AN: My first fan fic! Please review! More fluff and drama coming on the way n__n Whee! Review review review! Hehe

In Places No One Will Find | Chapter 1

"I don't have time for a wife," Kai remarked coldly as he kept his maroon gaze on his beyblade, sparks flying as it grinded against the metal of the bowl.

"But Kai," said the old man wearily, "All the other Blade Breakers are engaged. You've been together as a team for years now. A wife would be good for the image. And maybe you'd be less bitter," the man added under his breath.

"I heard that," Kai commented, his eyes flickering, "And a wife will not improve the team. Now if that's all you had to speak to me about, Mr. Dickinson, I have training to do."

The old man sighed wearily, and nodded a goodbye as he hobbled away, the sound of his metal cane sharp against the smooth tile on the ground.

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"Oh come on, Kai, wives are cool," Tyson smiled as he wrapped an arm around his fiancée, Harley. The baby fat on Tyson's face had chiselled away into an angular jaw, and his redhead fiancée lookup up at him adoringly as he moved up from his slouched position on the couch.

"He already demoted me from captain," Kai replied callously, "He knows it's one of the few things I desire. I refuse to marry."

"You've always been so stubborn," Mariah laughed lightly as she scooted over Ray, who casually wrapped his arm around her. "I'm sure Harley, Shanoz and I could find you a nice choice," Mariah added, nodding at Max's fiancée Shanoz, a young woman with shiny brown locks.

"It's really alright," Kai replied sarcastically, and getting up, he headed to his room as Max shook his head.

"I think a wife would do him good."

"Even KENNY has a girlfriend," Ray nodded, and Kenny shot him a mock scowl.

"Hey, just because I'm not on the team, does not mean you can treat me like that," Kenny scolded, "I'm just as important--"

"Just kidding," Ray laughed, "Alice is alright, don't worry." His brown eyes danced with amber orange flecks, and Kenny looked at the stairs where Kai had gone up.

"Just who would get through to him?"

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His blue grey hair now wet as he had just emerged from the shower, Kai ruffled his locks with a fluffy towel as he sat down on his bed, the light from the table lamp shining on his basketball shorts. The Blade Breakers had been together for ages, and he had to admit he had a soft spot for them. They had lived together on the estate after the world tournament, sort of like boarding school. That didn't stop the boys from meeting girls however, especially with Tyson and Max's love for going out and partying. He remembered countless times when he and Ray would drag the two drunks up the stairs, and they'd joke dryly about how the boys couldn't hold their liquor.

His gaze fell onto a picture, with Tyson, Harley, Ray, Mariah, Max, Shanoz, Kenny, Alice, and himself. A sad thought struck him; once the boys were married they'd move out of the estate. But still. Wives were just a pain. They'd whine, waste money, want things, and ask you useless questions.

…Yeah.

Kai exhaled sharply, and got up, his hair slowly beginning to rise up in it's unruly fashion as it begun to get dry. The back of his head was wet still, and so were the tips of his hair. Stretching, Kai stumbled downstairs, not noticing the quiet as he made his way into the kitchen.


Waiting for Kai to pass through, the group let go a breath they didn't know they were holding.

"So yeah," Shanoz smiled, smacking her pink strawberry flavoured lips together, "I think my friend Kelly would be perfect." The group nodded in unison, and began small talk as they held a sort of satisfied air.

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Checking his watch, Kai huffed impatiently as he checked his watch. Everyone was half an hour late; had they forgotten? About to stand up, a waiter approached him.

"Uh, sir, a message for you." Handing Kai a small white card, Kai flicked it open impatiently as he read the messy words, easily identified as Tyson's.

"Just wait; we have someone we want you to meet. Who knows what sparks will fly n_n

-Your cool team mates ~_^"

About to scrunch up the card and storm out of the restaurant, ready to pound the daylights out of Tyson, Max, Ray and maybe even Kenny, a slender female with golden brown locks tapped him on the shoulder.

"Uh, are you Kai?" came the cool voice. Turning around, Kai took in a young woman, about his height, with glossy golden hair, bright green eyes, wearing a white sundress. Her whole composure was cool, almost as cool as his, and he was actually impressed. Not bad. Not bad at all. Their gazes met, ice on ice, and something flickered across their eyes.

"Yeah," Kai nodded, a sort of wry grin lightening his features as he was about to sit back down, when he was interrupted.

"OH MY GOD YOU'RE KAI HIWATARI!" the green eyed girl screamed, her whole composure bursting into hysteria. "When Shanoz told me she'd be setting me up with Kai, I never thought KAI HIWATARI from the Blade Breakers!" she squealed, and fishing around her purse she pulled out her wallet and extracted a black and white photo, along with a ballpoint pen. "Could you sign that for me?" she pleaded, Kai staring at the indifferent expression on his face, from some newspaper. "Oh, make it to Kelly, that's my name by the way," Kelly smiled happily, assuming Kai was unsure of what to write, "Just say: To Kelly, With love, Kai Hiwatari. Or just Kai, if you want to make it more personal. Yes, just Kai would be good. Or maybe say Kai and add your signature. You know, I always wished I could meet you; to think I'd be going out with you!"

Kai blinked at Kelly, looked down at the paper, up at her again, and setting down the photo he left the restaurant in two seconds.

A couple of tables over, where the gang was listening intently to Kelly and Kai's conversation, all the girl's gasped in shock, while Tyson, Ray, Max and Kenny were doubled over in laughter.

"Are you okay?" Shanoz asked as she rushed over to her friend, holding an arm over her, and sniffing, Kelly nodded.

"What did I do wrong?"

"Well," Shanoz replied with a nervous smile, "Just, you weren't being yourself; really. You just sort of, got fan syndrome. You see your favourite celebrity or star, and sometimes we all lose control. I'm sure Kai understands," Shanoz comforted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as Kelly sat down, the girl stealing a sip of water shakily.

"He just left!" Ray sputtered, clutching his gut, still laughing as Mariah whacked him on the arm.

"Pigs," the girls chorused, and after getting a 'Hey!' from the boys, they continued laughing. Just the whole transformation of Kai looking genuinely interested, to scared, to plain disgusted was hilarious, not to mention him splitting out of the restaurant, leaving Kelly no time to react.

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As Kai stormed downtown, he still could feel his ears ringing from that high pitched 'Kai Hiwatari'. It was people like her who made him hate his name. Shoving his hands into his jeans, Kai blended in with the urban population, his black t-shirt almost identical to several passing guys. Ruffling a hand quickly through his messy hair, Kai got into his car, and revving the engine he sped off back to the estate.

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"Hey, Kai? You there?" the boys asked cautiously as they knocked softly on the blue haired boy's door. After knocking several times, and receiving no answer, they opened it gently, to be promptly whipped on the head with a rolled up towel.

"You morons!" Kai bellowed as he proceeded to whip them, his hair wet as he had just taken a shower. "Setting me up with that bimbo!"

"She's not really a bimbo," Max gasped in between breaths as he cowered on the floor, laughing hysterically, "Just when she's around you…"

Letting out a cry of frustration, Kai whipped Ray sharply across the head as the final blow, and sat down on a chair.

"You," Kai said, looking straight at Ray, "I'd think at least YOU would stop them."

"Hey," Ray grinned, "You could use at least a girlfriend, man."

"Get out," Kai finally said, exasperated. "No more blind dates."

"Okay! We swear on our beyblades," the boys chorused, and smiling merrily, they filed out of the room one by one.


Kai slunk his head into his hands, staring at the blonde wood floor as he heard the boys descend the stairs out of his area.

The boys all looked at each other, and moving into a cluster they all held out their hands, their fingers crossed.

"Sucker," they laughed, and they went to join their fiancées in the common room to plan the next date for Kai.

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THREE WEEKS AND FIFTEEN BLIND DATES LATER

"Ray, I hate blind dates," Ingrid groaned as she flopped onto her bed with the cordless phone.

"Come on, Kai Hiwatari, girls would KILL to be in your position," Ray pleaded, and Ingrid exhaled sharply.

"And I'm sure Kai would kill THEM! From your non stop babbling it doesn't sound like he appreciates you throwing girls at him left and right."

"Are you saying you're just some girl," Ray smirked, knowing he was hitting a nerve.

"Shut up, woman," Ingrid snapped, "Just…. Shut up!" she finished lamely, growing red in the face, tempted to hang up the phone.

"Just, one date won't hurt," Ray replied.

"Okay. The only reason I know about Kai is because those torturous beyblade lectures you put me through. But other then that, you KNOW I have no interest in blading!"

"But he's not hideous!" Ray replied, his voice getting slightly whiny.

"Okay, okay," Ingrid snapped, "Just don't whine." Smirking, Ray's eyes flickered orange.

"But WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?" he whined, and before Ingrid could get too angry and call it off he added, "Thanks, meet him at the Sakura Restaurant on 5th Avenue at 7, bye, I love you," before hanging up. Ingrid sighed, and looking at her reflection in the mirror, she cocked her head to the side. Her eyes were large and brown, flecked with orange like Ray's, except her nose was straighter. Her face was more oval, and her black hair tumbled in waves (all thanks to braiding her hair the night before). Grabbing a towel, she stumbled into the bathroom, after looking at the clock. It was 6; she'd have just enough time to get ready.

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"Kai," croaked Max as the maroon eyed boy picked up his cell phone, "Oh gods. Shanoz…. Shanoz…. She just…. I think she's cheating on me," he stuttered, his voice cracking slightly as Kai felt a slight pang of sympathy.

Man was he growing soft.

"Where are you?" Kai asked, frowning, and Max sniffed.

"Sakura Restaurant, I think—I think I saw her across the street so I ran here; and I'm going to drown my sorrows away in sake."

"Don't get drunk," Kai replied, slightly impatient, "You can barely take a bottle of beer, how do you think you're going to drown your self in sake without knocking yourself out first?"

"I don't care!" Max declared, and hung up. Looking at his watch, Kai grabbed the phone book from the side table in the common room and thumbed through the business section till he found the restaurant. Patting his pockets to make sure his keys were in there, Kai set out to save Max from alcohol poisoning.

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Walking through the restaurant, seeing no sign of Max, Kai grew slightly worried that Max was barhopping, and about to leave a girl with brown eyes was looking at him oddly. Her eyes were familiar; they were slightly angled and flecked with orange like Ray. The structure of her face was different though, it was much more feminine, and Kai tore his eyes away. He wasn't about to stare at some girl just because—

"Are you Kai?" the girl asked, and Kai winced internally as he turned around slowly.

"Uh," Kai began, wagering whether to tell her or not, when the girl noticed the blue triangles on his face. Not another fan…

"After all these years you still have them," she smiled, nodding at the blue on his face. "I'm Ray's sister," she offered, extending her hand.

"Oh, hi," Kai began, slightly confused, "Have you seen Max? He uh, is Ray's friend, blonde hair—OH GOD. Did Ray—Did he? Did… Did Ray set me up on another blind date?" Kai asked, his tone slightly thunderous. "I'm going to kill Max," he muttered to himself.

"Uh, yeah," she replied, "You don't have to stay; I just figured since I had nothing better to do, and yeah," she finished, toying with her napkin. Her cheeks flushed red, a sheet of hair tumbling over her shoulder, the black locks contrasting with the pale turquoise of her dress. Kai was silent, the clinking of glasses audible as he stared blankly at the girl. "Waiter," the girl smiled, a waiter stopping as he held a tray of tempura, "My date stood me up, is there any fee? Or can I just leave?"

"Oh no, you didn't order anything," the waiter nodded, his hair tinted green, his expression friendly, "I hope you'll find a better guy next time," he added with a smile, and the girl nodded as she grabbed her purse and swept out of the restaurant.

"Uh, wait," Kai called as he jogged after her, "What's your name?"

"Ingrid," she replied, smiling slightly as she opened her car door and stepped in.

"I feel bad, making you just sort of… Yeah," Kai said, keeping his cool, "If you'd like I could buy you dinner?"

Revving the engine as if to leave, Ingrid rolled down the window and exhaled. A part of her told her to call it a night.

But what the hell.

"Actually, I'd like to visit my brother."

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"Ray!" Ingrid grinned broadly as she jumped on her brother, his face lighting up as he swung her slightly.

"Hey kid, long time no see," he smiled, and Ingrid looked over his shoulder to see the full interior of the estate.

"HOLY--"

"Watch your language," Ray instinctively chided, and Ingrid shot him a dirty look.

"You're living in this palace while I live in the ghetto in some tiny apartment? Ray! What about family!" Ingrid teased, punching Ray in the shoulder as she walked past him.

"You know, you can always live here," Ray suggested, "We have rooms to spare." Ingrid turned on her heel, an odd expression on her face. It then calmed.

"Nah, this is a blader's place," she said, despite the shining in her eyes as she surveyed her surroundings.

"Too scared to live with boys?" Ray teased, when suddenly there was a chorus of female voices.

"Ahem."

Sweat drops appeared over the boys' heads, except for Kai, who sat in the corner, his gaze indifferent.

"Live with boys… And girls…" Ray added lamely.

"Ingrid!" Mariah smiled as she opened her arms for a hug.

"Hey," Ingrid grinned, "I'm still a bridesmaid for that wedding of yours, right?"

"Of course," Mariah smiled, "Right Ray?"

"Uh, yeah," Ray nodded vigorously, the boys trying to escape quietly from their fiancées.

"Why don't you live here?" Mariah suggested, "It was a good suggestion," she added, nodding at Ray, "You could help me with wedding stuff," Mariah smiled, "Besides, free food."

"I don't know," Ingrid trailed off, "I'm not very good at that kind of thing," and Ray poked her in the ribs.

"Aw, who could resist time with Ray," he teased, and Ingrid whacked him on the head.
"You know that you just miss my company," Ingrid grinned, "Well… If no one minds… I guess it's settled."

"Yay!" the main group cheered, and Kai released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"Kai?" Tyson asked as he turned to look at the lone boy.

"Whatever," he said frigidly, and walking up to his room, the happy group faded slightly.

"Don't worry, he's just like that," Harley assured Ingrid, and Ingrid shrugged.

"Whatever floats his boat," she replied, keeping her cool, "I guess I'll bring my stuff tomorrow, okay?"

"Sounds great."