Author Note: This chapter is dedicated to Poppies in July for the review
Disclaimer: Beyblade belongs to Takao Aoki
Cold Competition
Chapter 02
It was late by the time the gang got out of the hospital and back to their hotel and by that point they were utterly exhausted. Mr Dickenson had booked three rooms, one for himself and two for the team. It was decided that Tyson, Kenny and Hilary would take one room, while Kai, Ray and Max had the other. As the others turned in, Kai stood outside on the small balcony of his room, looking out over the town. He had been less than impressed at the hospital when it had been revealed that his arm was fractured and the nurse he'd seen had given him strict instructions to keep the sling he'd been given on for at least a week. But her last rule was the worst of all. No beyblading for two weeks, to give his arm a chance to heal. That thought just made Kai annoyed and more than likely to disobey her.
But for now, he kept the sling on. It would stop the others from lecturing him at least. Sighing, and watching his breath cloud in the cool night air, Kai pulled Black Dranzer out of his pocket and examined it. As expected there wasn't a single scratch on it, unlike Dranzer who had taken a bit of a beating. Kai couldn't help but wonder if he'd done the right thing in using Black Dranzer. He was tempted to ask the others what their opinion of it was, but decided against it. Black Dranzer was dangerous to use after all. Kai knew that from experience. This really bites, he mused, running his hand over the black phoenix's bit.
Max stared at the ceiling for a while and rolled onto his side. He propped himself up on his elbow for a moment before sitting up. Ray was sound asleep, but Kai wasn't even in bed. Max couldn't sleep with so much on his mind and he got out of bed before wandering over to the balcony door. He opened the door and stepped outside.
Kai glanced over his shoulder. "Max..." he said quietly, a little surprised. "What're you doing up?"
"I can't sleep," Max answered. "I can't stop thinking about what happened. Just what have we gotten into this time?"
Kai looked back out over the town. "I don't know. But I'll put a stop to it."
"What?" Max asked. "Not on your own. You can't. They're too strong. You saw what happened to Ray and me. I got Draciel back, but they did still take him."
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes, but I have something they didn't expect... A second bit beast."
"But it's too dangerous."
"Hn. I can handle it."
Max started as he heard Ray stir and realised he'd forgotten to shut the door. He quickly closed the door and looked out at the city. "So how come you're out here?" Max asked Kai, changing the subject.
"Headache," Kai replied simply. "Plus I'm not tired enough to sleep yet." Max nodded and sighed as he looked out, but jumped as the door opened again.
"What's going on?" Ray asked as he stepped out to join them on the balcony, shutting the door behind himself.
"Max can't sleep," Kai replied without turning. "Go back to bed, Ray. You need your rest."
Ray looked at Kai. "What about you?" he asked.
"Not tired enough yet."
"Well, don't be up all night," Ray replied turning back to the door and stifling a yawn, "Either of you."
"We won't," Max replied. "Night, Ray."
"Night guys," Ray responded, opening the door. Kai took in a quiet breath and looked up at the sky, noticing how it seemed to be tilting towards him. He felt a breeze brush through his hair and closed his eyes, allowing his body to relax. He neither felt nor heard the loud thud that followed. Ray turned his head, puzzled at the sound, and gasped when he saw Kai lying on the floor. "Kai!" Ray exclaimed, stepping to Kai's side and crouching down.
"Wh-what happened to him?" Max asked in a panic.
Ray glanced up at Max before looking at Kai again. "I think he's pushed himself too hard. That and he used Black Dranzer."
Max swallowed. "But Kai, he's normally so strong. He always protects us."
"I know, Max." Ray looked at the door, then at Kai and at Max again. "We should get him inside."
Suddenly, Kai let out a faint groan and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times as everything came back into focus and he tried to work out why he was lying on the floor. Damn, that came without warning... Getting his good arm under him, he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position.
"Kai..." Max whispered, relieved that their friend was awake again.
Kai looked at them both for a few seconds then stood up slowly with his eyes shadowed by his bangs. "I'm gonna turn in..." he muttered.
Ray stood up and nodded. "Good idea."
Not knowing what else to do, Max watched on silently as Kai passed them both and disappeared inside, closing the door behind him with a gentle click. "Is...Is he okay, Ray?"
"I hope so." Ray looked at Max. "I'm sure he just needs to rest."
"Should we tell the others? In the morning?"
"Yeah. In the morning," Ray agreed. "Hey, Max, you're not gonna stay up all night are you?"
"No. I think I'm gonna go back to bed now," Max replied.
Ray smiled. "Sleep well, Max," he said, opening the door and allowing Max to go first.
The blonde smiled slightly. "Thanks, Ray. You too." Going inside, Max glanced at Kai who was lying in his bed, seemingly asleep, before moving over to his own and climbing in. Ray followed making sure the door was closed behind him before heading to his bed. He was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
It didn't take Max long to fall asleep either and the room was engulfed in silence. But Kai was still awake, his mind preoccupied with what had happened and what he was worried might still. His team had come close to being wiped out and he'd been practically powerless until he'd brought out Black Dranzer. There had to be a way to transfer the dark phoenix's strength to Dranzer, who was a lot safer and easier to control. If he couldn't find a way, then Black Dranzer's hunger for power would grow and Kai would once again risk losing himself to it. Even now he could still feel a tiny portion of Black Dranzer's spirit in the back of his mind begging for more. But for now Kai managed to ignore it. He lay awake for several hours after that, pondering over the whole situation, before his weary eyes fell shut just after four in the morning. Hopefully he would have a better idea of what to do when he woke up.
000
Ray rolled over onto his side and frowned as he found his cheek was hurting under the pressure. Opening his eyes, he realised it was morning and sat up looking around. There was no sign of Max and Kai appeared to still be asleep. Ray puzzled at that before bringing a hand up to his face, wiping away the sleep. "Ow," he muttered, remembering what had disturbed his sleep. His right cheek was tender. He gently prodded the tender area and got up to go check a mirror. The movement caused some aches and Ray had to guess he was bruised in several areas of his back. He could already see the bruises on his arms from blocking the beyblades. As expected, his cheek was sporting a bruise. It was over the bone and came close to being a black eye. The morning wash was done rather gingerly. Ray sighed and decided to leave Kai in peace and go find the others.
He didn't have to look for long, soon finding them all having breakfast in the restaurant. Tyson appeared to be wolfing down at least his third helping, while the others ate more slowly and remembered their manners. They waved when they saw Ray and Max patted an empty chair next to him. "Morning Ray," the blonde greeted, followed quickly by the others.
"Oh, Ray. Have you seen the state of your face?" Hilary asked, feeling bad for her friend.
"Yeah, I checked," Ray answered after returning the greeting. "It's not the only one. Feels like someone took a meat tenderiser to me," he commented with a slight laugh and sat down next to Max, choosing not to sit back in order to spare the bruises from further aggravation. "Did you tell them?" he asked Max, referring to the incident with Kai collapsing.
Max shook his head. "Not yet. I was worried to in case Kai came down and heard."
Ray nodded understandingly. "I think he's still asleep," he commented thoughtfully. "That or he's amazing at pretending."
Max giggled slightly. "Well, you never know with Kai. He always manages to keep us guessing."
Hearing the name, Hilary looked up from her breakfast. "Speaking of Kai, where is he? Did he disappear off somewhere as usual?" The others had resumed talking when Ray sat down and so hadn't heard Max and Ray's conversation.
"Believe it or not, he was still in bed when I left the room," Ray answered. "You know, he really pushed himself yesterday. I'm not surprised he's feeling the effects." Ray looked at the table thoughtfully. "And normally I'd be surprised that he's still in bed..."
"What? Kai's slept in longer than me?" Tyson asked before laughing. "Oh, I gotta go see this." He moved to stand up, but Hilary grabbed his sleeve.
"Tyson, leave him alone," she told the world champ. "If Kai is tired then we should let him sleep.
Tyson pouted, "Aww, but Hil. He wakes me up almost every morning. It's payback time."
"You're not going up there," Ray commented adamantly, fixing Tyson with a stern look. "You're going to leave Kai in peace."
Tyson blinked at Ray's serious tone, before glancing around. It seemed everyone else was in agreement. Tyson sighed and dropped back down into his seat. "Fine. I just thought it would have been a bit of a laugh."
Max shook his head sadly. "No. We should leave Kai alone until he wakes up. He gave Ray and me a bit of a scare last night."
"Gave you a scare? What happened?" Kenny asked.
"He collapsed," Ray answered. "One moment he's perfectly fine, the next he's on the floor. He woke up again before we had the chance to move him. But since it even happened in the first place, you know there's a problem. That's why we should let him sleep it off. And not give him any grief about it." At the last comment, Ray glanced at Tyson meaningfully then looked at the table again. "He was hurt before the battle. But he kept on regardless in order to protect us."
The others shared concerned looks. "Yeah, that sounds like Kai," Hilary commented quietly.
Mr Dickenson looked at all of them then produced a brochure from inside his suit jacket. "This seems like a good time to show you this then," he said, sliding it across the table for the group to see. It was a brochure for a hotel in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido's most famous hot spring resort.
"Whoa!" Tyson gasped, his mouth hanging open.
"Hot springs?" Ray asked.
Mr Dickenson nodded. "You kids have been so busy lately with training and challengers that you more than deserve a break, especially after what happened yesterday. So I've booked you into one of the best hotels in Noboribetsu, where you can relax and enjoy yourselves."
Hilary clapped excitedly. "Oh Mr Dickenson, we love you," she giggled.
"Yeah. This is awesome, Mr D," Tyson grinned, flicking through the brochure.
"Hey, wow, that's so awesome!" Max cheered, moving to look at the brochure over Tyson's shoulder. "Thanks, Mr Dickenson."
"Yeah, thanks," Ray agreed. "Wow, a hot spring sounds great right about now."
The man chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you like it. There's just one little problem." He glanced down at his watch. "I arranged for the bus to pick us up in just under an hour." He looked up again at the group and Tyson started laughing nervously.
"Eh-heh. So what you're saying is that one of us has to be brave and go wake Kai, right?" Tyson asked and Mr Dickenson nodded.
"I'll do it," Ray volunteered, standing up. That way I can make sure no one is a pest about it.
"Thank you, Ray," Mr Dickenson told him. "It's my fault. I thought you would all be up by now."
"I guess we all really needed the sleep," Ray replied before leaving to go wake Kai.
"It's been nice knowing ya," Tyson called after him, before being thumped by Hilary.
000
Up in the room, everything was silent. A single strip of sunlight was shining in through the curtains drawn across the balcony doors and the room was comfortably warm. Kai slept peacefully, lying on his side facing away from the door. Ray entered the room and closed the door behind him. "Kai?" he asked approaching the bed. There was no response from the team captain. Ray reached out and shook Kai's shoulder gently. "Kai?"
Kai's eyes flew open straight away and he turned his head to look up at Ray. He relaxed once he recognised his friend. "Hey. What's up?"
"Sorry for disturbing you. Mr Dickenson wants you up. He's arranged for us to go to Noboribetsu, and the bus'll be here in less than an hour," Ray answered.
Kai blinked, taking a little longer to understand what Ray was saying due to having just woken up. He then frowned in confusion and looked over at the clock by his bed. "I slept in?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his neck. "That's not like me." He threw the covers back and got out of bed. "Thanks for waking me, Ray. I'll be down in a few minutes."
Ray nodded. "I'll see you there," he replied, leaving the room again.
Sure enough, Kai was downstairs about ten minutes later, after taking a hot shower. He sat down with the others to have breakfast and ignored all of the concerned looks he was given. He figured Max and Ray must have told the others about his fainting spell the previous night, but Kai wasn't all that bothered. These things happened from time to time, so he didn't really care. However, he did have to stop himself on two separate occasions from stabbing Tyson's hand with his fork when the hyper world champ tried to steal a bit of toast. After that, things seemed to return to normal and the concerned glances in his direction ceased, much to Kai's relief.
000
A few hours later found the group at their destination, ready to hit the onsen. "We're here!" Tyson cheered. "A break is just what we need, right guys?"
"You said it, Tyson," Max agreed cheerfully.
"Oh, I can't wait to get pampered and spoiled," Hilary sighed, stretching. "I'm gonna get a back massage and some facial treatment. It'll be amazing."
"I just wanna relax in the water," Ray commented.
"I'm with you, Ray," Kenny nodded. "It'll be nice to just sit and relax for a bit." He lifted a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if there's a way I can make Dizzi water-resistant, or steam-resistant at the very least."
Ray laughed, "Good luck with that, Chief. So how about you, Kai? What're you gonna do?"
Kai shrugged. "I'll probably take a look around and see what this place has to offer," he replied.
With their plans made, the group immediately got to it. "You really are the best, Mr Dickenson!" Tyson called, rushing inside.
Mr Dickenson laughed. "Just enjoy yourselves. That's what you're here for."
000
Ten minutes later found Ray in an outdoor onsen, releasing a sigh of relief as he sank down to relax. The warmth felt amazing against the bruises covering his arms and back. His hair was loose, the only thing on it being the towel resting on top of his head. Ray opened his eyes and glanced back towards the changing room. "You okay, Kenny?" he called out.
"I'm fine," Kenny called back, "But Dizzi is being difficult."
"I'm serious, Chief, don't take me in there," the laptop said adamantly. "I might short circuit!"
"Oh, come on, Dizzi. It'll be fine."
"No. I can already feel the condensation on my screen. Close me. Close me!" Sighing in defeat, Kenny gave up and left Dizzi wrapped in a towel to protect her from any dampness and joined Ray.
"No luck then?" Ray asked amusedly.
Kenny smiled. "She's just being a little temperamental at the moment. It would be different if there was a beybattle going on in here right now."
Ray laughed. "Well that wouldn't be very relaxing now, would it?"
"No it wouldn't," Kenny agreed, placing his glasses off to the side and putting a towel on his head.
Ray turned his head as he heard voices coming from the changing rooms. "Sounds like Tyson and Max have decided what they want to do too."
"Would it be too much like wishful thinking if I hope they'll do it quietly?" Kenny asked. Ray laughed again.
A few minutes later, Max had changed and washed and was walking through to join them. "Hey guys," he greeted, stepping into the water.
"Cannon-ball!" Tyson yelled, running out from the changing rooms.
"Tyson! No!" Max protested, just too late, as Tyson had already jumped. The water splashed over everyone, and Tyson sat up laughing.
"Not cool," Ray complained. "Tyson, people come in here for a little R&R. Not to fool around."
"But in Tyson's opinion, fooling around and R&R are the same thing," Kenny pointed out. He was now very glad he'd left Dizzi inside.
"You are so lucky there aren't any adults in here, Tyson," Ray commented, picking up Tyson's towel, which had come off, and held it out to the other teen. "Or you'd be in so much trouble for behaving like that."
Tyson just laughed. "I'd be more worried about Kai, to be honest. I can always run away from adults."
"Without your towel?" Max asked. "Imagine Hilary's reaction if she heard about that?"
Tyson stopped with his mouth open, realising that Max had a point. "Well, whatever. There's nothing wrong with being natural. At least I'm not getting covered in mud, like she is. I mean, how is that relaxing?"
"It's supposed to help relieve stress," Ray answered. "I hear it also softens the skin and removes chemicals."
Tyson pulled a face. "It still sounds disgusting. She's also getting something to do with hot stones on her back as well, apparently." He shrugged. "I don't understand girls."
Ray laughed at that, the irritation from the cannon-ball forgotten. "You don't have to. All you need to understand is that messing with them is likely to get you hit."
"What, you learn that from Mariah?" Tyson asked with a smirk.
Ray returned the smirk. "I was actually referring to all your fights with Hilary. I remember her taking that bokken to you before she trashed your comics."
Tyson shuddered at the memory. "All because of her stupid fortune telling books," he grumbled. He was still annoyed about the destruction of his beloved comics. The other three boys laughed.
000
While everyone else had opted for enjoying some form of relaxation Kai had something more interesting in mind and had wandered off into the town. Even in an unfamiliar area, Kai felt perfectly at home roaming around on the streets. But this time he'd left a note for the others, so they didn't worry or come looking for him. His sling had also been conveniently left behind.
It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. A beystadium, surrounded by young beybladers, in an otherwise empty street. But even in a peaceful area like this, not all was well. As Kai watched, unnoticed from nearby, he quickly realised that some of the kids were being picked on by two older boys. It looked like they were defeating the kids and then taking their beyblades. That made Kai angry. His former gang, the Blade Sharks, had done the same thing under Kai's instruction; something that an older, more mature Kai now regretted. But he had had the pressure from his grandfather to deal with. These boys however were just stealing for the sake of it and something needed to be done about it. So Kai made his move. "Got room for one more?" he asked from the shadows.
The two boys looked round when they heard the voice and one smirked. "Sure, if you don't mind losing your beyblade."
Kai chuckled as he stepped out into the light. "Is that supposed to intimidate me?" he asked, lifting his blade. Dranzer's bit glinted in the sunlight.
Recognising who they were dealing with immediately, the two boys stepped back in a mixture of shock and awe. "Y-You're..." one stuttered.
"Kai. That's my name," Kai replied. "And I'm gonna teach you two chumps a lesson in beyblading, one that you'll never forget." The two boys gulped, while the other kids immediately started cheering and getting excited.
As Kai stepped up to the stadium, more young beybladers started appearing to watch. It wasn't every day that a world champion came to their town, so there was no way any of them were going to miss this chance at watching Kai blade first hand. As for the two boys who'd been bullying the kids before, they had suddenly changed their tune and weren't acting so cocky and arrogant anymore and with Kai barking an order at them to get ready to launch, they did as they were told.
"Once this is over, you're going to return all the beyblades you've taken from these kids and think about what you've done," Kai told them. "You're playing with the big boys now."
The pair stuttered, sharing anxious glances as the kids started the countdown. "Three. Two. One. LET IT RIP!"
000
Having had their fill of soaking in hot water Ray, Tyson, Kenny and Max got out of the onsen and headed back inside. Kenny began working with Dizzi again, while Tyson complained to him about not doing something else for fun instead. Max decided to point out to Tyson that using his laptop was fun for Kenny, but Tyson was still convinced he should be doing something else. He also felt it was about time to get some food. Ray laughed softly to himself as he listened to them whilst sorting his hair.
Hilary then walked in with a relaxed smile on her face, humming quietly to herself. The spa treatment had clearly put her in a great mood and she was ready to take on anything, including her sometimes infuriating teammates. Being the only girl on the team could be hard and it was nice to get a chance to relax and spend time with the guys, without having to worry about school or any big upcoming tournaments. "Enjoy the bath, guys?" she asked.
"Would have been better if Tyson hadn't jumped in," Kenny commented, shooting his friend an irritated look.
"That was annoying," Ray agreed, "but I wouldn't say it ruined the whole thing. Personally, I feel a whole lot better for the long, warm soak."
Hilary rolled her eyes about Tyson's antics, and moved over to sit behind Ray. "Can I brush your hair, Ray?" she asked, a little shyly.
Ray blinked in surprise, then smiled and handed her the brush. "Thanks, that'd really help."
Hilary returned the smile and started to carefully brush through Ray's hair, marvelling in how smooth it was. "A boy with softer hair than me," she commented with a small giggle. "That's not something I'll be telling anyone any time soon."
Ray laughed softly. "So did you enjoy your pampering then?" he asked.
Hilary nodded. "I sure did. The hot rock treatment was the best. I feel so relaxed now. This little vacation is long overdue for all of us, I think." She glanced around at the others, who also seemed to be enjoying themselves. "Ray, d'you know where Kai went off to? I haven't seen him since we got here."
"He told me earlier he was gonna take a look around. We got back to find a note. Pretty blunt. He says he's out, he'll be back later and not to follow." Ray then looked a little troubled. "He left his sling behind."
Hilary rolled her eyes again and scowled. "Honestly, he's about as bad as Tyson, as far as being stubborn is concerned. Just, a different type of stubborn."
"Hey, what did you say about me Hilary?" Tyson asked from across the room.
"Talking about you, not to you, Tyson," Hilary retorted, finishing up with brushing Ray's hair. "But seriously, he needs to do as the doctor said, whether he likes it or not."
"Yeah, I know. But you know Kai," Ray responded, before thanking Hilary and beginning to tie up his hair.
Hilary paused for a moment, thinking about Ray's words. "Sometimes I do," she agreed. "But other times, I feel like I hardly know anything about him."
Ray paused and looked over his shoulder at her. "I admit he's hard to get to know. He's got a lot of walls. But given his past, that's not really all that surprising."
"I barely even know about his past," Hilary admitted, moving to sit next to Ray instead of behind him. "All I know is what Kenny told me, back when I first met Kai and thought he was a spy." She smiled slightly. "What an idiot I was being."
"Making a mistake doesn't make you an idiot," Ray told her as he continued tying up his hair. "Everyone makes mistakes. It's how we learn."
"I guess you're right," Hilary agreed. "But I can never be sure with Kai."
"He might not say much, but he does listen," Ray commented. He glanced at Hilary, hoping she'd understand the underlying message. "And he will."
Hilary looked at him hopefully. "You think so?"
Ray nodded. "I'm sure of it."
The girl smiled. "Thanks, Ray."
Ray returned the smile, "Anytime. Thanks again for helping me with my hair."
"No problem. I liked brushing it."
000
It was well after midnight when Kai finally returned to the hotel. Knowing that the others were probably asleep, he stepped carefully into the room. Several shoji doors had been pulled across to separate the sleeping area from the rest of the room and Kai could hear the collective sounds of his teammates sleeping. Tyson was snoring, as usual, Max was mumbling and every now and then Kenny would let out a little noise before falling silent again. Only Ray and Hilary were silent, which was to be expected. Sighing softly, Kai sat down at a kotatsu table and pulled out Dranzer and Black Dranzer. It was about time he gave both of them a tune up. He'd picked up a few parts from a local beyblade store while he'd been out and decided to at least try rebuilding Dranzer before turning in.
Hilary turned over and sat up. She got up quietly and headed through to the rest of the room. "Kai," she spoke up, seeing the teen at the kotatsu. She walked over and sat down opposite him. "You only just got back? Where were you?"
Kai glanced up at her before looking back at his beyblade. "I just went for a walk," he replied simply. "You should go back to bed."
"You left without your sling. You're supposed to keep it on. We were worried about you. I was worried about you."
"I left a note."
"Yeah and your sling," Hilary pointed out. "Kai, you're hurt. You're supposed to do as the doctor says."
"Hn," Kai grunted. "That doctor was clueless. It's just a fractured bone."
"That's still quite serious."
"Not to me, it isn't." Pulling Dranzer apart, Kai spread out each part on the kotatsu. Black Dranzer sat untouched off to the side, but Kai would glance at it every now and then.
Hilary sighed and watched him quietly for a while. Every so often she would open her mouth, but then close it. "Kai?" she asked finally, worry evident in her voice.
Noticing her sudden change in tone, Kai looked up at her again. "What is it?" he asked, his own tone softening slightly.
Hilary looked at Kai, then at Black Dranzer, before looking at Kai again. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," he answered, before frowning slightly. "You think I'm not?"
"I'm worried about you. I can't help worrying about you. I'm sure something's on your mind. But you never let me in. I wish you would."
Sighing, Kai placed all the parts back down on the table top. He looked at Hilary for a few seconds, before smiling faintly. "What do you want to know?"
Hilary couldn't help but smile. "Honestly, I'd like to know all I can about you. What your childhood was like. The kinds of things you like to do for fun. I mean, there's gotta be more than just beyblading, right? Favourite things to eat and stuff you don't like. Anything and everything. I want to know you."
"Let's focus on one thing at a time," Kai told her. "And for everything I tell you, you then have to say something about yourself. Deal?"
Hilary brightened even further, delighted that Kai was showing an interest in her life. It always annoyed her so much when Tyson would say things like she was unimportant or didn't matter. Things like that were hurtful. And first impressions with Kai hadn't really gone all that well. But this was a huge change and she couldn't ask for more. "Deal," Hilary answered brightly with a nod.
"Alright then," Kai smiled. "Fire away."
"Your past. Growing up," Hilary responded, deciding to try starting at the beginning.
Kai thought for a moment before answering. His past wasn't a happy one and he'd resented it. But now that things had changed for the better, he'd learned to accept it and move on. "I was born and raised in Russia by my grandfather. He trained me to be a weapon in a secret underground research centre below Balkov Abbey in Moscow." He glanced briefly at Black Dranzer. "There was an accident and I lost all my memories. So that's when I came to live here in Japan. I started up a beyblade gang called the Blade Sharks and that's how I met Tyson." Looking up at Hilary, he smirked slightly. "Not the best childhood, I'll admit. But it made me who I am."
"Is that why you're so closed off a lot of the time?" Hilary wondered.
Kai nodded, "Force of habit. Now it's your turn."
"Well, I live with my parents and I've always been in Japan. I met Tyson in school we're in the same class. But he's always disrupting it. It's really annoying. Some of us actually want to learn. But we can't because he keeps coming in late and falling asleep in class and making a huge scene. So as class president, I gave him clean up duty."
Kai smirked, "Serves him right. That would never have been tolerated where I went to school. There were strict rules there."
"He completely deserved it," Hilary agreed brightly. "So where you went to school, is that the one with your friend, Wyatt? How's he doing, d'you know?"
"Yeah, that's the one," Kai answered. "I spoke with Wyatt's doctor the other day. He's making progress, so hopefully he'll be able to leave in a month or two."
"That's great news," Hilary commented cheerfully.
"Yeah. I'm planning on visiting him when we go back." He started to rebuild Dranzer. "Next question?"
"What do you like to do for fun? Besides beyblading."
"Well, I don't know if it's considered fun," Kai commented, "but I like old myths and legends. They fascinated me when I was younger. Other than that, just martial arts and training, really."
"Myths and legends huh?" Hilary asked. "D'you have any books on that? I'm sure there's probably a book club that will fit that genre. Book clubs can give you access to so many titles. I'm a member of the fortune telling book club. I love stuff like that."
Kai chuckled slightly. "I heard about your fortune telling books," he commented. "But no, I don't have any books on them. I read things once or twice and remember them."
"So does that mean you wouldn't be interested in any books then?" Hilary asked.
"I wouldn't say that," Kai replied. "I just never owned any. All the books I read were borrowed."
Hilary nodded and hummed thoughtfully. "Oh, wanna see something?"
His curiosity piqued, Kai nodded. "Alright."
Hilary pulled out a drawstring bag made of velvet from her pocket and opened it. She carefully emptied the contents onto the kotatsu. There were several items, each of them wrapped in silk. Hilary picked one up and unwrapped it. Inside was a blue, polished stone. "This one's Lapis Lazuli. It was popular in ancient Egypt. It's supposed to be good for relaxation. And with Tyson around, that's a good thing." Hilary laughed a little before moving to another one. "Ah, obsidian," she commented, unwrapping a dark, polished jewel. "They say this one protects against negative energies."
Kai moved round the kotatsu to get a better look. "Negative energy huh?" he commented. "Does it work?"
"You wanna hold on to it for a while and try for yourself?" Hilary offered, holding out the jewel to Kai.
Kai looked at her. "You don't mind?"
Hilary smiled. "I don't mind at all."
Kai looked back at the obsidian in her hand, before slowly taking it. Rolling it over in his fingers, he smiled slightly. "Thanks. I'll let you know if it works."
"You're welcome," Hilary replied. "The silk protects it from getting scratched." She then went on to happily show Kai a few more of her gems, delighted in his interest. Before they even realised, it had been over an hour and they were both still sat at the kotatsu. Tyson's snoring had quietened down to a dull roar and Max had stopped mumbling. Kai rolled his shoulders slowly, feeling his back crack. He felt stiff from sitting in one position for too long and his arm was causing him a bit of pain.
"Oh!" Hilary gasped, looking at the time. "We should probably turn in..." She looked at Kai worriedly, concerned about his arm. "Is it bothering you? Do you have painkillers for it? D'you need any?"
Kai shook his head. "I'll be fine. It'll ease by morning."
Hilary smiled. "Okay, but don't suffer in silence." Hilary looked down briefly. "Um, Kai?" she asked, looking up again and blushing a little. "Thank you."
"Hmm," Kai smiled back. "You're welcome. Thank you too."
"I'm gonna turn in now. Don't stay up too late, okay?"
"I won't. I'll only be up another half hour or so," Kai replied honestly.
Hilary smiled. "Good night, Kai."
The boy nodded. "Night, Hilary." Hilary collected her gems and put them away carefully, heading back to the sleeping area she waved briefly on the way through. It was wonderful to have been able to speak with Kai without him shutting her out. It was even better that Tyson hadn't been there to interrupt. Hilary gave a small sigh of contentment and relief before turning in, falling asleep with her smile still in place. Kai went back to his beyblades and tinkered around with them for another half hour before he'd finally had enough. Clearing up, he finally went through to the sleeping area and lay down. In the dim light he lifted the obsidian gem and looked at it for a little while, before placing it back in the protective silk and leaving it by his pillow. And as Kai started to fall asleep, he couldn't help but notice that Black Dranzer's presence was barely there in the back of his mind. He smirked tiredly and closed his eyes. Maybe Hilary's gems worked after all.