Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, although I own the plot.
Warnings: Slight language, slight violence. Nothing too bad.
Author's Note: I just downloaded this word processor called Jarte, and so far I've been thrilled with it, especially after writing with only Wordpad and Notepad for the longest time...yay for spellcheck!

All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust

Chapter 4: Trusting a Tiger

The warmth from the sun was delightful to some, horrible for others, especially if those other people were wearing all black! There was only one person in the entire population of Phoenix that could be associated with those "other people." That person was none other than the newly arrived Russian, Kai Hiwatari.

Currently, Kai was frowning at the sun and the bright light it gave off. As if it wasn't already hot enough for poor Kai, who was clad in the darkest color of all. The air conditioning in his high school had already broken down, right in the middle of his English class. Of course, the English hallway had to be located on the second floor, where heat tended to collect during the afternoon. Kai cursed his luck, whatever he had left of it, anyway.

He was surprised that he made it through that class, truthfully. The teacher had asked him if he was hot wearing so much black, but Kai had sarcastically responded with numerous beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. If it wasn't for the sheer humidity of the room, he would've sworn that he was blushing.

Thankfully, the bell rang soon after the technological malfunction, and Kai found himself sitting in geometry class on the first floor. It was a drag having geometry for two periods a day, but the only positive side was that it was located on the first floor, which was remarkably cooler than the second. It was almost comfortable for the Russian, almost being the key word. It had never reached that temperature in Russia for a long, long time, and Kai had found himself unprepared.

Almost considered a desert by some, there were hardly any trees to provide shade for the sweaty Russian. The few trees that were in the city were either located on private property or in peoples' yards, two places Kai had forbid himself to enter unless necessary. There were a few cactuses scattered about in the outskirts of the city, but what good would a cactus do? It couldn't provide shade without harming Kai in some sadistic way.

As if his day couldn't get any worse, Kai could have sworn he was dying when he heard the excited voice of Max call his name. "What else can go wrong?" Kai caught himself wondering.

"Hey, Kai!" Max shouted, although Kai was only a foot away from him. Kai could have sworn that, in addition to dying, he was also going deaf. "Woe is me..." Kai thought to himself, trying to remain as stoic as he could in the hot weather.

"Hi..." Kai cautiously replied, worrying that any sudden movement or speech would send Max into a deadly hyper spree. "...This guy's nuts..." Kai thought, listening to Max speak.

"And then, Hilary was getting all worked up - Hey, look at that! Hi, pretty bird! Where was I?" Max asked, pouting as he struggled to remember his previous train of thought. Poor naive Max would never be able to figure out that his previous train of thought was probably in some oblivion, never to be seen again.

"...You were at the part where you would announce your departure," Kai said, trying to act as if he was trying to remember as well.

"Yeah, that's right - Hey! Kai! That's not funny!" Max pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "It wouldn't kill you to be social once in a while."

Max shivered as he noticed the phoenix's crimson eyes watching him suspiciously and nervously, as if watching for any sign of attack. Max shifted his eyes lower, noticing how Kai's muscles were tensed as if ready for battle. Kai was acting as he always had around people - suspicious and nervous and ready for battle.

"I'm sorry, Kai," Max muttered, kicking a pebble off the sidewalk. "I was just trying to help you be seem less awkward around people."

"I'm awkward?" Kai asked, not believing his ears. "Tyson is the one who's awkward. Look at his clothes."

"There's nothing wrong with being awkward!" Max tried to extinguish Kai's anger before it could grow any larger. "Nothing's wrong with you."

At that moment, Kai felt something inside of him snap. Whatever self control he had was thrown out the window in that moment. His rage had grown to an unbelievable point, causing his body to shake as he tried to restrain himself.

"Nothing wrong with me!" Kai shouted, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Max took a step back, feeling extremely threatened.

"Nothing wrong with me!" Kai repeated, this time louder. "That's bull, Maxy, and you know it."

"It's not -" Max started but cut himself off. Even if he wasn't around his father or mother, he removed to say anything that could be considered a curse word.

"If it wasn't, why am I here!" Kai shouted, his hands changing into fists. "Why do I live with an abusive bastard who gets pleasure out of torturing me, nearly killing me! Why am I forced to do his bidding and steal vodka from stores! Something's wrong with me, and you know it. That's why I'm being punished."

"Kai..." Max tried to hold back the tears that gathered at his eyes. "Let me help you."

"No!" the phoenix shrieked, slapping away Max's hand. Even though it had been extended to him as a signal of hope...

Max watched with horror as the troubled teenager dashed away, leaving Max alone in the rain. The rain mingled with his tears as he fell to the ground, helplessly sobbing. How do you help someone who doesn't want to be helped? How do you save someone who believes they're being punished just for being alive?

Max dug out his cell phone from his back pocket, using his fingers to dial the numbers, even though they were shaking with an unknown emotion. After a few tries, Max had finally gotten the number right. The phone on the other line rung a few times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" a familiar voice asked, sounding slightly cheery despite the rain.

"Ray, you need to find Kai," Max said with a serious tone. "He's in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Ray asked, alarmed. "He wasn't arrested or anything, was he?"

"No, but...he just completely lost it! You know those two people that moved in a few days before school? That house belongs to Kai and his father. Kai's going to get killed if he goes there!"

"Max, go home. I'll find Kai." After those final words from Ray, Max closed his cell phone and shoved it into his pocket.

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Kai was an expert at running, but he seemed to run better without snow on the ground. That was why he was barreling towards his father's abusive household at an unbelievable speed. "Why go back?" a voice had asked him as he ran. "You'll only die," it reasoned. "It's all my fault," Kai responded. "I need to be punished for my lack of self control."

Kai suddenly found himself laying on the concrete sidewalk, the skin on his elbows ripped off from the impact. He had banged his head as he fell, and with slightly blurred vision, he looked upwards to meet golden eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Kai demanded, struggling to get to his feet. However, Ray wouldn't let him and gently pushed him down with a foot.

"I should ask you the same thing," Ray responded, his voice gentle as if talking to a child.

"Let me go," Kai demanded, his eyes narrowing into his infamous glare. However, it didn't affect Ray this time.

"No. I can't let you get yourself killed," Ray reasoned, kneeling down next to the troubled teenager.

"I don't care if I live or die," Kai growled as he struggled to get to his feet. He found that all strength had left his body, and with a large blow to his pride, he fell back down onto the sidewalk.

"Well, I do. Friends don't let friends get killed," Ray said gently, looking at Kai with intense eyes.

"I'm not your friend, so what does it matter?" Kai challenged, glaring.

"You're my friend, even though I'm not yours. So, I still can't let you get killed," Ray responded. "Trust me, Kai. If you let that place behind you, everything would be so much better."

"Trust? I don't do 'trust,'" Kai said, tired.

"Trust me," Ray encouraged. "Please, just trust me."

Kai observed the frightened tiger. The tiger seemed to be concerned, but what if it was all a trick to deceive him? Kai would never let himself fall to such tricks.

"No..." Kai muttered, once again struggling to his feet.

"What?" Ray asked. Kai's word was too quiet to hear.

"No!" Kai shouted, ignoring the pain that ran through his body as he pushed himself to his feet. "I won't trust anyone, even if it kills me."

"Don't be selfish, Kai!" Ray shouted, placing his hands on Kai's shoulders. "Why don't you trust us? We've tried to be your friends and to make your life better, but you shun us away! I can relate so much to you, but you shun me away. Why, Kai!"

"I don't do trust," Kai repeated, attempting to punch Ray in the face. Ray barely dodged the worst of the blow but found himself falling to the ground regardless.

"Kai!" Ray yelled after the escaping teenager, in hopes that his voice would stop the blue-haired teenager from running away.

"Don't...go..." Ray whispered to himself, hanging his head in shame. Even a tiger's claws couldn't save a phoenix from death.

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Author's Note: Kind of a cliffhanger, I guess. Ray and Kai seemed a bit OOC, too, but if your friend just snapped and you wanted to save him/her, I guess anyone else would be acting out of character, too. At least, I probably would be. I'd like to thank everyone who at least read the story thus far, and I'd like to thank my reviewers for their kind reviews. It's easier to write with inspiration in mind.