" Tyson added

Kenny's father sighed irritably.

"Is there anywhere we can talk WITHOUT them."

Kenny nodded and lead them away.

A few weeks later Kenny was officially back on the team. And back on her spot on the bench.

Her father had agreed that she could stay. On condition that she continues the dance classes. It wasn't so bad now since Kai had thought it was a good thing if the rest of the team did it as well to help improve their co-ordination.

She usually ended up with Maxie as a partner during the Ballroom dance lessons and he was surprising good. Which was lucky since she was awful. He kept laughing off her mistakes and they'd start again.

Luckily they didn't have to wear tights and pink frills to the ballet class. Only she had to do that and the guys weren't cutting her any slack because of it.

Her folks didn't disapprove of her clothes since great artists are meant to be eccentric, but they had given her a chat none the less about appearances. No one would take her seriously if she was pretending to be something she wasn't. If she had a brilliant mind she should show it off as herself not as a make believe boy.

And she had been seriously thinking about what her folks had said to her.

One of the reasons she had invested in the white womens' office shirt with a pocket.

The effect was unreal. Did she always have those curves?

The usual shorts changed to womens khaki shorts. Shoes became Cat Takkies.

Well, she never claimed to have taste. She just liked comfort.

She kept the glasses though, held together with cello-tape.

The beyblade was over and Max came to join them, all smiles.

"Great game Maxie." Rei gave Max a thumbs up as the blonde took a seat.

"Yeah," Max grinned "Great game."

Tyson rushed out for his game. Everyone was all eyes on him, not noticing in the Blade Breaker corner Maxie's hand slid to intertwine with Kenny's hand that was resting on the bench.

Feeling Max's hand she turned her head slightly to give him a smile which he returned readily.

She had been so ready to believe that girls were weak. But she had been wrong. Being a girl was way better than being a guy.

Guys admired you.

Guys had to ask you out.

And you could fall in love.

Since she had changed her appearance, even the other guys from the other teams were starting to take an interest in her.

She wasn't just 'sit in the side line' Kenny anymore. She was now 'Hey Kenny, please look at my Beyblade there's something wrong. Can I take you out for coffee to say thanks?'

But she liked being with Max and his cheerful self.

He had taken her aside and laughingly admitted to being a little weirded out when she had kissed him that night and he had still thought she was a boy.

But like super faithful Maxie, he wasn't going to let that stop him from making sure that Kenny came back to the team. He also firmly believed that having Kenny gone was like missing part of a really cool jigsaw.

To apologize he had taken her to the new comedy that was showing.

Whenever he paid attention to her on their team outings, asking what she thought or what she wanted, she thought he was only doing it because he had been feeling bad still about what had happened and was still trying to adjust to the new her.

Finally, fed up that he was treating her different from before, she had grabbed him by the ear and pulled him to one side to give him a talking to.

And he apologized for it, adding with the confession that he just really liked her and wasn't sure how to act around her anymore.

And that was the night, Hyper Happy Max, the guy she admired for ages because of his ever cheerful optimistic nature asked her out. Not the most romantic movie style but it was perfect for her none the less. Especially when Rei and Tyson came out cheering and yelling 'at last, way to go Maxie!' from behind the corner with Kai following behind them, arms folded but a smile on his face when she agreed.

After all, they were a team. And a team shared everything.

End