Another week, another chapter. I don't have much to say about this one except to please enjoy how the plot is slowly stewing... Thank you to everyone still reading and enjoying this fic! Even after I tossed OCs at you. (I know there are still a couple unanswered questions. The Lightning Fangs will appear again later to appease your curiosity.)

A thousand thank-you's to RK for letting me bounce ideas off of her until I got these scenes worked out, and a thousand more to slr2moons for being the best beta ever and helping me polish them up! I don't know where I'd be without you guys. Thank you everyone, and please enjoy the fic!

Max couldn't quite believe how quickly they all settled back into their routine after their match with the Lightning Fangs. In the back of his head he had expected something to change, for them to be whisked off to a new location at the very least. Max kept feeling like there was something he needed to do, but he put his restlessness down to simple boredom.

If the others were bothered by cabin fever it didn't show. Kai and Ray were at opposite ends of the couch, both reading quietly. Kenny was in the other room monopolizing the phone, otherwise he probably would have told Tyson and Max to move what they were doing into the training area. Tyson had wanted to work on his new addition to their obstacle course during their after-lunch break, and Max had belatedly realized they were generating a lot of sawdust.

Tyson had turned on the television set high in one corner of the room for background noise, but it still felt stiflingly quiet. Max kept glancing up at whatever was playing as he held the board Tyson was working on in place. It was some kind of nature show, so he could follow it well enough even without understanding a word from the narrator.

"What's he saying, anyway?" Max asked the room at large.

He didn't really expect an answer, but Ray was paying enough attention to be helpful. Or at least enough to glance up and comment, "Probably just something about the wolves going for the deer's vulnerable spots."

For some reason the way he phrased it was incredibly funny to Max. He couldn't help giggling to himself as Tyson inspected his half-mutilated board.

"Hey Tyson, I'm gonna get your vulnerable spots!" Max lunged forward and tickled Tyson's ribs.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Tyson lost no time in retaliating, tickling Max back even as he instinctively jerked away from Max's hand.

Max jumped to his feet, trying to escape Tyson's revenge, only to trip over some of Tyson's scattered tools and stumble sideways into the couch. Or more accurately, directly into Ray's lap.

"Um. . . hi?" Max craned his neck backwards to give Ray what he hoped looked like an innocent smile. Ray simply pulled him up into a less awkward position. By now he was too used to their roughhousing to even comment.

That was when Tyson decided to go after his defenseless feet. Max kicked and laughed helplessly, trying to squirm away as Tyson tickled his toes. He couldn't get free on his own, but Ray was nice enough to dump him sideways on the couch, allowing him to scramble over to Kai's side and escape.

"Max, get Ray's vulnerable spots!" Tyson encouraged.

Max was too busy trying to stop laughing and catch his breath to answer. Ray crossed his arms and gave Tyson a look that couldn't be interpreted as anything but a challenge.

"Try it. I'm not ticklish."

"Oh yeah?" Tyson, never one to ignore a challenge, immediately went to work trying to tickle Ray's stomach.

Normally Max would have joined in trying to tickle Ray, but his backwards scramble across the couch had brought him right up against Kai. He looked around and found Kai hadn't so much as glanced up from the magazine he was reading.

Max got up on his knees and braced his elbow on the back of the couch so he could read over Kai's shoulder. He recognized the magazine as one he'd already read and left lying around. It was already out of date. The article Kai was reading on rising stars made a big deal about an up-and-coming team called the Lightning Fangs challenging the Bladebreakers.

"Did you read the debate on defense rings?" Max asked, trying to strike up a conversation since Tyson was now busy with his ineffective attempt to find a ticklish part of Ray's body.

No answer.

"Did you skip it?"

Nothing. Kai didn't even seem to notice Max leaning against his arm.

"I thought Dr. Cooper's argument for minimum stabilization was terrible. He really doesn't know anything about long-term defense."

Kai turned the page. For some reason that irritated Max more than his silence.

"Well, I wouldn't be too surprised if you agreed with him, since he reminded me of your defensive strategy," Max needled. It wasn't true. Even though both Kai's temperament and his beyblade were unsuited to a defensive approach, he still had more sense than the article.

That little barb had no effect. Kai typically ignored their antics, but by this point he usually would have at least told Max to go away (or if he was lucky, maybe Kai would talk about defense rings with him, but obviously today was not lucky).

When he was already restless to the point of being twitchy, being ignored made Max want to do something stupid just to get Kai's attention. The way he was leaning over Kai meant the smooth column of Kai's neck was right in front of him, taunting him with unshakable poise. Max was tempted to try a terrible vampire impression and reward Kai with a play-bite on his flawless neck if he kept being so stoic, but he discarded that idea for a slightly safer irritation technique.

Max actually leaned into Kai as he reached around behind and fished an ice cube out of Kai's drink. When even that didn't make Kai react, he dropped it down the back of Kai's collar.

The response was immediate. Kai shot to his feet, one hand grabbing Max's shoulder and bodily shoving him away. Before Max could so much so squeak at the sudden movement he had landed painfully on the hard floor.

Max's brain froze on the fact that Kai looked furious, his teeth clenched in a silent snarl and his eyes wild with a flash of anger. It wasn't until Kai turned away from him that Max realized his hands and backside stung from hitting the floor.

"Hey! What's wrong with you, Kai!?" Tyson yelled. His voice sounded far away to Max, who couldn't seem to even collect himself enough to get up off the floor.

Kai had stalked out of the room without a word.

Max was too stunned to pick himself up off the floor. He hardly even understood Ray asking if he was all right or Tyson declaring how big of a jerk Kai was being. He had wanted Kai's attention, but not like that. Even if he had intended to annoy Kai a little, Max had never thought he could possibly make Kai that mad.

"Kai?" Max tapped lightly on his teammate's door, not really expecting an answer at this point.

Kai had been shut up in his room since the incident with the ice cube. Max had tried to go through afternoon training as normal, but he couldn't concentrate. Ray had reminded him that they'd all noticed Kai's temper being a little short lately and told him to just give their captain time to cool down. Even knowing Ray's advice was good, Max couldn't leave it at that.

He'd already tried to apologize through the door twice and received no answer.

"I know you're mad, but is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Max asked.

Still no answer. Max was really starting to worry about the silent treatment he was getting. What if Kai never wanted to speak to him again?

Max pressed his ear against the door, listening intently. He was pretty sure Kai was still in there. As he tried to cast about for something he could do, Kai finally opened the door, nearly making Max fall into his room.

Taking a quick step back, Max looked guiltily up at Kai. His hair was all mussed up on one side and his eyes were dull. The emphatic frown on his face did not exactly fill Max with confidence that apologizing would fix anything.

"I'm really sorry!" Max blurted out.

Kai turned a suspicious look on him. "Why? What did you do?"

"About bugging you before. I didn't mean to make you mad."

An almost imperceptible narrowing of Kai's eyes and lips made Max wince, sure that Kai was even more irritated with him now that he had been reminded.

"I'm not mad at you."

"But I already tried to apologize and you wouldn't answer me!"

"I was taking a nap."

"Oh." Max fidgeted in embarrassment. That put Kai's expression in a new light. What he had taken for Kai being angry with him was pretty much Kai's waking-up face. "Sorry," he repeated. "I was being a pest and it was really uncalled for and I shouldn't have done that with the ice cube. And I didn't mean what I said about your defenses, either! You're better than that," Max added, suddenly worried that Kai would think he'd been serious.

"Are you done?" Kai asked. Max nodded sheepishly, and got an answer from Kai that he never could have expected. "I overreacted earlier. Did I hurt you?"

Max shook his head, too surprised to answer. It had almost sounded like an apology, and while he could still see a hint of a frown around Kai's lips, he didn't think Kai was actually angry. There was nothing intimidating about the serious look in Kai's eyes as he spent a moment intently studying Max.

"Good," Kai confirmed shortly.

Max's heart was pounding in a sort of happy confusion. He'd thought any reaction would be fine so long as he could have Kai forgive him, but this was too unexpected.

"But what was it I did that made you so mad before? Was it because I was bothering you when you were trying to read?" Max wasn't sure he would get an answer, but he had to try. "I want to know so I don't do it again."

Before Max could plead his case further, Kai had moved to join him in the doorway. Max froze at the sudden closeness, until he realized that Kai was looking over his shoulder to check if anyone else was listening. Kai turned to meet his eyes again and Max thought his heart would try and jump up into his throat. What had he done wrong that Kai had to be so intense about it?

"I don't like having my neck touched," Kai told him. "You will not tell anyone about that."

Max shook his head obediently, far less intimidated by the commanding growl of Kai's voice than Kai probably intended. No wonder Kai had always kept his neck covered, if he was that sensitive about it. At least it wouldn't be hard to avoid triggering Kai's temper again now that he knew what he'd done.

More than that, Max got to know something about Kai that none of the others knew! Even realizing that Kai had only told him to keep him from being a pest and not because he was at all special, it still made him happy.

"You're safe with me!" Max promised. "And if there's anything I can do to make it up to you-"

"Just drop it. I was on my way out, anyway."

"Oh." Max stepped back, intending to get out of the way and let Kai go. He would have liked to join Kai again, but now that he'd managed to apologize he was aware it was probably better to give Kai a little space.

"Wait there. I have something for you."

Max was too confused and curious to do anything else. Was Kai off getting some implement of revenge? Did he have a new evening training schedule to spring on Max before he went?

When Kai returned a moment later he was carrying a small, glossy-green bundle that he pushed into Max's hands without a word. While Max was standing there, just staring at him in confusion, Kai pulled his door shut with a click and started to walk away.

"You should get out too, before your fidgeting around drives us both crazy."

Max took a closer look at the bundle Kai had given him and found it was a pair of gloves. A really nice pair of gloves, in fact. They looked warm and sturdy, and were even his favorite color!

"Are these really for me?"

"I said they were. Put them on if you're coming."

Max didn't need a second invitation. He happily pulled on the gloves and hurried after Kai. It was a little hard getting his coat on over them, but he was so happy with the gift he didn't care.

"They're really warm!" Max told Kai happily as they stepped out into the chilly air. He was sure Kai had only gotten him gloves because of his carelessness before, but somehow that made the gift even more precious to him. Kai had actually worried enough to make sure he was warm.

"Good," Kai responded. Max could practically hear in his tone that they had better be since that was what they were for, though his expression didn't visibly change.

"I love them!"

"Good." Kai's deadpan response only made Max's grin widen.

"Thank you, Kai."

Kai was apparently done answering him.

"No good?" Max teased. He trotted a little closer, but managed to suppress the urge to hug Kai. He was pretty sure Kai wasn't angry, but he could tell he was being ignored once again.

Max was glad to fall silent for a little while and let Kai think. He felt content in a way he hadn't since they had all returned to their routine at the training center. He didn't know if it was the fresh air or even Kai's silent company that he needed, but his restlessness had finally eased.

As they walked on, Max was barely able to keep up with Kai without stumbling over anything. This time they were sticking to the open area near the road, so that they could see the sunset starting to paint the sky. Max had to try not to trip over his own feet as he stared up, taking in the rich blend of colors. The scattered clouds glowed with tints from pale yellow with soft grey shadows, to ripples of red and orange that reminded Max of the sight of Dranzer's wings.

The resemblance made him glance over at Kai again, and he found his silent companion wasn't looking at the sunset at all. Instead he seemed more interested in the snow at his feet.

"I could go the other way and leave you alone?" Max offered softly. He didn't know what else to do. Kai was obviously bothered by something, even if Max was sure he was no longer angry. "It's not like either of us can get lost when there's just one road."

"I don't have a problem with you."

But he did have a problem, Max realized. Even if he didn't have any idea what it was, he got the feeling something was wrong with Kai, and he immediately wanted to fix it.

"Have you not been sleeping well?" He guessed, suddenly remembering that Kai had said he was taking a nap. And hadn't Kai been up in the middle of the night right before their match?

Kai didn't answer, though Max waited patiently. He knew after the first minute or so that Kai would just ignore the question, but he couldn't turn his attention completely back to the sky.

Max watched the light of the sunset put the faintest tints of red into the silvery parts of Kai's hair when Kai drew ahead of him. He watched the way it threw deep shadows under Kai's eyes when they turned to head back the way they had come. More than anything, he watched Kai's profile until he was sure he was picking up little hints that his favorite captain was at least calm.

As they neared the training center once again, Max finally broke the comfortable silence that had settled between them.

"Kai?" Max called to get Kai's attention. "Thank you again. I really love the gloves." He held them up and wiggled his fingers happily, and he could swear that Kai looked almost embarrassed at what a fuss he was making.

"But they're not as warm as you!" Max added playfully. With that, he sprinted ahead to the training center, giving Kai space to be as annoyed at the gratitude as he wished.

It was always the same dream.

Little details shifted and changed, but in the end Kai always found himself surrounded by black fire, colder than ice and more cloying than smoke. If he tried to take a breath it would rush into his mouth and eat away at him from the inside out. If he didn't, it would seep through his skin and do the same.

Sometimes he felt the embrace of a phoenix's wings, sheets of raw fire just a tickling warmth against his skin. Sometimes he fought back by himself. Sometimes one or another of his teammates might even appear to help him. No matter what path the dream took, Kai always found himself struggling awake just as he was consumed by darkness.

Even after waking the feeling wouldn't leave him completely for hours afterward. Just a few years ago Kai had been adept at walling off memories that he didn't want, to the point where he'd needed to be reminded more than once of things he'd completely repressed. Now he could hardly force a simple dream out of his thoughts. No matter what Kai tried he couldn't completely forget how the cold poison of Black Dranzer's presence had felt in the back of his mind, or even force himself to stop dreaming of being overpowered by it.

He knew better than to go back to sleep afterward. The remnants of the dream lingered at the edges of his mind, waiting to swallow him up again if he dared close his eyes now. No matter what he did he would end up exhausted and short on sleep, so Kai avoided throwing himself into the nightmare a second time.

It was well past midnight, but that suited Kai perfectly. At least the rest of his teammates would be asleep at this hour, and no one would question the hours he was keeping. He straightened his bed, not expecting to get any more sleep that night, and went directly to the training area.

The section they had actually claimed as their official training area was only a convenient corner of the space available, since the center had once been meant to house many more beybladers than their single team. They had picked out a private area set up for testing trainees in one-on-one matches, which was the perfect size for the four of them to practice.

Since he didn't have a sparring partner, Kai ignored the small arena with its pair of regulation dishes. One was sunk into the floor, a permanent fixture, while the other was installed on a raised base that allowed the standard dish to be swapped out for any of their small selection of trick dishes. Instead he turned to the obstacle course that wound around most of the rest of their space.

It was pieced together like Frankenstein's monster, with parts added by all five of them. Kenny had probably contributed the most, always looking for ways to help the team improve, but they had all added some twists of their own. One tricky section Ray had put together to help him practice particularly tight turns, and there was the narrow, meandering 'balance beam' Max had spent hours building that even Kai found tested the limits of his control to stay on. Tyson's most ingenious contribution was several planks of old, gouged wood, which Kai had thought a waste of time until he remembered just how many times they'd had to keep battling on an uneven surface or in a dish that had sustained heavy damage. If you could keep your blade from getting caught in one of those knotholes, a chipped dish was nothing. Kai himself had taken to weighting down the cans they still used for targets, so that it took more forceful strikes to send them flying.

Max's balancing section would be his warm-up, Kai decided. It was a smooth rail of wood, just wide enough to hold a single beyblade, that curved and looped all over the room. The rail was built over many of the other elements of the obstacle course to save space. The last time Kai had tried it he'd lost his balance and been knocked off when another blade crashed into one of the supports.

It started out easily enough with a long, sloping curve that mimicked the easy motion of spinning up to the rim of a dish. That was the only simple part, as the rail quickly became an undulating, twisted path that left no room for error. There were patches that were deliberately made smooth or rough, or tilted to one side or the other. Near the end Max had even added loop-the-loops like a roller coaster, so that no one could get through the whole course by just taking it slow.

Kai made it to the end this time. He didn't even realize until he was guiding Dranzer down the final curve at the end, which innocently mirrored the one at the beginning, how tense he was holding himself. It wasn't as if anyone would see him if he failed.

Next Kai took on the normal zig-zag course that was one of the first things they'd set up, not even breaking a sweat after the balance beam. He finished with his own addition to the course, sending his targets flying in every direction.

This level of training wasn't absorbing enough to take his mind off of things. The lingering shreds of his nightmare still gnawed at the edges of his mind, and in the eerie midnight silence Kai couldn't help imagining it really was Black Dranzer still there inside of him. Now that power had touched him, he would probably never be able to forget it completely.

Maybe it was because he was practicing that it wouldn't leave his mind. Maybe he should do something else, anything that wasn't tied to beyblading. It was snowing outside, but not very hard. Maybe a walk alone would clear his head even a little. . . .

Kai let Dranzer loop back to him, sighing in defeat as he bent to retrieve the beyblade before it spun out at his feet. This usually helped. Now he would have to try something else.

"What are you sighing about? That looked like a perfect run to me."

The voice startled Kai, making him turn to find Max standing by the doorway. He had a glass of water in one hand while he rubbed at his eyes with the other.

"You couldn't sleep either?" Max asked, taking Kai's restless training at face value.

"No."

"Just that kind of night, huh? Do you want a drink?" he offered, holding out his own glass. "Or I could make you some tea or something."

"Tea has caffeine in it."

"Oh yeah," Max yawned.

Kai weighed Dranzer in one hand, taking a moment to study Max. His fluffy blond hair was messier than usual, sticking out in all directions. The look in his eyes was soft and unassuming, dulled with sleepiness. His nose wrinkled cutely when he yawned again. Max was familiar, amiable, even endearing at times. Even preferring solitude, Kai found him easy to be around. . . sometimes.

As he struggled to reconcile the idea that he didn't mind Max's company, Kai remembered Max's aimless talk banishing the dream once before. Max was exactly the distraction he needed, but there was more to it than that. Max was safe.

"Max," Kai started. 'Talk to me,' he wanted to say, but the request refused to leave his mouth. He couldn't admit he wanted Max's help, knowing the sympathy and curiosity that would result. Those nightmares were his own personal horror, and Kai was determined to keep them private.

"Hm?"

Kai looked away from the eager boy. "You awake enough for a practice match?"

"Sure!" If he hadn't been before, he obviously was now. "Let me go get Draciel!"

Max went running off with such enthusiasm that Kai worried he would wake the others. He could hear the faint sound of running footsteps all the way to Max's room. Before Kai had even finished resetting the targets Max was back, bounding in with beyblade and launcher in hand.

"Let's use the new dish," he called, running to get it before Kai could even protest.

Their newest trick dish, nicknamed the topsy-turvy dish, was apparently a big thing in America right now. Max's mom had sent it to him for training. The dish was set on a joint that moved independently of its base with the slightest shift in weight. Ray had quickly mastered the trick of using the dish's motion to flip his opponent's blade right out, which was driving both Tyson and Kai crazy. The only reason Max could hold his ground against Ray was because he was cautious enough to keep to the bottom of the dish where he couldn't be thrown.

Kai hated that particular trick dish, but he realized he still needed to master it himself. Facing off against Max for practice wouldn't go amiss, and none of the others even needed to know. He helped Max set it up before taking his place opposite the energetic blond. Had Max really been half-asleep a few minutes ago?

"Three, two, one, let it rip!" Max shouted, his voice carrying over Kai's silence.

Both of their beyblades landed neatly on opposite sides of the dish, which immediately tipped towards Max's side. Draciel was heavier, built for stability. That was why he usually kept down away from the rim of the tilting dish, Kai suddenly realized. If he could force Max up towards the edge he could grab an easy win.

"Dranzer, drive him back!"

"Don't let him push you around, Draciel!"

Kai watched his blade arc after Max's on the attack, only to have Max stand his ground. When Kai tried to push Max's blade up the side of dish he found gravity working against him, as Max could strike back harder from the higher angle.

Breaking off, they went back to circling each other. Their blades sped around the dish, faster and faster, until Kai realized the dish was no longer rocking with the motion. They had reached a perfect harmony, balancing the dish between the two of them.

Kai looked up at his partner. Max was grinning, flushed in the face and practically reverberating with a joy Kai could feel just watching him. It was as if their match had become something less, or perhaps something more, than an outright battle. As if it was a game. Kai could feel his own heart pounding, but strangely not from the adrenaline of a suspenseful match.

Each duck and weave, each attack and retreat, was matched perfectly. Even with the difference in weight between their blades the dish stayed still, and Kai knew he was making a point to balance Max's movements as perfectly as Max complimented his.

They were playing together instead of honestly facing off. Suddenly annoyed, Kai broke off the pattern to go after Max in earnest again. Dranzer chased Max's Draciel up and around the side of the dish, making it tilt crazily until it was fit to throw them both.

Kai managed to knock Draciel out at last, almost into Max's waiting hands. His lighter Dranzer blade managed to stay in about a second longer, spinning valiantly on the rim, until momentum and gravity proved too much and tipped him out as well. Dranzer clattered to the floor on one side of the dish, directly between the two of them.

"That was great!" Max enthused.

He moved to fetch Kai's blade a second before Kai could collect it, so that Kai found Max's hand trapped under his. He gave his cheerful teammate a warning look, about to tell him to back off.

With an oblivious smile, Max picked up Kai's beyblade to lay it in his waiting hand.

"Sorry, Kai." The look Max was giving him almost seemed to invite him to share in a joke, but if so it was one Kai had missed. "I thought you were upset about something before, but it looks like I was wrong."

Clenching his hand around Dranzer, Kai turned away to avoid Max's friendly smile. He wasn't aware of it until now, but Max's presence had completely swept away the lingering sick feeling in the back of his mind. He felt clear-headed once again.

"Don't you want to go another round or two?"

"I think I'll go back to sleep now."

"Not fair! Now I'm all awake."

"Then count horses," Kai suggested, making Max laugh.

"Maybe I'll try some hot milk and honey. My dad makes that all the time when he can't sleep." Max stretched both arms over his head. "Do you want some?"

"Fine." Kai wasn't sleepy yet, and he could swear Max had just held in a yawn. He told himself it would be easier to go along with Max than be pestered by him.

Max hummed to himself as he heated the milk in the microwave. Kai dug around the cupboard until he found honey. Max's humming was almost tuneless, like the droning of a contented bee, so that Kai couldn't even try to guess the song. He was sure it was going to get on his nerves in a minute.

Max glanced over at him and gave him a playful grin as he stirred honey into their hot milk.

"What is it?" Kai muttered, not amused by the idea that Max was laughing at him.

"You're always up so early, I never would have taken you for a night-owl, but here you are," Max explained as they went to sit together on the large couch in the common room.

"Hm." Kai had no response for that. He certainly wasn't up at this hour by choice. He leaned into the armrest and sipped at his milk. It was a little too sweet for his tastes, much like his company.

Max went back to humming to himself for a few minutes, softly enough that it didn't really bother Kai. He hardly even noticed when Max's humming tapered off into silence.

Just as Kai was finishing off the last few drops of his milk, he felt Max lean into his shoulder. He would have pushed the younger boy off, but with the way Max was sagging in his seat, his own cup of milk in danger of spilling into his lap, Kai guessed he was too close to sleep to know what he was doing.

"Get to bed," Kai instructed. He eased the mug out of Max's hands and set it aside before it could fall.

"Mm. . . But 'm comfy."

Kai stood and Max slid sideways to lay in the seat he had been using, curling up as if he meant to go to sleep right there. Ordinarily Kai might have left him to it, but Max had just pushed that dream out of his head. He owed Max something, even if Max didn't know it.

"Come on," Kai grumbled, pulling at Max to get him up.

To his surprise Max came without complaint and let Kai put him briskly to bed. For all Kai knew he was asleep the minute the light went out.

Kai returned to his own room and dropped into sleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. If any dreams came to occupy him, he didn't remember them in the morning.