A/N: Yeah, I know what you're all thinking.

KAITAKA? OMFGNOWAYZ!11!

:coughs:

The idea to this story came up shortly after I had my braces removed, actually. And a friend of mine, technoranma, had mentioned something about me doing a Kai/Tyson pairing. So, I did. I actually have three total to finish for her, this being the first of two one-shots, and a short fic with only…five chapters I believe. So this is for ranma. Please check out her stories, they're wonderful. I had a lot of fun writing this—and if you aren't fond of this pairing, then don't read or review me. You're entitled to your preferences, but I don't need flames preaching about pairing (least of all). As always, constructive criticism and feedback is appreciated, and please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own bey-blade, or anything remotely related to it's rights, although, I can honestly say: I wish.

…

Kai ran his tongue over his teeth for what had to have been the millionth time. The braces cemented to his teeth caught his tongue, pulling at the soft flesh. Scowling in disgust he stopped walking, and looked down the road ahead of him. Standing there, almost mocking in its perfect beauty, was Tyson's dojo.

He stood where he was, listening to the sounds of early morning. The sun was still on the rise over the horizon, leaving the night behind in a grey mist. It was a beautiful morning, but he already knew that the day was destined to burn in Hell. Rubbing his eyes wearily, he headed for the wooden gates.

Every time he walked through the archway leading to the dojo, Kai felt a calm sweep over his body that brought peace to his otherwise troubled thoughts. Tyson had always had that affect on him. This time however, the blunette found himself unusually nervous. Would Tyson look at him differently if he could see, plain as day, that he wasn't perfect?

"Hey dude!"

Kai actually jumped. Frowning, he looked up into the excited face of the old man. "Good morning," he answered politely.

"That it is my man! Hey, what's this shindig happenin' on the home turf?" he exclaimed, jabbing his bamboo sword at the phoenix's mouth.

"Braces," he answered coolly.

"I dig," Grandpa nodded, leaning in closer to get a better look. Kai obliged, opening his mouth slightly. The red brackets gleamed against his white teeth.

"They look good dude," he praised, pulling back when the teen shut his mouth again.

"Thank you."

"Sweet as they are," the old man pulled on his mustache thoughtfully. "Never thought I'd see you with the head-gear my man."

"That makes two of us," he muttered back, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Hey dude, don't sweat the little things. You got bigger fish to fry! Am I right?"

After a short moment, the blunette nodded. He was here to train his team for the upcoming regional tournament…there were certainly more important things to worry about. With a smile that seemed to express his complete satisfaction with himself, Grandpa propped his wooden sword on his shoulder and turned around.

"I'm off then homie… Catch you on the flip side!"

For a few small moments as he watched him go, the blunette felt better about the happenings of the past few days. Grandpa was absolutely impossible to handle at times, but he was a good man; and the crimson eyed teen had found a trusted friend in him. Even if he was a bit…strange.

Shaking his head, Kai walked around to the back of the dojo and took a seat beneath the trees by the pond. He felt better, but he wasn't happy. For the most part, Kai considered himself indifferent when it came to peoples opinions about him. But this time it mattered.

And if Voltaire wasn't such an obsessive, compulsive little bitch this wouldn't even be happening.

Growling in frustration, the phoenix leaned his head back into the tree. In all honesty he was afraid that Tyson would see him differently. He liked the fact that his younger teammate looked up to him. It gave him a sense of importance, and purpose. Tyson was the reason he woke up each morning…

With a sigh, Kai wondered to himself how his thoughts had drifted. Somehow, they always did.

Propping his elbow up on his raised knee, the phoenix blader tipped his head to the side, watching the sun come fully into view over the dojo. The window's shone brightly in the orange light. Patiently, he waited.

RIIIIIIIIING

The alarm went off…Tyson kept on snoring…and the entire world was thrown into chaos.

Standing, he set his shoulders, and made his way into the dojo. The blunette was determined to keep his head about the entire situation. He wouldn't let anything that anyone said to him today get to him. He had braces. And there was not a fucking thing he could do about it.

When he slid the door shut behind himself, Kenny ran by, chasing Tyson who was dripping wet.

"COLD!" the younger blader yelled, shaking out his hair.

"That's what you get Tyson! If you're not going to wake up to the alarm, you get a cold shower instead!"

Flailing his arms, the dragon suddenly noticed Kai, dodging Kenny again to hide behind his captain. The Russian teen stiffened when the younger blader grabbed his shoulders, pressing his head into the nape of his neck. The water that was dripping off of his hair ran down his back, dampening his shirt and making the fabric stick to his skin. His eyes widened for a moment, narrowing again when Kenny skidded to a halt in front of him.

"Hey Kai…" he sighed, panting a little. "Sorry…he…wouldn't wake up…AGAIN."

The crimson eyed teen glanced over his shoulder at a sheepish looking Tyson, as if reprimanding him. The other boy laughed a little bit.

"What can I say?" he shrugged. "I'm not a morning person."

"You're wet," Kai told him, angling his face so that neither Tyson nor Kenny could notice the braces. Raising an eyebrow, the younger teen smiled mischievously. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around his captain's neck, pressing his body up against him.

"Am I?" he asked, breathing against his captain's neck. Shrugging him off, a pink tinge apparent on his pale cheeks, Kai readjusted his scarf.

"Just get ready; we've got a lot of work to do."

When he looked up, both Kenny and Tyson were staring at him incredulously. His own ruby eyes widened in realization. Shit…

Just then, Max and Rei walked in.

"Hey guys, breakfast time!" the blonde chirped. Rei nodded, gesturing towards the door they'd just entered from.

"Yeah, Grandpa set it up out front. It's a beautiful day."

When no one answered them, Max and Rei shared a look. "Hey," the neko inquired. "What's up?"

Suddenly, Tyson's face broke out into a huge smile. "I can't believe it!"

"Can't believe what?" Maxie asked moving closer to stand next to the dragon blader.

Kai was rooted to the spot, his cheeks burning under his teammates questioning gaze. He told himself he'd disregard their comments, and their looks…but that smile on Tyson's face made him suddenly nervous. In that moment, those stormy blue eyes stripped him down to his most basic emotions, and he could no longer find the defenses to hide behind.

"Hey Kai?" The phoenix raised an eyebrow at Tyson's seemingly innocent tone. "Open your mouth."

Setting his jaw, the Russian teen crossed his arms.

Rei cocked his head to the side, tapping Kenny on the shoulder, fixing him with an imploring golden gaze.

"What's going on?" he mouthed to the petit brunette.

Kenny was still semi-gaping at his captain. "Er…I think…"

Kai glared. Abruptly, the younger boy shut his mouth. Tyson was still grinning like a mad man.

"You can't keep this up forever," the Japanese teen pointed out. Rei and Max were still clueless, their eyes shifting quickly from Tyson to Kai. The crimson-eyed phoenix only offered a look that clearly said, "Watch me."

Placing a hand on his hip in a very Hillary-esque manner, he tapped his chin thoughtfully with the other.

"So, let me get this straight," he replied emphatically. Kai's glare increased ten-fold—if possible. The younger blunette dared to smile back.

"You refuse to open your mouth, which means no orders…" he trailed off at the look of realization that flickered over his captain's face. "Which means no training," he continued as Kai's composure began to slip. "Which means we get the day off?"

He turned to the others with a smile. "I don't know about you guys, but I am absolutely fine with that."

Max was giggling at Tyson's act but Rei was frowning. "You never told us what the hell is going on Tyson," he reminded the younger boy.

Before the Japanese teen had barely opened his mouth, Kai suddenly brushed passed them, his response chilling and curt as it floated over his shoulder.

"I've got braces, now get to the table or we're skipping breakfast. You all have fifteen minutes."

…

Kai had officially tucked himself away under the "fucking moron" tab in his mental file cabinet. How he had managed to talk himself into thinking that he could make it through the day without strangling his teammates, he didn't know. The thing he did know however, was that he was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

His fists clenched at his sides violently when Tyson waved him over to the bey-dish where he and Rei had been battling.

"Hey Kai, what d'ya think about me taking the offensive against Rei this time?" he asked in a sickly sweet voice. Kai tried hard to swallow his temper.

"I told you Tyson," he glared at the insane smile spreading over Tyson's face at the sight of his braces. "You're working on defense."

"Right, right…" the younger blunette answered distractedly. "How should I go about doing that again?"

Kai set his jaw. He was so close…all he has to do was reach out and grab Tyson by the throat and then—

"Kai?"

The stoic Russian unclenched his fists and turned to Rei wearily. The Chinese blader had been the only one who seemed to understand his position and had mercifully kept his mouth shut. Everyone else on the other hand, seemed to be trying to make him talk more than was ever necessary. Unfortunately with his role as team captain, he was obliged to answer their questions about anything bey-blade related during training. It was times like these when he wished—prayed even, to every deity there ever was that he had never met Mister Dickenson.

In his defense, on regular days he wouldn't trade any of his experiences with The Blade Breakers for the world.

This however, was pushing it.

"Yes?" he answered stiffly. Rei offered him an apologetic smile.

"Kenny needs to see me about Drigger's new defense ring," he replied sympathetically. "Do you mind battling Tyson for a minute…?" The tiger trailed off at the suddenly spark of sadistic joy that just flooded Kai's crimson eyes.

With a nod, the phoenix sent Rei off to see Kenny and took his place opposite of the World Champion. He was pleased to a small extent to see that Tyson had the decency too look slightly nervous.

Slipping his hand into his pocket, Kai revealed Dranzer in a blazing flourish. The mighty beast was feeding off of Kai's anger and insecurity, and she was harnessing it—turning it into raw power.

Casually, he fitted her into place in his launcher and readied it, patiently waiting for Tyson to snap out of it. After another moment, the dragon master blinked, and a wicked grin spread over his tanned face. Setting Dragoon into his own launcher he continued grinning at Kai.

"Better hope Dragoon doesn't whip up a storm Kai," he warned mischievously. "You're a walking lightning rod."

In an uncharacteristic outburst of emotion, Kai drove his foot into the ground and violently tore the rip cord out of his launcher, sending Dranzer crashing into the dish without warning. Tyson only had time to throw his arms up with a yell as the great phoenix circled in one sharp arc, furiously shattering the bey-dish and setting it's remnants on fire. She returned to Kai's hand with an angry shriek of victory that seemed to emanate from her masters own soul.

"You're all done for the day," he answered scathingly, pretending not to notice Tyson's horrified look. "Since you all have other things on your minds to worry about, I won't bother you with training for the upcoming tournament."

With that, he turned on his heel, and made for the road, leaving a group of genuinely confused and frightened teenagers in his wake. Pocketing Dranzer, he marched out of sight. If they wanted to destroy any chance of winning the next competition, fine. He wasn't going to stop them. Maybe getting knocked on their asses would get them back into shape.

When he'd gone as far as the park, the rush of adrenaline had subsided, leaving a mild headache, and…guilt. With a sigh he stopped, leaning over the railing of the small lookout for tourists, and gazed out over the ocean.

He had always had a problem with his teammates, but after they had accepted him for who he was flaws and all—taken him back after his betrayal; he had promised himself that he would hold their friendship sacred. Especially Tyson's, because friendship was all he could hope for from the young blunette. Kai, until now, had never expressed real anger towards them since then. Generally, he wanted to see them succeed. He wanted to protect him the way that they had protected him in Russia, even when he had denied them so many times. Was it so hard for them to understand how hard it was for him to stand there in his moment of imperfection and take their ridicule lying down?

Rubbing his eyes wearily, Kai took the time to wonder if his grandfather had been right all along; that emotions only got in the way, and that ones heart would be ones ultimate downfall. In his mind he pictured Tyson, positively glowing after winning the World Championship against The Demolition Boys.

His grandfather was right of course. But he could honestly say it had been worth it. And it would never stop being that way. He just…couldn't take being so exposed. It disappointed him to think that Tyson's only focus was on the things that made him flawed.

A noise from behind made him tense instinctively.

"…um, Kai?"

He frowned, recognizing the voice. "What do you want, Tyson?"

It took a long time for the dragon master to answer. So long in fact, Kai had dared to hope that he had driven him away. He had come here to think, alone. The last thing he needed was more of Tyson's mockery.

"I thought you'd be here…I know you want to be alone so I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for earlier," Tyson told him finally.

"Whatever." Kai replied, still angry.

"Look, I said I was sorry okay?" the blunette continued in a slightly hurt tone. "But we need you. You've never abandoned us before, why is now any different?"

The Russian swallowed thickly. "I'm not abandoning you," he said forcibly. "But I can't make you focus on one thing when your focus is on something entirely different."

"We will focus."

"No you won't."

At that, Tyson stomped up to his captain and wrenched him around by his shoulder so that they were nose to nose. Before he could open his mouth to retaliate, Kai took a calm step back.

"Weren't you going to leave?"

"No," Tyson snapped. "Not without you."

Kai faltered, and even his younger teammate looked surprised by his own words. A moment of silence passed agonizingly slow between them before Tyson managed to speak again.

"Is that what you want Kai?" he asked sincerely.

"What?" the phoenix inquired, looking towards the trees that seemed to envelope them in a cool shady sanctuary. Tyson stepped up to him, drawing his gaze back with a painful, heartfelt urgency.

"To be left alone?"

Kai found the answer catch in his throat. Yes, he had wanted to be left alone, but now? All he wanted to do was make the hurt in the dragon's eyes disappear. The phoenix opened his mouth, and without waiting for an answer, Tyson closed the distance between them.

Their lips met tenderly in a kiss that left Kai utterly riveted. He tilted his head and responded with a desperate need that left them both breathless when they broke apart.

The blunette opened his eyes to find Tyson looking up at him, his eyes radiating the smile that had stretched across his face. Kai felt his cheeks heat up, but the dragon master leaned in one more time, cupping his painted cheeks gently in his hands. Unable to quell the fluttering in his chest, the Russian teen eagerly returned the kiss, pulling Tyson against his chest. Reluctantly he opened his eyes when the parted again, to meet those shining navy eyes. Sincerely, Tyson whispered a single word that made something inside Kai melt; a wave of hot relief and gratitude wash over him.

"Perfect," he said.