A/N: Hey all. Here is a new fic from me…I know I haven't updated TBR in quite a while, but I've kinda hit a standstill with it. It will be finished though. Hope you all like the first chapter of Tears Aren't Made to Fall.

Disclaimer: I don't Beyblade or any characters associated. I am not making any profit from this. This fiction is written purely with entertainment in mind.

Notes: This is set two/three years after the end of G Revolutions. Kai is seventeen, going on eighteen.

Tears Aren't Made to Fall

DancerInTheDark101

Chapter 1

Kai stood on crest of the hill, looking down at the grey building that had housed the latest world championships. He could hear the screams of the fans, the eruption of noise signalling that the final of the latest world championships was underway. Kai had no idea who was participating in the final, although he had a feeling that Tyson would most probably be one of the competitors.

Crimson eyes sliding shut as he stood on the hill, letting the warm rays of sunlight wash over his body, Kai sighed and gripped the long-unused beyblade in his pocket. It had been a while since Dranzer had been out for a spin, almost three years to be exact. While it sounded like a long time, it only felt like yesterday when he had thought Dranzer had been lost for good.

The affair with the BEGA bladers had happened almost three years before. It was the last time Kai had participated in a beyblading match, choosing to retire from the sport while he was still young and didn't have a lot to lose.

He had disappeared from the beyblading scene all together, choosing to permanently move back to Russia where the house his parents had left to him in their will was waiting, uninhabited. It had taken a great deal of time and money to make the rather large house inhabitable again, but Kai had relished in the task. It was somewhere he could call home, somewhere where he could be closer to his lost family.

Many times, Tyson and the other bladers had tried to contact him. Never once did he pick up their calls and even when he heard that they were coming to Russian in search of him, they never found him. The house was something Kai hadn't even told Tala about.

Opening his eyes again, Kai stared at the building that had once been a haven for him. Beyblading had been his life at one point. There had been nothing that blading couldn't cure. Now, though… now he just couldn't seem to bring himself to go back to that life. It seemed so childish and pointless in comparison to the life he was living now.

The screams from the stadium grew louder and Kai couldn't help but let a smirk dissolve onto his features. No doubt Tyson – if he were the one blading – would love the attention. The navy-haired blader would be lapping up the crowd's enthusiasm like a dehydrated puppy given a bowl of water.

Sighing, Kai grabbed a pair of dark sunglasses from his pocket and slipped onto his face, obscuring his red eyes from view. Turning away from the stadium and the screaming fans, he walked over to where a sleek, black and white 1970 Buick GSX was parked.

A grin slipped onto his features as he ambled over to his car. He had purchased the old muscle car just after arriving in America a few months back. Since then, he had become strangely attached to the vehicle. It was an old, heavy car and ate gas like a freakin garbage disposal, but boy did it have some power to it.

Kai grabbed his keys out and unlocked the driver's side door before sliding into the driver's seat. The key was put in the ignition and with a flick of his wrist, the beast of a car roared into life, the V8 engine purring with power. Kai grinned and turned on the stereo and as he pulled out from the curb with a squeal of tires, the beginnings of Avenged Sevenfold's Critical Acclaim pounded from the speakers.

"Shhh… quiet you might piss somebody off

Like me motherfucker you've been at it for too long

While you feed off others' insecurities

You stand in front of me and bite the hand that feeds"

Rolling down the window, Kai let the rush of wind tease at his slate and dark blue hair, the front bangs whipping to and fro in front of his sunglasses. He turned off the quiet street and onto the main street, garnering several looks as the tires skidded slightly from putting too much acceleration into the turn.

Then he drove. He didn't know how long he drove for, but he didn't arrive at the hotel where he was staying until well after dark. Since retiring from beyblading and getting his drivers licence, driving mindlessly around for hours on end had become a relaxant of sorts for him. Having the windows down, wind blowing through the car and the music blasting calmed him if he was in an enraged mood or even if he was feeling depressed.

Kai ushered the car into the underground car park reserved for customers staying at the hotel and locked it before heading into the elevator that would take him to floor eleven. No one else was in the elevator and Kai pressed the button for 11, waiting patiently for the shrill 'ding' that would alert him to the arrival of his floor.

When the 'ding' sounded, Kai left the elevator and stepped into the brightly lit corridor, turning left and heading towards the last door on the right. He pulled out a swipe card and let the black strip on the back slide through the machine, unlocking the door.

Once inside, Kai dropped his keys, swipe card, sunglasses and beyblade on the kitchen table and opened the fridge to see what there was that he could eat. He hadn't switched on any lights yet, preferring the darkness to the brightness of the lights that hurt his eyes.

After grabbing out an instant meal from the freezer, the seventeen-year-old unwrapped the meal and placed it in the microwave, and hit the start button. It would be ready in ten minutes, more than enough time to get things sorted.

Yawning, Kai looked briefly at the clock, noting that it was almost twelve. He then ambled into the bathroom, switching on the light and wincing at the stark light burned his right eye. He moved to the basin and grabbed a bottle of liquid and unscrewed the cap.

He looked into the white-edged mirror above the sink and sighed. His right eye was still a different colour to his left. It was a deep red, almost black. But Kai knew that it would likely never change back to the original crimson colour. After the accident, he had lost the majority of sight in that eye and according to the many eye specialists he had been to, the change in colour was the result of that.

Tipping the bottle upside down, Kai titled his head back and let two drops of the solution hit his darker eye. It stung a little at the point of impact before his blinks distributed the liquid all over the surface of his eye.

Grimacing at the slightly grainy feel of the sheen over his eye, Kai placed the bottle back on the counter and screwed his eyes shut, knowing that it made the graininess disappear faster than if he didn't do it.

Sighing, Kai looked back into the mirror and saw the slightly blue sheen across his darker pupil. It made him look strange, having one crimson eye, one dark bluish black. But there was nothing he could do until doctors invented some kind of miracle surgery to repair the damage done.

Looking over to where the shower was situated, Kai decided to have a quick shower before eating the microwave meal. He turned the nozzle on, flicking the handle to between HOT and WARM. A spray of water shot out from the showerhead, the sound of water hitting the floor of the cubicle strangely soothing.

While the water warmed up, Kai went to the bedroom and grabbed out a pair of black boxes and an equally black baggy shirt to wear. He also grabbed one of the hotel's fluffy white towels and headed back towards the bathroom.

Steam flowed from the small, white-tiled room and Kai surrendered to the warmth it provided as he entered the room. Stripping his clothes off and tossing them into the plastic basket beside the door, Kai stepped under the jet of hot water, letting the droplets hit his body, loosening the tense muscles.

The water was hot, hot enough to sting when they hit his flesh, but not hot enough that it actually hurt. He grabbed the soap from the shelf screwed to the wall and began the task of washing himself. Kai hissed a little as the soapy cloth brushed over a tender scar on his left side, disturbing the recently healed skin.

After finishing washing himself, Kai let the water continue to flow from the showerhead for a few more minutes, only getting out when he could hear the beeping of the microwave, signalling that his meal was ready.

Turning the shower off, Kai dried himself with the hideously fluffy towel and got into his bedclothes. He strode out into the kitchen and opened the microwave, stepping back slightly as a wave of steam erupted from the now-open compartment.

Kai looked at the microwave roast beef meal, curling his lips slightly in a grimace at the sight of the plastic-looking food. Eugh, he really hated eating instant meals, but he hadn't thought about the time when he was out driving, otherwise he would have stopped off somewhere to get a decent feed.

Moving into the lounge, Kai slumped into the cushions of the large, comfortable couch and switched on the TV. He noticed that repeats of the earlier news coverage was on and tuned in, interested to see what was happening.

It turned out that the main coverage of today's news was of the finals of the beyblading world championships. True to his thoughts, Tyson had been in the final. It was his opponent that startled Kai slightly as the reporter on the TV turned towards the two young men standing next to each other.

"So Tyson," the reporter was saying to the grinning boy. "How does it feel to have won another world championships? This win makes it six years consecutively now?"

Tyson's face lit up at the mention of his wins. Kai rolled his eyes at the boy's antics. He hadn't changed a bit. "Yeah!" was the enthusiastic reply. "It feels great to have won again, especially against a great blader like Tala. He really took me by surprise this year so it makes the win even better!"

Kai was in a state of shock. Tyson actually sounded normal for once…how much had the boy changed in the years of his absence?

"Ha!" Tyson continued, laughing and pointing a finger at the redhead standing beside him. "Beat that, Tala! I win again! I win again!"

So much for him changing… Kai thought, smirking at Tyson's drama-filled actions. The reporter now turned to one of his life-long friends. Tala seemed the same as always. Quiet, reserved and cold.

"So, Tala. How does it feel to come second again? I'm sure that your goal was to win this year after losing to Tyson many times before."

"Yeah, I wanted to beat him." Tala replied, blue eyes flashing with something Kai hadn't seen before. "Everyone wants to beat Tyson. But I'm not too bothered because Tyson's not the one I really want to fight…" Tala turned to face the camera directly and Kai frowned. What was he up to?

"Kai, I've said this every year since you disappeared, but I'm gonna say it again: where ever you are, I still want that rematch. And one day, I'll get my rematch and this time I'll win."

Then the picture switched from that of Tyson and Tala, to a shot of all the teams that participated in the world championships. Kai could see White Tiger X, the PPB All Starz, the Blitzkrieg Boys, Bladebreakers and even the BEGA Bladers in amongst the throes of crowd. An unfamiliar longing ached in his chest as Kai took a bite of roast beef smothered in gravy. He saw a red light glowing from the kitchen table and saw Dranzer as the source of light.

Standing up slowly, Kai placed his half-finished meal on the coffee table and made his way over to where Dranzer was lying. He picked up the blue and read beyblade, familiar warmth spreading through his body at the contact.

He didn't know why this was happening now. In the past two and half years since retiring, he hadn't felt even a single ounce of regret for the decision of retirement. He still didn't regret what he had done, but now…now the pull of the sport seemed to be stronger than ever. Maybe it was seeing all his old friends still being an active part of the sport even though they were in their late teenage years. Maybe it was because this was the first time he had watched any kind of news about beyblading since his retirement.

No matter what the reason, Dranzer seemed to harbour the same feelings and that was something Kai couldn't ignore.

Groaning in frustration, Kai gripped Dranzer tightly, feeling the sharp edges of the attack ring digging into the flesh of his palm. There was still a sliver of doubt in his mind though. He didn't know if his body would be able to handle the intense battles he was accustomed to. After the accident, it had taken months of recuperation to get back on his feet and well enough to live alone. And then there was the sight problem. Doctors were saying that he would need more operations in the near future if he didn't want to lose the sight in that eye altogether.

Maybe it wasn't even worth it. He was old news now anyway. There were bound to be younger and better teams and bladers out there. Who knew if he could even keep up with Tyson anymore?

Kai slammed his hand onto the table, wincing as Dranzer's attack ring dug painfully into his hand, drawing small beads of blood. A headache was starting to pound at his temples, so Kai decided to worry about his worries after he got a decent sleep.

"Get yourself together, Kai," he mumbled as he walked into the bedroom, eyes scanning quickly over the room before pulling back the covers on the bed and slipping beneath them. It wasn't long before he succumbed to sleep and was caught in the throes of a recurring nightmare, except…it wasn't a nightmare.

It was always the same. It never changed. It started with him driving along in the same black Honda. Why he ever picked that car was beyond him. The song playing on the radio was Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult. He had the windows down, wind blowing through his two-toned hair, nodding his head to the beat of the song.

The scenery was dark, the moon high in the black void of sky, shining it's light down on the sleeping world. He glanced down at the speedometer, noticing that he was just under the speed limit. Smirking, he planted his foot down on the accelerator and felt the car react, starting to speed up along the deserted highway road.

A blare of rock music blasted from the passenger seat and glancing over he saw his black cell phone lighting up as a message came through. Leaning over while keeping his eyes on the road, he picked up the small contraption and looked at the screen. It was a call.

Seeing a certain person's name on the screen, he hit the 'end call' button and flicked the phone back onto the passenger seat. It was in that instant, that everything went wrong.

A loud horn blasted through the otherwise silent night and he stared straight ahead as the out-of-control truck skidded towards him. Yanking the wheel to the right, he struggled to make the car react as he wanted it to.

Panic started to set in as the truck careened closer. His car started to slide out of control, right into the path of the oncoming vehicle. A raw scream ripped from his throat as the two vehicles got closer. He could see the shocked and horrified expression on the other driver's face before the inevitable collision happened.

In an instant, the cool wind rushing through his hair morphed into a fiery hot inferno, white explosions erupting all around him as he screamed through the pain. Glass shattered somewhere and agony seared through his eyes, suddenly cutting off his vision.

He could hear the sound of metal tearing, being ripped apart by the force of the other vehicle; hear screaming coming from somewhere, unable to tell if it was from himself or from the other driver. He could feel the heat of flames licking his skin; feel the sharp stings as glass shards were embedded in his skin. He could taste blood on his lips; rough coughs ripping from his body making the copper taste stronger than ever. He could smell burning rubber, burning flesh as the ruthless flames devoured it. He could see nothing; the pain in his eyes showed nothing but complete darkness.

And then, in an agonising detonation of white-hot flames, he was thrown to the darkness, unable to see, feel, hear or taste anything. There was only oblivion…

Kai woke, shooting upright in bed as he shook from the horrific images and feelings associated with the accident. Shit. He hadn't had that nightmare for months. He had finally thought he had gotten over the damn thing. Obviously not…

"Shit," Kai whispered, running a slender hand through his messy hair. He glanced at the clock seeing that it was seven in the morning. For once he had slept more than four hours. Sliding his legs out of bed, Kai stood and opened the curtains, letting the light in. He winced as his right eye stung. It still baffled him, how the light hurt his eye so much when he could barely see a damn thing out of it.

Sighing, Kai went about getting ready for the day. He picked up Dranzer and looked at the bit chip, wondering…

Tyson sat at a local restaurant with his friends, joking and laughing. Max sat next to him on his right, Ray on his left. Kenny and Hilary were both across the table while Daichi sat between them. They were all chatting away, waiting for Mr. Dickinson to show. Apparently he had some important news for them. Tyson had no idea whether the news was good or bad. Hopefully it was good news. He was still feeling too happy about his latest win that he didn't want it dampened.

Finally, Mr. D walked in, a smile on his face.

"So Mr. D, what ya want to tell us?" he demanded, wanting to get on with eating the delicious meal that had just appeared in front of him. He eyed the meal before looking over to the head of the BBA.

"I've found Kai…"

A/N: What did everyone think? Hopefully the next chapter will be up within the next few days. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought :) Thanks for reading!

-DancerInTheDark101-