Hey! Nice to see ya again, peoples! Sorry, I'm kinda hyper.

Steph - Me too!

Both - WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kai - sweat drops Before they go crazy, Disclaimer: She doesn't own Beyblade.

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Thanksgiving for All

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Ray sighed and looked at the cookbook again.

He had been trying to cook the stupid turkey that they had gotten yesterday, and needless to say, the directions were kind of confusing.

"It feels like I'm reading Latin!" he cried and dropped the turkey back into the sink full of water. He stood there for a minute, catching his breath before turning around, hearing footsteps behind him.

Kai stood there, watching him with one eyebrow cocked to the side. "What exactly are you bellyaching about?" he asked, striding over to the cabinet to get a glass.

"This stupid, idiotic cookbook keeps repeating the directions on how to cook a damn turkey like five million times, and each in a different language! I'm so confused that my head is spinning!" the tiger groaned and slumped in a chair.

Kai didn't look at him as he poured himself a glass of water. "Have you tried going through it and highlighting the directions in English? Or even Chinese?" he asked bluntly as though it were the most obvious thing to do. He sat down across from the younger teen and began sipping his water. Truth was that he'd been up most of the night training with Dranzer, and now his throat was as dry as a bone.

Ray stared at him for a minute before grunting and getting up. He grabbed the book and flung in down in front of Kai's face on the table, irritated beyond belief at the situation. He could cook in one of the world's finest restaurants, but he couldn't even cook a blasted turkey to save his life at the moment. "Then you do it!" he exclaimed, getting a surprised and irritated glare in answer. He growled, eyes slitting dangerously. "I've had it! I can't be expected to cook all of this damn food in only two days, Kai! I need help, and seeing as how you're taking a break from training, then you can help! I know I could ask one of the others, but when something like this has to be done, they're no where to be found! And another thing-"

Before he could say anything else, Kai stood up, cutting him off and going over to the sink, grabbing the large pot for the turkey and filling it up halfway with water. "All you had to do, Ray, was ask," he said and hoisted the turkey out of the sink and into the pot, following the directions almost perfectly as if he had written them himself.

Ray blinked, taken aback by the action.

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A few hours later, most of the food was cooked and in the refrigerator, cooling and waiting to be eaten on Thursday.

Ray sighed and flopped down on the couch. "Now, I know why the Americans have this thing only once a year!"

Kai looked at him from the chair he was sitting in.

Ray caught his gaze and laughed. "It's too much work!"

Kai smirked at him and returned to reading a book.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Ray said something that shook the phoenix off balance.

"Thanks for helping, Kai," he sighed and smiled at his captain's baffled look.

Kai shook his head, regaining his composure and shrugged his shoulders like helping wasn't the biggest thing in the world.

The tiger smiled and sat up a little straighter. "So, what exactly are you thankful for this year, Kai?" He got another shrug of the shoulders as an answer. "Ok . . . Well, how about . . ." He trailed off, his mind going blank. He sighed, shaking his head, and stood up. "I'm going to go on the balcony for a minute. That food is starting to get to my stomach."

Kai grunted in acknowledgment, and the younger teen strode over towards the bedroom. The phoenix sighed, his mind playing over what the tiger had just asked him. What was he thankful for? Winning the Championships? His team? Dranzer? Everything seemed to fit the definition, but nothing came to him that he immediately knew he was thankful for. What about his friends? Was he thankful for Tyson? Not really. He could do without the loudmouth. What about Max? Too hyper like Tyson. Kenney? Well, he was smart, but so was Kai. There was nothing that the computer geek could do that the older teen couldn't. Not to mention, he didn't blade at all. Ray?

Before he could even answer his own question, a large boom sounded, shaking the entire hotel - a sonic boom from an airplane flying too low. But that wasn't what made Kai's thoughts fly out the window.

He heard a scream.

Immediately, he rushed over towards the balcony connected to his and Ray's conjoined bedrooms. One thing that he did not see was the tiger.

"Ray?" he called, frantically searching for the teen. Suddenly, he saw one desperate hand clinging onto the railing of the balcony. "Ray!" he cried, but another boom cut him off. He flung his arm over the railing to grasp the boy's wrist as the hand let go, terrified of the loud noise and rattling.

Kai grunted, gritting his teeth as he held onto his teammate's wrist in a death grip. Ray hung underneath him, the wind pushing him from side to side, willing him to fall. Kai's main focus was on the younger teen about to hit the pavement below if he let go. So, he didn't even hear Tyson, Max, nor Kenney come through the door.

"Kai? Ray?" Tyson called, but stopped as Max cried out, pointing at a straining Kai trying to lift a frightened Ray to safety.

Kai grunted as their grips faltered again, hands sweating. Gaining an idea, he let go of the railing with his left hand and tried to grab the other's flailing hand, but their weight was too close. He'd fall along with the tiger.

"No, Kai!" Ray called as the phoenix slipped slightly over the railing.

Kai growled and grabbed the railing again, steadying himself. He had to get Ray to safety. He was the Bladebreakers' captain, and if he let one of their teammates fall over the edge of a balcony, he could never forgive himself. After all, Ray was the only one keeping the phoenix from killing the others. Kai pulled again on the tiger's wrist, feeling it slip just a little bit out of his grasp as Ray whimpered in fear. This time, desperate to end this turmoil, the phoenix pulled again, harder, bruising their hands as Ray grasped his harder as well.

But it was enough.

Ray's other hand grasped the railing, his foot finding the bottom of the balcony and pushing upwards. Together, they flung backwards, Ray in Kai's arms. Together they stayed seated, shaking as one, holding each other tighter.

That was, until Tyson made him and the other two known. "Kai! Ray! Are you alright?!" he called, causing the two teens on the ground to pull apart sharply.

"T-Tyson . . . ?" Ray started, still shaking. His golden gaze went to Kai who held his shoulder in his hand from when he had jarred it catching the tiger.

Tyson and Max helped Ray stand up, Kenney hanging back at the balcony doorway and Kai standing shakily to his feet as well.

All five of them made their ways over to the living room. Kai sunk down heavily into the chair while the others made themselves comfortable on the couch. Ray's breathing had calmed down a bit as well as the tremors, but that didn't stop the wild look of almost dying from flashing in his eyes. He looked over at his captain, his savior. Kai sat still breathing a bit heavy and holding onto his shoulder. The tiger knew that the phoenix didn't hurt it that badly, but it would be sore for a little while.

"Ray, Kai, what happened?" Tyson asked, glancing from one face to the other.

Ray shook his head. Kai, he knew, didn't know the answer. "I . . . I was sitting on the railing, trying to get some fresh air from cooking all day, when that big . . . . big boom came. And I - I jumped. Luckily, I grabbed the railing to keep from falling, but when the second came, I lost my grip. Thank goodness that Kai heard me scream because he grabbed my-my wrist before I fell." Ray sighed and leaned back against the couch, exhausted. He had had too much for one day and passed out like he should have done in Kai's arms.

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Ray moaned and rolled over in bed . . . Wait a minute! Bed?

Startled, he sat up quickly, finding himself in his own bed instead of on the couch. Did the others put him here? Before he could think of anything, the door opened, revealing a tired-looking Kai.

The phoenix looked up, noticing that his teammate was awake again. He sighed, thankful, and made his way over to the tiger with a cup of green tea in his hands. "Here, this should help with the tremors," he said softly, noting the tiger's continuing shakes. "You've been shaking since you passed out on the couch."

Ray's mouth sat open. He had never heard his captain speak that softly before. He didn't even think the guy had a soft bone in his body. But then again, he did save Ray from falling off the edge of the balcony earlier, and then there was the small hug they had shared . . . .

At that memory, the tiger blushed, feeling the red tinge spread across his neck and cheeks. He carefully grabbed the teacup and relaxed when Kai left the room to get him his own tea. Ray sighed and sipped at the green liquid sweetened with honey.

Kai came back in and sat on his own bed. The sun was just setting, and it made the phoenix's eyes glow steadily and fiercely. Ray sat, staring, captivated by the warm colors dancing in his captain's eyes.

"Ray," Kai started, breaking Ray's gaze. "You asked me earlier what I was thankful for." The tiger nodded, encouraging the teen to go on. Yes, he had asked that before, but Kai had just shrugged it off with a flick of his shoulders. "Well, I've been thinking ever since . . ." He stopped, eyeing the balcony with a shaky gaze. Ray shuddered, remembering, and Kai just shook his head. "Anyway, I - uh - I kinda figured out what I am thankful for." He stopped and moved to sit in a cross-legged position, staring at his tea so he wouldn't have to see the tiger's reaction. His cheeks took on a hue of red before he continued. "You. I-I'm thankful that you're here, and I don't know what I'd do without you here. That-That is why I was so scared after realizing that you had almost fallen off of the edge . . . ." There, he had said it. He actually had been doing a lot of thinking since the beginning of the week, trying to figure out what he was thankful for, and in the last two hours, he had made up his mind.

Ray smiled and set his teacup down on the bedside table. Slowly, he made his way over to the phoenix's bedside and sat down. He knew that Kai was obviously embarrassed about saying that. Any sane person could tell. He wouldn't look at the younger teen, and not to mention, he had a furious blush all over his handsome face. Ray reached over and placed his hands on Kai's own around the teacup and moved his body over to where he was almost practically touching the stotic teen. "And I'm thankful for you, Kai. I always have been since our first day as Bladebreakers," he said softly, bringing Kai's head up to face him. Gently, he took the teacup out of the rough hands and set it beside his own on the night stand that now sat behind him. He wrapped his arms around the teen in front of him, feeling the warmth that he had felt when they were on the balcony. He had stopped shaking a little while ago and was pleased that Kai wasn't trembling anymore either. "Thank you, Kai," he said quietly against the now-tanned skin.

Kai's body had tensed slightly when the tiger began hugging him, but he soon returned the gesture. It felt nice to hold him in his arms again. Though their last hadn't been long, Kai had already become addicted to it. He had been craving the touch the entire time Ray had been asleep, and it had taken all his strength to not crawl in bed with him and hold him close.

Ray sighed and snuggled deeper into Kai's embrace, feeling safe.

"Ray, does this mean, that we're . . . ?" Kai started but couldn't finish as he tensed again.

The younger teen laughed and pulled away just long enough to gaze into the same red/gray eyes he had fallen in love with. "If you want, Kai." The phoenix nodded shyly, and that made Ray laugh again, causing him to nestle deeper in his newly-found koi's arms.

Kai's eyes softened while he brought his hands to the raven hair, stringing his fingers through it. He leaned back to where they now were both lying on his bed, Ray in Kai's arms.

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End Chapter Two+

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koi (koibito) - lover

CHAPPIE TWO IS DONE AND OVER WITH! HURRAY!!!!!!!!!

Kai - sweat drop

Steph - YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before we get on ya'll's nerves, THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS AND R&R!!!!!!!!