I must be crazy, starting a new story now. It's probably been a year since I last posted anything, but here I am again. I've read some chapters from my old story, Like It Is in Heaven, and I found so many spelling mistakes, its just embarrasing. I hope I have improved since last year, but please bear with me. Anyway, it feels great being back, with a new project. This one won't be as long as Like It Is in Heaven, but we'll see where it goes. Reviews are, as allways, highly appreciated.
Disclaimer (counts for the whole story): I own nothing. The plot is slightly based on the movie Cliffhanger.
Main Characters - age
Kai - 27
Tyson - 25
Max - 25
Ray - 26
Kenny - 24
Hilary – 25
Plot Summary: It's been ten years since the Beybreakers parted for good, five years since they stopped talking over the phone, and now they are all invited to a reunion at the Beyblade Research Center in America. But when their jet disappears over the Rocky Mountains, will they even get to the reunion alive?
Chapter 1
Moscow, February 28th 2010, 21:08
"... And so, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to pass the word on, to... Kai Hiwatari!"
Kai stood behind the scene curtains, sweat starting to show itself on his forehead. As the crowd applauded, he closed his eyes for a second, before taking his first step onto the scene floor. The lights hit his eyes and blinded him from seeing the crowd, which was probably a good thing. He shook the host's hand, and then quickly inhaled to calm his nerves. The applause died down, and he was left in a silence so horrible, it felt like he had gone deaf.
A sudden warmth in his pocket caught his attention. Its okay, he thought. You can do this. Just... breathe.
"Good evening everyone," he began. Smooth, he thought. "And welcome to the end of what I believe has been some of the hardest, yet most giving, years of the Hiwatari Corporation. Two years ago, all of you, except Frank over there," Kai snorted with restrained laughter, and waved casualy at someone sitting on the second row. They all laughed as Frank rose from his chair and started waving his arms up and down like he was worshipping Kai like a god.
"Thank you Frank. Two years ago, all of you looked to me to sort out a problem of great proportions. After my grandfather's imprisonment, the building known as The Abbey was left without any leaders, and so the government finally found reason to shut the business down. After a policesearch, 67 children were found inside The Abbey, with no families or identification. It is today my great pleasure to announce that all of the children have been reunited with their families, and are taken good care of."
They all applauded, and some of them even rose from their chairs with proud grins. He quickly recognized a few of them as some of the kid's parents. The light blinding him, moved slightly, and suddenly he gazed upon a crowd big enough to make his knees weak. Somehow, he felt colder inside, the stomack ache subsided, and the shiwer stopped.
"This would never have happened, was it not for all of you. You all gave these children a future, and a reason to move on." He locked eyes with someone standing in the doorway on the far side of the room. The artificial glow coming from the welcoming light of the entrance hall left her as a dark silhuette; still he smirked ever so slightly as he once more turned to the crowd.
"And so, with no more talk about the past, I urge you to look to the future instead. We have a lot of work to do if we want this business back in action. My father often told me when I was a kid that nothing just comes along by itself, only illness and poverty. I am willing to do my very best to get this train back on track, but I can not do it without a crew. So, ladies and gentlemen, five days from now when the official Hiwatari Corporation office building is opened, we start making our own futures. And I want you all to be a part of it! Thank you."
Kai smiled slightly, and stepped away from the microphone. The room was filled with applause, and as he made his was down from the stage and through the crowd, he felt a great relief that it was all over. Or just maybe this was the true beginning? He felt hands pat him on his shoulders and back, and he spent a whole of five minutes just shaking hands with people he had never even talked to.
He started feeling uncomfortable in his new, black suit, and wanted nothing more but to disappear. But before he knew it, he was standing face to face with Igor Petrov, the sales director. Petrov was a huge man, and Kai feared for his suit, which had already started to widen under the pressure from the man's ridiculously large belly.
"Kai!" he exclaimed. Kai tried to force a smile on his face, but failed misserably. "What an inspiring speach. I must say, this gathering is quite nice. I met some people not twenty minutes ago whom I have not have the epleasure to have a comversation with in years! And the food is most tasty, indeed. Oh, may I introduce my wife, Guro, she has been just out of herself waiting to meet you."
Kai could only stare, as the most disgustingly ugly woman he had ever seen in his life, rose from her chair, and reached out her hand for him to kiss it. She looked more like a Tim Burton character than anything else, with a dress looking like it was sewn in the 1920's, and a mop of hair Kai thought had not been in contact with shampoo for almost a decade. He shook her hand quickly, and gave her a polite nod.
"Mister Hiwatari," she said, flashing her eyelashes. Kai thought he might gag. "I must thank you for your invitation. Your assistant told me you had requested our presence as a high priority. I am most glad you and my husband go along that well."
Kai frowned, and looked up to see Frank grinning at him, lifting his thumb in a congratulating gesture. He gave his assistant a death glare, before turning to Mrs Petrov. "Of course, it is my pleasure to see you both this evening. But if you will excuse me-"
"Me and my husband have a matter to attend to," a gentle voice from behind him interrupted. Kai sighed in relief, as a hand gripped around his arm, and led him through the tables, and in as wide a range from the chairs and their occupants as possible.
"Save me, save me, save me, save me," Kai whispered under his breath, and they both walked even faster as they entered the hall. The warm light fell over him like the last rays from a sunset, and he finally found himself relaxing, his breath going back to normal.
"Saved your ass again, didn't I?" Katya said. She led him to one of the sitting chairs around the huge, dark fireplace by the bar. Kai sunk into the fabric, feeling his back ache from the stess he had felt ever since he woke up that morning. He leaned his head against the back of the chair, and just felt the pain in his muscles. It was something he had learned in The Abbey; if you focus on the fact that your pain is actually present, you notice less of the actual feeling of pain. It didn't seem to work this time though; his mind was full of something else.
Kai turned his head slowly, and saw the girl sitting next to him, watching him with a grin on her face.
"What?" Kai asked, smirking.
"Noothin'" She replied. Katya was your typical business girl; slim figure, curly brown hair like a waterfall down her back, and eyes as grey as the British sky. Only two weeks after he had returned to Moscow, almost ten years ago, that young girl had applyed for a possition in a company that did not then even exist. As far as he knew, she had run away from her home further north, and wanted to make a living in Russia's most dangerous city. He had first thought her to be unbelievably naive, but stood corrected, as she had proven herself more that worthy of a chance.
"You know that little stunt might have cost me my reputation," Kai said, chuckling. He could just too easily imagine Mrs Petrov and her big mouth in the office next morning, telling everyone withing hearing range that he was married. Kai Hiwatari, the infamous ice prince, married! Just to think of the possibility seemed ridiculous to most people.
"Oh, you're welcome," Katya said, closing her eyes and sinking deeper into her chair. The fire dancing inside the fireplace sent shadows floating across her face, like waves of water do to the underside of a docking boat. He could hear voices coming from the other room; people giving compliments, talking business, or just catching up.
A couple of guests came casualy walking out from the main room, all of them fishing cigarettes and lighters up from their pockets or purses. Kai ignored them.
"Oh, that's right! This letter was dropped by your office this afternoon," Katya opened her purse, and found a thin, white envelope. "Don't expect me to pick up your mail again, Mr. Hiwatari," she said. "I have more than enough to do by myself."
"I am sure you do," Kai replied, taking the envelope. He opened it and folded out the sheet of paper. He was more than used to receiving letters, e-mails and being phoned at the weirdest hours. Sometimes he woke in the middle of the nigt, having to spend several hours by the phone, explaining to some jackass how to do the most random things on their work. It almost always ended with him yelling at them to give him a break and go to bed.
This time though, he could not find the company logo on the envelope, nor the professional writing of someone used to kissing ass whenever they had the opportunity. He had to read the name of the dispatcher three times, before his brain understood who it was.
"Mr. Dickenson," he whispered, memories coming back by the second. It felt like forever since he had last met the man, the chairman of the BBA. Kai sat up straight, leaned forward on his elbows and folded the letter out on his knees.
Dear Mr. Hiwatari
It is my great pleasure to invite you to the first official reunion of the Championship Teams of 2005. The reunion will be held in Los Angeles, California, 18th of March.
If you decide to come, you will be metting the rest of your former team at the JFK Airport, 17th of March.
We hope to see you
Stanley Dickenson, BBA
P.S: Don't worry, Ray knows the details. I heard about your work with The Abbey. Well done.
"Anything good?" Katya asked from somewhere in the chair she had sunk comepletely into. Kai folded the sheet back into the envelope, and got lost in his own thoughts. Don't worry, Ray knows the details. Just as randomly as if they'd been in contact for years. It had been so long, he had almost forgotten what his old teammates looked like. Strange to think it had been ten years already.
"Excuse me," Kai said, rising from his chair, while putting the letter in his pocket. Katya looked up, snapping awake.
"Where are you going?"
"Home."
"Why? The party has just begun!"
"I have some arrangements to make," he said, putting on his jacket. He smiled at her, and took a step outside the entrance doors. The warm room disappeared behind him, and he was suddenly met by millions of raindrops falling from the pitch black sky. The cold north wind played in his hair, and penetrated his clothes, touching his skin like needles. He looked around, tried to see past the rain, and saw a lone taxi driving down the other side of the street. He lifted his hand into the air, and ten seconds later, the taxi was parked right in front of him. Kai opened the door and got inside, away from the cold. After giving the driver his address, he just sat there, looking out the window, watching streetlamps and buildings pass by.
He could feel the letter in his pocket, and his thoughts drifted away, to past years. It was like a mist had cloaked his memories, leaving only faded pictures and feelings behind. He could still see Tysons dojo, still hear Max's laughter, and still feel the warm sun on his skin from when he used to sit outside the dojo, watching the others practise. But more than anything, he could feel the sensation of launching a bayblade into a beydish, all eyes on him and his bitbeast, as the beautiful firebird rose to the sky.
After all these years, am I finally going back? This might be interesting, he thought. In his hand he now held Dranzer's old bitchip, still as good as new. The familiar warmth tingled in his hand, like it wanted to encourage him, and give him strength. Raindrops kept rolling down the windows, drumming on the car like thousands of little feet running. When he paid the driver, and opened the door, it seemed like the darkness outside wanted to hold him back. He ran up the driveway to his grandfathers old summer mansion, feeling like someone had just thrown a bucket of ice cold water in his face.
The driver watched as he opened the huge entrance door, and waited till he disappeared inside the dark house, before he flipped out a cellphone, holding it up to his ear.
"He just received it."
