Author's Note:

Before you decide to read ahead at the stories I have posted, a warning: I am a very self-indulgent, self-insert author. In fact, 99.9% of my fics include my self-insert and I'm proud of it. So, if you feel like you can endure it, please proceed!

But please remember: this and every other story that I have written was produced out of pure boredom/fun/crack or just because I felt like it. Therefore, it is NOT perfect. I am not a professional. I cannot guarantee that the grammar is spot on or that you'll enjoy it. But if you decide to stick around for the ride? I appreciate it. But I am, (repeat I am) an amateur writer.

I do hope however; I can entertain you for a couple of hours and maybe get a laugh or two outta ya? I really appreciate all the support you all have given me over the years and I'll continue to try and update when I can.

So, thanks! Thanks a bundle!

AND

I do not own any part of Beyblade. Just the character, Cat.

Much Love.

"I fell in love with you as I saw you overcome the wind and rain. From morning till night, I am infatuated by you."- Wakuteka Take a Chance (translated), Morning Musume.

Soft Wind

The ripcord from her launcher never felt heavier. The high pitched zip of the blade leaving its base was loud enough to make her flinch at this point. Ugh, she was tired! When was she gonna get a break?! A girl's gotta eat after all! In what seemed like drawn out minutes, her white blade hit the dirt and began to spin back and forth, wildly unbalanced. Gah, again with the weak launch? What the heck was going on with her?! She was always pretty decent with her launches; why today of all days did her groove have to be this off?

Then again two factors were different today than any other day. Number one, her practices never lasted over two hours and number two, he was watching her. Damn, why did he have to have this kind of effect on her? He was just one guy; it wasn't like she was dealing with a God or anything! Sure, he excelled at most everything he did and looked mighty fine when doing it but that didn't make him perfect!

…or did it?

The sound of her blade slowing down forced her to snap back to reality. She took a quick scan of the floor before she found her very wobbly top moving toward the target soda cans. Sure, this was practice and she was given the 'a-okay' to have a few screw ups but this was downright embarrassing! How could she mess up this badly in front of Kyoya? One of thee best Beybladers in the whole entire universe! When she finally got the balls enough to ask him to watch her train, she didn't think that he'd agree! Hell, how was she supposed to prepare when he was staring at her like that?

With those beautiful eyes…

He had never been a 'people person' or 'sociable' but when he huffed at her and grunted 'fine' after her request it made her heart race faster than she thought possible. After that, surprising the hell out of her, how could she say 'never mind'? The only thing she could blurt out was the day, time and location of their meet. After that, he turned his back to her, shrugged his shoulders and left her alone. A man of very few words, but that's what made him attractive!

So here she was, trying her best to knock over a row of empty pop cans in a vacant parking lot. Not the most romantic scene but she was here with him and that's what mattered! Ah well, she wasn't going to impress him anyway; nothing ever impressed him. Might as well take his advice, if he dared to offer it, and keep her mouth shut.

But two hours had passed by without a word from either of them so what did that mean? He hadn't even coughed or yawned, was he that interested? Or maybe he was thinking of something else, pretending to be with someone else. Gah!

This is exactly why you can't launch right, you think too much!

"You're hands are too shaky."

The sound of his deep, smooth voice forced her to flinch hard. As she directed her attention away from her blade and looked toward him, her white stamina type bey. The moment their eyes locked, she heard her Beyblade spin out of control until it forced its way head on into a trunk of a nearby tree. The loud crack and crash of metal against wood forced the young female to jerk her eyes off the handsome male.

"Ugh!" Cat threw her hands into the air and dug her fingertips into her thick hair. "What is wrong with me today?!"

"Your launch is too weak." Again the sound of his voice vibrated through her ears.

"Hm," She grumbled to herself as she walked toward her fallen blade and plucked it up from the dirt. "I'm better at this, I swear I am." She said, presenting her best goofy grin to the stubborn boy.

His eyes rolled.

"Fine, don't believe me." Her bottom lip poked out. "I'm just tired and I haven't eaten anything. I'm starting to get the shakes."

His brow lifted.

After stuffing her Beyblade into her pocket, Cat lifted her hands to chest-level and proceeded to crack her fingers. Allowing her eyes to leave Kyoya, she glanced down to his side to see the small picnic basket she had packed. She knew she'd be hungry by the time her training session ended but this was ridiculous! She was nearly starved! Packing a lunch, even if she assumed he'd leave way before he had a chance to eat, was always a good idea. Now it was just a matter of getting him to eat with her. He'd never complained about her cooking before, maybe he wanted some lunch? Who could resist a free meal?

Not me!

"Hungry?" She asked, stepping toward him with the same stupid grin.

Silence.

"Well, I'm going to eat," She said, finally close enough to the basket to bend down on her right knee. "You're more than welcome to join me. I brought enough for us both, plus dessert! How could you say no to that?!" The baker laughed, mostly to herself, as she flipped open the woven container and reached down deep to find the goods she'd brought along.

With her fingers, she felt the warmth of her Tupperware bowls. She pulled out the set of two dishes, lifting them into the midday light. Ah, chicken and rice never looked better! It was still warm too, the steam on the sides of the plastic could testify to that! Good thing, she would never want to feed a hungry lion cold food. After a moment of inspecting her lunch, she placed the two stacked bowls on the gravel and returned her attention to the basket. There were some sodas in there if she wasn't mistaken!

"I have no idea what you prefer to drink so I just brought regular Pepsi," She said aloud, whether he was listening or not.

Hearing no verbal reply, she continued to look inside her tote until her fingers brushed against a cool metallic surface. Ah! She clenched her fingers around the can and pulled it out, regular Pepsi as promised! She turned away from her picnic basket and looked to her grumpy lunch companion.

"Here you go." Cat smiled, extending her arm in his direction.

He waited a moment before reacting. First his dark eyes moved to the can in her hands then darted back to her, almost like he was offended by her offering. Did he not like Pepsi or something? Shit, if she knew what his favorite drink was, she would have brought it! Ugh, maybe she should have run it by Benkei first via Facebook. Then again, the bull might have gotten the wrong idea. Gah!

How could you be such a doofus?!

The sensation of pressure against the can forced her out of mental rant. Focusing on the matter at hand once again, she looked forward to see Kyoya's hand pressed against the opposite side of the can. He was taking it? Did that mean he was going to eat with her; then again he could just be humoring her by just drinking the soda…

You're over analyzing everything! He's a guy; he's not thinking as deeply about this as you are!

After the can was secure in his hands, she pulled away from him and returned her attention to the basket. Better to look busy then to get caught gawking at him for minutes…or hours on end. She shuffled her hand deep down inside the carrier until her fingers touched two small pieces of plastic.

"I brought some soy sauce," She hummed to herself, even if she was still feeling nervous on the inside. "Ketchup too, I wasn't sure which you like better. I know Ginga likes his ketchup."

"Don't lump me together with him."

Oh great, now she's officially offended him. "Sorry, like I said I wasn't sure."

He huffed.

Couldn't he at least be grateful that she made him lunch at all? Shit, it wasn't like she went out and bought fast food, she went out of her way to use her mother's world famous chicken marinade, grill it and make the rice! It wasn't exactly easy to do, on such short notice, or cheap. Ugh, but she was dealing with Kyoya here, when did he ever apply his table manners?

"Anyway," She cleared her throat, with sauce packets in hand and pulled her hands out of the basket. "I don't know about you but I think I could eat a horse right now! I'm not waiting!"

After turning about, a solid slab of concrete, meant for a parking spot, caught her eye. Ah, the perfect seat! She moved to her makeshift chair and sat down. From there, she reached out to her Tupperware bowls and removed the first stacked dish from the second and placed her food at her feet. Dare she nudge the second bowl toward him? Eh, nah. If he was hungry, he'd get it himself, right? No need to be pushy, hell knows she'd get irritated if someone tried to cram food down her throat.

With the two sets of soy sauce still in hand, she picked out her packet and placed it beside her. She proceeded to reach over with the last sauce package in hand and place it on the lid of his food. If he wanted it, he could have it, if not more food for her at dinner time.

After returning her eyes to her own meal, her fingers found their way to the warm lid of her bowl. Her mouth watered as the thought of chicken and rice soaked with salty soy sauce entered her mind, this was gonna be good. Nearly ready to bite her bottom lip off with excitement, she pealed back the plastic lid, allowing the savory smell of grilled chicken to enter the air. This was heaven, good food and the company of a good looking lunch mate? Not a bad deal all in all. Dare she even wait for the soy sauce?

Before she could dig into her food, she glanced left, then right. How could she forget to pull out her fork and napkin? Ugh, another doofus move. Her brain had to be starved to forget something like that! She must look like a huge pig, ready to chow down on her lunch without a fork or napkin.

"Sorry," She turned to her companion once again with a stupid, nervous smile. "Let me get the forks."

He remained still, eyes never leaving her.

The lone female stretched her torso to the left until her outstretched arms were once again inside the woven carrier. Her fingers danced around inside the cloth-lined basket until she felt the plastic utensils. She clenched her digits around the forks and pulled her arm out into the daylight.

"One for you," She said placing one white fork on the unopened bowl. "And one for me." Cat returned to her original position, ready to retrieve the napkins from the basket.

She repeated the same movements used to get the forks and pulled out a small stack of paper towels. Dividing them in half, she kept one set at her side and placed the second pile on his bowl. Now equipped with her fork, sauce packets and napkin she gazed down at her meal with a lifted brow. Something was missing. Hm…

Your soda, duh.

How could she forget about her ice cold diet Mountain Dew? For the fifth and hopefully last time during lunch, she reached into her basket and pulled out her chilled soda. At least there was that to look forward to after such a hard training session. With Kyoya being strong and silent, there wasn't much else to enjoy. Looking at the green-haired piece of eyecandy was nice but she could only stare for so long before she got caught. Then things would be really weird.

She placed the chilled can beside her right foot and turned her eyes to her meal. Not wanting to waste another second, she grabbed her soy sauce packet and pulled it open. In one swift motion, she lifted her bowl from the gravel and sprinkled the salty condiment over her rice. Once the packet was empty, she pushed her plastic fork into her food and proceeded to mix the rice, chicken and soy sauce together in what would be a wonderful mixture! Ah, it was about time she had some warm food in her tummy. Who knows how much energy she burned up training like she had!

What would they do after lunch was over? No doubt he would leave, as he usually did whenever the 'real' action was over. Then again, this was just a training meet, he didn't have to show up to begin with…so why did he? It wasn't like him at all to just show up to an event as boring as this! Hell, how many times had she stopped by when Ginga asked her to, and watch him only to become bored about thirty minutes into it? At least with Ginga they could throw stupid inside jokes back and forth!

Sure, Kyoya was gorgeous, smart and strong but was he the one for her? He didn't really pay her any mind, never singling her out to make her feel special so did that mean she should treat him the same way? Then again, he was here wasn't he? If he hated her or disliked her company, he wouldn't be sitting beside her so what did that mean? Ugh, he was more confusing than a woman!

Cat hummed to herself as she pulled her plastic utensil out the sauce-soaked rice and placed it in her mouth. The moment her food hit her tongue, all of the sense in her mouth came alive. Her jaw clenched for a second while she mentally took note of the series of flavors in her meal. At least her lunch tasted good, that much was going right for her. Then again it was her cooking, how could be anything but delicious?! She was a pro!

If he decided to eat, would he feel the same way? Would he enjoy her cooking as much as her sister? Sure, the thought of him always gave her butterflies but any good looking person could do that. The thought of the mighty lion giving her a compliment on her food was something straight out of her dreams. But did that mean her heart really belonged to him? Did she…love him?

As a person? Yeah, sure. As a friend? Most defiantly. But did she love him, more than any other person? Did she care for him the way Jam cared for Benkei? She wasn't sure. How could she be sure?

The sound of a near silent hiss and crack made her flinch. With her mouth full of half chewed chicken and rice, she glanced right to see Kyoya with his Pepsi pressed against his lips. She watched as he took a long drag, his eyes closed at head tilted backward. Her eyes fell away from his face and traveled down until she saw the Tupperware bowl at his feet. The container's lid had been taken off and a single white plastic fork sat on the lip of the bowl. Bunched up, used and empty, the soy sauce packet sat beside his food. Was he really eating her food?

Had she dazed off for so long that he had taken the time to prepare his meal? Wow, she really must be out of it! Was it the intense training that had her with her head in the clouds or was it something else? Sure, she had been thinking about some pretty heavy stuff but that didn't mean it give her ears an excuse to clock out! Geez, he could packed up his things and left and she wouldn't have noticed! Well, he was eating in any event. Did that mean he wanted her food or was he just really hungry? Ugh, it was too hard to tell.

Ah well. She tore her large, brown eyes away from the feasting feline and returned her attention to her own lunch. Even with all the stupid thoughts running through her thick noggin, she still had to eat! And eating like a lady took a lot of thought and manners, sure she was feeling the urge to pile it in like her fork was some kind of shovel but she was in the presence of a young prince! That would be just rude.

She took her time with her tiny lady bites. One, then two, three, four and five forkfuls later she felt her stomach filling up on chicken and rice. Not bad, she would have to make a second batch when she had a chance, Jam would love this. Marinating the chicken overnight sure did make a difference. Not squishing the chicken between the griddle plates on her George Forman grill helped too, it was just tender enough for her plastic fork to cut.

Cat gazed down at her half empty container, ready to place her utensil into the rice for the sixth time with a burning pain to her right shoulder made her stiffen. What the heck was that about? Sure, her arm was sore from all the launching she had done during training but it shouldn't hurt to just lift food into her mouth! Ugh, that's what she gets for not training for an extended period!

What to do now? If she finished off her meal before she got home, she'd have to wait until she was hungry again to eat and take a dose of motrin. Better stop now and finish the rest when she was home, that way she could take her meds. Hm, and it was so good too! She sighed to herself, dropping her fork into the bowl and moving the Tupperware container to the ground.

You haven't even opened your soda. Some lunch this turned out to be!

"I thought you were hungry."

Her brows arched at the sound of his voice. "Oh," She gave a nervous giggle, refusing to turn his way. "Just taking a break."

"Hm."

Was he still eating? Only one way to find out. Allowing her eyes to flutter in his direction she watched as he slowly brought his rice-covered fork to his perfect mouth. No longer even glancing toward her, he continued to eat. He didn't seem pleased in any special way but he didn't seem disgusted either. What did that mean? Did he like it? He had to; guys like him didn't do things they didn't like! Besides, he wasn't nice or considerate enough to eat food he didn't enjoy just to make someone else feel good. Even if he thought it was mediocre, that was okay. It was a compliment that he was eating at all.

The stinging, burning pain in her shoulder made her flinch for a second time, this time hard enough to make grimace. Shit, that was really starting to ache! Not to mention it was spreading like wild fire down to her wrist. Maybe she sprained it? After all, all her sprains only started to hurt minutes or even hours after the impact of injury. Great, now it was gonna start swelling!

"You should train more often."

His low voice vibrated in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. She glanced up from the floor and looked toward him to see the mighty lion wiping his mouth with one of the napkins she'd left for him. His eyes were away from her as he tore the paper cloth away from his lips and went for a drink of cola.

"Why would you just assume that I haven't been practicing?" She pouted, even if he was right.

He hummed, pulling the can away from his mouth and giving the now empty can a good shake. After hearing no excess liquid in the container, he placed the pop can on the floor. His body seemed relaxed, his left leg stretched outward across the gravel while his right knee was bent upward to support his right elbow. But he still refused to look her way…why? Had she said or done something to upset him? Ah hell, it was just too hard to tell with him!

"Your launch is weak and you don't have any drive. You aren't as good as you were before." He spoke without any kind of hesitation but continued to keep his dark eyes away from her.

Her lip pouted even further. Damn, why did he have to be so brutally honest all the time? She was a girl; didn't he know that she had feelings?! Sure, when he was around Ginga that sort of thing wouldn't hurt anyone but this was different. She wasn't up to date with her training, big deal? She wasn't trying to be a Beyblade master, or 'number one' as Masamune would put it. She bladed for fun and to occasionally assert her dominance but there was no way she would ever be on his level. They both knew that. So why did he have to be so harsh?

He was a jerk, everyone knew that but it still didn't give him the right to hurt her feelings! But what else could she really expect? He was an alpha male. Maybe this was his 'tough love' way of getting her motivated. Whatever it was, it was anything but inspiring. He was one tough cookie that was for sure. Did it add to his good lucks? No doubt but a little charm wouldn't hurt either; if he went out of his way to actually show her some affection then maybe she could get this gravy train of love a'rollin'.

Ah well. She wasn't looking to settle down just yet anyway, was she? She was young! Besides, what was the point in pouring her heart and emotions into a guy who paid her little attention? Gah! Why did these things have to be so confusing?! Jam had found Benkei and was head over heels for him, why could she find someone to devote her feelings toward? Jam and Benkei were made for each other and it was amazing to watch them develop. When would her turn come around?

"Thanks for the critique by the way," She huffed after the extended moment of silence. "I know I'm not perfect too so thanks for being rude."

Ouch, where did that come from all of a sudden? Ugh damn her and her pride! Her mouth always got the best of her even when she wasn't thinking about it.

His brows furrowed the moment she shut her mouth and for the first time since they settled down for lunch, he looked at her, glared at her. "You asked me to be here, what else did I come for?"

Shit. She hadn't thought about that one. Why did she ask him to come? Looking at it through his p.o.v she could understand why he would critique her, what else was he supposed to assume? She had asked him to watch her train, wasn't it his job as a superior blader to give her tips and pointers?

But you still don't have to be a jerk about it.

"I…" She turned away from him, her face heating up. "I wanted to hang out with you."

Silence.

Was that the real reason? Had she internally known all along why she wanted him by her side? Even after knowing each other for so long, they hardly ever had time to spend alone together. They weren't an item and probably never would become one, but she still wanted one on one time. Was that so much to ask for?

"If you don't practice your arm is going to hurt. If you don't want to blade anymore, then don't." He grumbled. "Just quit."

If her arm hurt? Did that mean he knew her right limb was aching and burning like someone had set it on fire? How the hell would he know that, he couldn't have just assumed, right? He was smart but he was no mind reader! Besides, even if her arm did hurt, that didn't give him any right to tell her what to do. She was old enough to make her own decisions. She didn't need his approval, no matter how handsome he was.

"Harsh." She allowed her large eyes to find him once again, only to see him looking away from her…again.

He remained silent.

"You know you don't have to do everything I ask you." She chewed on her inner cheek as she spoke. "If you're gonna be moody and snap at me, then don't come."

His eyes landed on her. "I don't do things I don't want to."

Then why did he…?

"And you don't have any authority over me to tell me what I can and can't do." He narrowed his stare.

"Fine, whatever." Her eyes rolled as she turned away from him.

Some prince. This proved it; he was not the one for her. Why put up with this kind of attitude all the time, for some pretty face? No thank you. If any guy/girl was gonna put up this kind of fight with her, over nothing, then she'd rather be alone! Maybe dating right now was a bad idea all together. Neither of them needed this…or each other.

The sound of shifting metal and boots caught her off guard. Her head jerked to the right, beyond the pain in her shoulder, and she watched as Kyoya picked himself off the floor. What was he doing now? Without a word or even glance in her direction, he stood up right and took a step or two forward. Then stopped.

He spun around after his pause and proceeded to bend down. His outstretched hands grabbed a hold of his Tupperware bowl and excess garbage. He tucked the items until his left arm before looking to the empty soda can. He straightened out his back for just a moment before allowing his right foot to come down on the can hard enough to smash it. Once crushed down into a small metallic circle, he reached back down and plucked it from the gravel.

He didn't speak as he moved toward her with his hands full of trash. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, even if she was mad, even if she wanted to cry; he was just too fascinating to watch. When he came close enough to both her and the picnic basket, he dropped to one knee and dropped the stuff in his arms. Hands free, he pulled the basket toward his feet and began to place his empty bowl in the container. Afterward, he turned to her half eaten lunch and packed it away as well. What the heck? Why was he doing that, like he wanted to make her feel better or something!

After the Tupperware and cans were placed into the basket, he picked up the trash from the floor, his and hers, and stood back upright. He stepped away from her to the nearest bin and disposed of the unnecessary plastic. He wasted no time in coming back to their lunch spot. Standing in front of her once again, he bent down and grasped at the woven handles of the picnic basket. He lifted it with little effort and turned his back to her.

"Come on."

What did that mean? What was with the sudden sense of politeness and sweetness? He cleaned up for someone other than himself and was willing to help carry her things home? No way! In what world does this happen?! Something had to have changed in his mind. Maybe he didn't want her to be mad, maybe he was secretly sorry for what he had said, it was a mystery no doubt!

Either way there was more emotion shown in those two minutes of packing than she'd seen in knowing him. He did have a heart after all. He was grumpy by nature and she could accept that but seeing his soft side was nothing short of amazing. Did he show this side to everyone he felt close to, when he was alone with them? If so, that meant that he considered her to be a friend, right? No doubt he'd shown Benkei some kind of kindness in their past, why else would the bull follow him around the way he did?

He was by no means her prince. He wasn't the ideal partner for her. He was a complete jerk who ignored her and at times refused to look her in the eyes. There were times when he was so brutal that it hindered on being down right evil. He completely pushed everyone in his life away from him and preferred to be alone most of the time. So with all those things listed off in her mind, why did she feel the need to help him?

Was it moments like this, moments where he showed his true colors that meant more than any kind of harsh critique he could give her? He could be an asshole all he wanted in public but as long as he showed her some kindness when they were alone, that would be all she needed.

He might not be the one for her just yet but he was getting there. Slowly.

End.

"Your objection towards me attracted me. I love you more than my ex-boyfriend."- Wakuteka Take a Chance (translated), Morning Musume.