Disclaimer: I own none of the Beyblade characters


Chapter One – And So We Meet


Current International Under 25s kendo champion Ray Kon sat in the middle of his hotel room floor meditating. His long, raven black hair was wrapped tightly and his black bangs were held back by a red yin and yang headband. He wore a plain, white tunic and pants. His sword, Drigger, lay across his lap.

Today had been the first day of the world championship and what a day it had been! As expected he had won his way through to the next round, easily defeating his opponents. But what excited him the most was the new challengers he would face.

One in particular had caught his attention. He had moved with a skill and grace unrivalled by any. This fighter, number 36 from Japan, was smaller in stature than most and was also quite solid and wiry. Despite his size, his reflexes were lightning fast and this had helped him dispatch his adversary quite easily. When the mask had been removed, midnight blue locks had tumbled around his handsome face. A good sport, he had shaken his rivals hand with a charming smile. Sparkling brown eyes had locked with his, briefly causing a fluttering sensation to occur.

Ray quelled the excitement that rapidly welled up. Instead he focused on the other main competitor he would have to watch, his friend and rival, Kai Hiwatari. He had narrowly defeated Kai and Dranzer last year to take out the title.

A key rattled in the lock, interrupting his thoughts. He opened a golden eye as the door swung open to reveal the very object of his thoughts. Kai stood in the doorway while Dranzer was slung over his back.

"Meditating again?" his silky voice asked in bored tones. Crimson eyes rolled for dramatic effect.

"Grumpy again?" Ray replied, mouth twitching in the effort not to smile. He closed his eyes and ignored the snide remarks about his ancestors as he returned back to his meditation.

Kai was the same height, weight and build. He had short, grey and blue locks, and crimson eyes which were offset by pale skin. He was immensely strong and often won his bouts through pure strength. When this unusually didnt work, his agility was key in his victory.

Both would be very hard to beat. The grudge match between himself and Kai would definitely by an interesting one to see who would come out on top.

"So did you see Max?" Ray asked slyly as he opened an eye to monitor his friend's reaction.

The mention of the mischievous blonde haired fighter immediately caught the man's attention.

"No." Kai said sharply, eyes boring into him.

"Ahhh-well. He said to say hi. He might drop by later. I gave him our room number." Ray said calmly, closing his other eye. He smirked inwardly.

"What?" Kai asked in horrified tones. He placed Dranzer carefully on his night table.

"I invited Max up to our room for a catch up." Ray replied calmly. He opened both eyes when Kai passed him rapidly and slammed the bathroom door shut behind him. A huge smirk crossed his face. Revenge was going to be sweet.


ts


Tyson Granger wandered into the room he shared with his best friend and teammate, Max Tate. The towel he wore loosely wrapped aound his hips threatened to slip down the deeply tanned skin. His dark blue locks were still slightly damp from the shower and looked almost black.

"Hey Ty. I'm heading out to see a couple of old friends. Want to come with?" Max's voice was muffled. The blonde popped up from beside his bed. Bright blue eyes gazed at him mischievously. His blonde hair was messy and stood out at all angles. Max was taller than Tyson (like all of his teammates) and had a lithe build. His creamy skin was the envy of any girl and the blonde was considered quite the looker. Tyson sighed inwardly to himself. If only he was so lucky.

"Who?" Tyson asked, roughly grabbing out his favourite clothes, a pair of dark blue jeans and a light blue tee.

"Oh. Kai and Ray." Max replied as he shrugged into a bright green tee.

"Who's Ray?" Tyson asked turning his attention momentarily from dressing to his friend.

"He's one of the Chinese fighters. He was the one in white." Max replied as he sat down on the bed and watched his best friend lazily.

"Max. They were all wearing white." Tyson pointed out as he pulled his tee over his head before turning to the slight blonde.

Max laughed sheepishly. "The one with the long hair with the white wrap."

"Is he friendlier than your mate Kai?" Tyson demanded.

"Kai's just the way he is Ty." Max said with a shrug. "Ray's pretty cool. Very laid back."

Tyson snorted. "I've known man-eating sharks to be friendlier than Kai." he said drily. Reaching for his brush he ran it through his unruly mane.

Max laughed. "You have'nt known him as long as I have dude. He's pretty cool once you get to know him. Enough about Kai. You coming or not?"

"Just give me a sec" Tyson said with a sigh as he tied his hair back.


ts


Kai paced the room. Ray just watched with amusement.

"You're going to wear a hole into the carpet." Ray noted quietly. Kai just scowled at him.

"If looks could kill." Ray just sighed. A knock at the door made them stop. Kai just gave the door a wide eyed look. Rolling his eyes, Ray moved gracefully from the bed and towards the door.

Kai made a dive for the bathroom to check that he was looking alright. This only caused Ray's smile to grow bigger. He opened the door and as he found himself looking at competitor number 36, his heart began to race.


Hope you like.

Love Storm. :)