Hey! Thanks for the reviews, those who read this on Ravenara's account. The story has been deleted from her account and uploaded onto mine, so in the future check back here. Adieu!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade in any way, albeit it would be nice if I did.

Dirty Little Secret

Orphans and Silent Rebellion

Kai really had tried his best to listen to his parents, but sometimes they could be monotonous. Leaning forward over the kitchen table which his chin resting in the palm of his hand, the general expression of intense parent-induced boredom was clearly present on his features. It was mostly his mother talking while his father interjected a few words here and there. They were about ten minutes into their 'talk' and they still hadn't gotten to the point.

"… And you're getting older, you just turned sixteen a few weeks ago and maybe it's too late but we want to introduce you to something aside from single-child living--"

Honestly, Kai was pretty sure his mother would take home the trophy for world's longest run-on sentence and the multiple uses of 'and'. "Mum. You're losing me, just get to the point."

His mother appeared momentarily surprised by her usually quiet son's interjection. With a glance to her husband, who shrugged she continued. "Well, we'd like to take in an orphan boy. I mean, not go through the adoption and stuff but you know, take care of him…"

Kai tuned her out again as soon as the words 'orphan boy' were processed. When he thought of such the images of young children from third-world countries popped into his head. Count on television to educate you… and limit said education. Furthermore Kai disliked children, and the idea of his parents ogling over another child didn't sit well with him, not that he particularly enjoyed his parents fussing over him either. "Whatever. Have fun." Without another word he excused himself from the table by simply leaving and retreating into his room to commence his self-prescribed literature therapy.

In all honesty Kai found his parent's inability to keep up with him and govern him rather disappointing. True, he didn't cause that much trouble aside from the scuffle at school here or there, but who didn't? It wasn't like he was an academic failure, he did his studies diligently. Perhaps that was why his parents lack of basic ground rules such as curfew, homework straight after school, no drinking or smoking… Kai obeyed those unspoken, unwritten rules on his own without need for his parents to remind him. Kai went out, sure, but he didn't socialize for long and he was almost always back home by ten – post-meridian – at the latest. If not, it was most likely that Bryan or Tala had talked him into sleeping over for whatever reason.

In any case, Kai was not a loud rebel child. Sure, he bore the strong, silent type attitude with the occasional sarcastic or abrasive remark but that was just him. And of course, those who did not know him simply judged him by his way of dress and outer personality but that was sort of what he wanted. Kai avoided fights where he could but he was bound to make enemies – said enemies were quickly dealt with. If he appeared badass then there was less of a threat of people walking all over him.

"Do I have anything that I haven't read more than twice this past month?" Kai muttered to himself while he visually skimmed over the titles of the various paperbacks and hard-covers adorning the shelves of his wall. Eventually his fingertips joined in on the hunt, brushing over the spines of the books until they rested on one that he'd purchased recently yet hadn't the chance to read. It was old, the spine frayed and the corners of the cover were bent, cardboard of the middle exposed. The title was in English, titled The Line of Beauty albeit a summary was nowhere to be found. Oh well, it was one of the few books he had that he hadn't read before.

Removing the book from the shelving unit, Kai watched as Stephen King's Desperation slumped into the now vacant space. Perhaps depressed that its buddy was gone? The boy snorted with mild amusement at the thought and flopped onto his bed, delving into the newest victim of his peruse.

Kai had a habit of losing all track of time when he commenced his 'therapy' and thus he was surprised that when his mother rapped at his door, entreating entrance and announcing the soon-to-be arrival of dinner. Dinner was normally held around five, give or take a half-hour or so and to confirm this he looked to his clock.

5:09 PM

Oh. The male slipped the leather bookmark between the pages of his book, saving where he had left off. Leaving the book on his bed, Kai followed his mother suit to the kitchen where the lack of activity denoted take-out. Hn. Taking his business into the living room his father was found watching Daily Planet on the Discovery Channel, thanks to satellite television. The man was intellectual, kind and attractive – so Kai had heard. It was claimed that his smarts came from the elder Hiwatari and his good-looks from both his parents. Who knew Russian and Japanese genes worked well together?

Kai slumped onto the loveseat and appeared to be watching the English-speaking male on the television babbling about passenger jumbo-jets being streamlined like birds and act as such. Nonsense, which was precisely why he turned his thoughts onto The Line of Beauty. The book was well-written, captivating and it depicted a controversial topic. Homosexuality. Kai didn't know why but the topic had always interested him, how it was regarded in ancient times as compared to now. In ancient times such acts were common and not minded. They were as normal as a man and a woman together. Unfortunately, when Christianity took hold that was all flushed down the toilet. Oh well, great nations were built on religion.

Kai found it almost depressing.

"Kai, Susumu, the pizza is here!" His mother announced, appearing in the doorway with an appropriately shaped box in her hands. She promptly retreated into the kitchen and both male followed, stomachs overruling the want to continue lounging. At first dinner was silent, favouring Kai and his need to devour several slices at breakneck speed. He wasn't a glutton, but he was damn hungry and when a teenage boy was hungry he was bound to eat almost endlessly. It was common rule. However the silent bliss didn't last forever.

"Oh, Kai… are you doing anything tomorrow?" Doing anything? Of course he wasn't, not unless Tala or Bryan called him up.

"Does sitting upstairs reading or sitting on the computer count?" A rhetorical question.

His mother sighed almost exasperatedly, seemingly tired with her son's sarcasm. "Well, remember our talk earlier today? I sort of already booked a meeting…" She trailed off, intent on catching a reaction.

Kai quirked an eyebrow, pausing just before taking a bite of yet another slice of pizza. "Go on."

"Well the meeting is tomorrow, around noon. You don't have to come but it'd be really nice if you did. He's a nice boy, really. Nekojin from China."

Whoa whoa whoa! Nekojin? Now Kai was interested, but of course he didn't show it. He couldn't allow his parents to think that he actually wanted a little brat running around terrorizing him. "Oh? I'll come, I've got nothing better to do." Oh, he had plenty he could do but curiosity was a priority. "How long is it gonna be?"

Taking a pause, his mother's eyes upturned in thought momentarily, "Uhm, I think only about an hour or so. It's only preliminary and it isn't official or anything." She beamed at him, clearly excited that her anti-social son had agreed to go somewhere with her.

His father raised both his brows before turning a mildly disbelieving look to Kai, "When she says an hour, you better make it two."

"Susumu!"

"What? It's true!"

"Oh, and you don't take twice as long when you go grocery shopping."

"Well what do you expect? They don't have signs over the aisles! Plus, with all those new young boys working there you take twice as long anyhow!" It was playful fighting, but not something enjoyable to anyone below the age of twenty-five.

Kai whistled and plucked his plate from the table, two extra slices stacked. "Whoo… don't need to hear that mom is looking at other guys..." He moved to retreat back to his room and his book and was interrupted.

"Kai! You've eaten so much already!" Count on mother to complain that he wasn't eating enough and then go back and complain he was eating too much.

"Your point? I'm hungry." Just to make sure he wasn't gaining a gut without him knowing it, Kai lifted up his shirt with one hand to inspect his belly. Flat and gifted with the faint outline of abs.

Susumu snorted, "Ana, relax. He's growing, he's going to eat a lot." And thus the two began bickering again, allowing Kai his time to escape with his goods.

Several chapters later and Kai found himself without a book to read once more. Considering the fact that his eyes hurt somewhat and lacked appropriate moisture from blinking he supposed he was done reading for the night. A glance to the clock was taken.

9:15 PM

O-kay. Now what was he going to do? The slate-haired boy turned his attention to his computer which hummed quietly. Nothing about it appealed to him at the moment, as with the radio and his assortment of compact discs. Hm. The idea of watching television didn't appeal to Kai either. Really, the only option was to simply go to bed albeit it was rather early.

Fuck that.

Opting to be productive in some way Kai pulled his shirt up and over his head, leaving it on the bed before he moved to the middle of his bedroom. On his hands and the tips of his toes he assumed the appropriate position for push-ups and aimed forty of those. Push-ups were relatively easy if less than fifty were done at a time but that didn't mean he wouldn't work up a sweat. By the time he finished he was panting and sweat already glistened on his skin.

Next on the agenda were sit-ups. Twenty-five or so of those and Kai was ready for a cold shower and then bed. Strangely, the prospect of meeting this boy had him in a state of impatience, possibly due to the fact that this was his first meeting with what the world called a Nekojin. Unlike common myths and the like, these people didn't look like cats what with the whiskers, ears and fur but rather simple qualities. Not much was known about them, but in some senses they were superhuman. Kai was surprised a war or something of the like hadn't broke out against the Nekojin as society had a habit of hating what it didn't understand, feared or envied.

Curious thoughts drifted into pleasant nothingness as Kai drifted off, showered and satisfied with his workout.