(A/N) My goal was to get to chapter 10 in this fic by the end of my spring break, and I can proudly state that I managed it :D
Disclaimer- I don't own Beyblade or any of the beyblade characters. However all OCs are owned by me and are not to be stolen (though I know nobody has that intention)
October
Despite the fact that Kai still, unfortunately, lived with his rich grandfather, he found himself having to work for his money. He had little patience for the business of the real world, or any world outside of beyblading, but as usual he dealt with it in silence. A minor job within a large corporation; not exactly what Kai'd had in mind, but at least this way he managed to go unnoticed most of the time.
Much of his time was spent in the office, supposedly working, on what he did not know, or attending meetings that he would never listen to. He could not find a passion for business as his relatives had. Endless papers and work did not appeal to him as beyblading once had. He found the hours tedious and the work dull, but at least it wasn't difficult. But whenever this thought occurred to him, he cursed at himself and wondered when he became so much like Tyson.
After the BBA Revolution's defeat against BEGA, and their finest hour, Kai had planned to remain in Japan. No longer one of the Bladebreakers, he bid farewell to his former team for a while and had begun to think up a new life for himself. All had gone well until he had begun to receive messages from various employees of his grandfather, asking when he will be returning to Moscow. He had ignored all of these messages flatly, but knew that it would not silence them. One night he was forcibly taken, against his will, from the hotel he had been making a temporary home of. He came quietly, but not without objection. He demanded to know who they were and what their purpose was, knowing full well what the answer would be. He bitterly accepted his fate, and allowed himself to be brought back to Russia, where Voltaire had been waiting for him.
The meeting had not been pleasant. Their history was more intense now than ever before. Worse still, Kai knew that Boris and Voltaire were still business partners. Boris was power-hungry and stupid. When his plans for BEGA had failed, he fled back to Voltaire, regretting ever abandoning his business partner's plans. Voltaire had power and was intelligent. He would never let Boris forget the time when he had went astray, but allowed him to be his partner in crime once again. Kai despised the both of them. He half believed that this plot to take over the World was simply a senile act between two ageing men who believed they knew what they were doing. He wasn't sure if this plot was still in play or not, but he would let the old men have their fun, so long as it didn't concern him.
All that did concern him was his grandfather's insane business strategies. He had abandoned the whole Beyblading scene, like his grandson, and realised that the real money was where the economy was at. Whatever their company did, it was something economical, or political. Either way, Kai didn't really give a damn. He had forgotten beyblading, as far as tournaments were concerned, but no aspect of business would ever give him the rush that beyblading had.
He hadn't forgotten his old team either, speaking to them perhaps more often than he would have liked. It had always been difficult to be rid of Tyson. The fact that they were in different countries didn't seem to faze the guy at all. Almost every week Kai would receive a call, or an email. If it was an email, he would ignore it more often than not. On the phone he would be brief, but not rude. After all these years, he was still not one to chat. He would usually hear Hilary faintly in the background, and rolled his eyes to know that nothing much had changed.
For two years now he had been trapped in his grandfather's clasp. The mansion may be the size of a small village, but it made no difference. There was not a building in the world that was big enough. It was still four large walls that kept Kai prisoner. He did not doubt that there was a reason for him being kept locked up, nor did he doubt that there was a reason Voltaire was keeping space between them. It looked very suspicious to him, but while he was still considering his grandfather's insanity, he kept a low profile and dealt with his life without fuss.
Having left his prized vehicle of ebony in the garage, along with the others the two of them owned, he let himself in. Throwing his keys down on the table in the hall, he didn't even bother to remove his coat as he wandered into the salon (or as he called it, the lounge). Dropping himself into the deep blue sofa, he rested his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. It was autumn. That meant it was almost winter, which meant that work would be getting steadily harder as the holidays drew nearer, as it did every year for some unknown reason. This meant longer hours and more pointless meetings.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden ringing of his cell phone. Snapping out of his trance, Kai reached for the table, sighing slightly with relief as he read the number, before answering it.
'Rei.' This was the simple greeting, lacking enthusiasm, but Rei could have easily heard the relaxation in his tone. Kai smiled slightly out one side of his mouth. It had been a long time since the two of them had spoken. There was no electricity where Rei lived in China, so no telephones or internet there.
'It's been a while, Kai' came the voice from the other end. 'How have you been?'
'Don't get me started,' he rolled his eyes, before realising Rei couldn't see him. 'Being stuck with my grandfather isn't exactly what I'd call a party.' He spat out the word 'grandfather' with resentment.
Rei gave a noise of pity before lightening up a little. 'Perhaps what you need is a little company. How about it?'
This proposal took Kai by surprise. At first he took it for a joke, but as the conversation progressed, he realised that Rei wasn't kidding. Perhaps the White Tiger currently at a loss of what to do. Perhaps he had time to spare. In that case, though instantly it had struck him as a bad idea, Kai considered it again and realised that having an old friend with him might make everything slightly more bearable. He agreed that if Rei could get to Moscow at the beginning of spring (when work would be steadily decreasing), he would pick him up from the airport and have him stay for a while.
'We'll discuss it a little later.' Kai dismissed the subject. 'But where are you at the moment?'
'Right now I'm taking refuge in Japan. I returned here because it offers better opportunities than my village in China. I'm actually staying with Tyson, but he has gone out grocery shopping with Kenny.' He stifled a small chuckle 'If he knew I was calling you while he was out…'
Kai shared the humour 'I suppose I should expect a call from him soon anyway. It's been about four days…'
Rei laughed and then silence fell for a few moments. Kai had removed his coat and was sitting back, comfortably on the sofa once more. He enjoyed speaking to Rei (perhaps because the occasion was rare) and felt he could let loose a little more around him than anybody else. He had decided to avoid any subject relating to his grandfather or his work, and Rei had, in turn, not brought it up.
'Listen, Kai. This is expensive, and I should be going anyway.' The smooth voice broke the silence from the other end of the receiver. 'It's been great speaking to you,' it said, somewhat awkwardly. 'We'll speak soon about me coming out, yeah?'
'Yeah, we will.' Came the reply, a voice that was sure of itself. 'It's been great speaking to you too, Rei.'
Seconds after placing his phone back on the coffee table, it began to ring again. Kai's eyes narrowed as he picked it up. Seeing the number of a work colleague flash up on the screen, he flipped it open and promptly turned it off, returning it to the coffee table with a small sense of satisfaction.
Not 10 wall's distance away from his grandson, the old man sat stiffly in his study. The curtains had been drawn against the slowly dimming light. His back to the window, he leant both forearms on his desk, hands typing almost frantically on the keyboard of his laptop. There was another voice speaking out from the small computer, in a bitter and hoarse tone. Upon hearing what the voice had to say, the man's brow furrowed and his face became stony. Finally, he cried out in anger.
'They know? What do you mean they know? Boris, you had better explain yourself this instant!'
'Sir,' came the firm voice, slightly gruff through the speakers. 'The Prestifilippo boy was used as a spy. He has knowledge of our plans, and no doubt he will be quick to spread them.'
'Who sent him?' barked Voltaire, angrily.
Boris did not flinch at the old man's tone. 'Mr Luinwe, no doubt. He was suspicious of our proposal all along.'
Voltaire growled, swivelling around his large chair so as to face away from the screen for several minutes. Boris waited patiently while the back of a chair faced him. Staring intently at the curtains, Voltaire inwardly cursed all his incompetent workers, especially the man who still waited on the screen.
Finally turning around, he spoke through his teeth. 'We have worked hard on this, Boris.' he warned. 'If the Luinwe's get even further in the equation, there will be hell to pay.'
Boris nodded in understanding, then smirked as he gave an offer he knew would please. 'You have nothing to worry about, sir. Everything is being taken care of at this moment. The Luinwe's will be no more trouble to us.'
'And the boy? The little spy, what about him?'
Though Voltaire knew from family experience not to ignore the catalyst, Boris shrugged it off. 'He knows as much as them, but now that they are sure to know, they are the threat. There's nothing he can do.'
Voltaire narrowed his eyes. 'Well, if you're sure. I leave it in your hands then, Boris. And I don't expect to be disappointed.'
With the final word, their call was disconnected and the screen went static for a moment, before cutting off completely.
(A/N) This chapter was written last out of all the 10 I've written so far, funnily enough. I tend to write things in a different order, and this one I was putting off for some reason, probably because it's not very exciting. It's always like that with the first few chapters I find (with my stories anyway :P)
