Chapter Six: A Day Out
6:00 AM came around before he knew it, and even though he was feeling more groggy than usual Gou decided to get up anyway. Mad at being without sleep again didn't help his mood either.
Screw this, he thought. He carelessly tossed the covers aside and got out of bed. He headed for the kitchen; careful not to wake anyone else up as he went through the front room.
Upon entering the small kitchen Gou's eyes met a fiery gaze. It was a set of tired eyes he knew all-too-well. Gou's own crimson lowered to the floor, his dark gray bangs shielded his eyes from the man at the counter. At a beep, the aroma from the nearby coffee pot filled the room. Gou's lips quivered and he swallowed the sob that threatened to escape.
Don't say those words. Don't call him Dad, Gou thought.
He wanted to say, "good morning" say "hey" to the man he admired. The man he was away from, but he couldn't and that broke his heart.
"Hey. Good morning," That made Gou's head pop up.
"Hun?" he breathed out as his gaze met the man again. For a moment, he felt like he was somewhere else. He felt like he was back at home.
"I said, 'good morning,'" The taller one spoke, sipping away at a cup of coffee.
"Uh, good morning," he finally said after a moment.
Something's bothering him, but what, Kai thought. He couldn't help but notice. He swallowed what remained of his coffee and walked over to the boy he could barely make out. The sun wasn't up yet, and just like Kai's own set, Gou's eyes seemed to glow in the dark because of how exuberant they were.
"Everything alright?" Kai asked. Gou could tell by how dry and gravelly his voice sounded that he hadn't been up for very long.
"I'm fine," he lied.
"Want some coffee," Kai said, walking back to the coffee pot. He looked at Gou the moment he stood next to it.
"You really think it's wise to give a thirteen-year-old coffee?" Kai placed a hand on the counter.
"No, and I normally wouldn't. Nor would I ask if you were alright. Because whatever's bothering you is none of my, or anyone else's, business."
I knew he could be cold, but dang, Gou thought. Shocked was an understatement.
"You make it sound like you don't care,"
"I don't,"
"Then why ask if I'm okay? That makes no sense," Kai walked over to him and put a mug of white coffee in his hands. Gou looked at the cup, then up at him again, surprised.
"Because something is compelling me to care. I don't know what it is or why. Dranzer says that you're like me in a lot of ways. She also says that you didn't sleep last night, again. Like I said, I don't know why I care about your well-being. I just do," Gou wrapped his slender fingers around the mug and took it. The heat from it warmed and relaxed him almost instantly.
I know why, Gou thought.
"Thank you for the coffee, Kai," he said.
"No problem," Kai responded.
Dranzer is telling you to protect me, to look after me. You may not understand it, but in time you will. You don't know this, but our Dranzer's are communicating with one another. She- your Dranzer- knows who I am, Gou added in thought.
Gou went to sit down at the small table and Kai followed suit after fixing himself another cup. A few minutes later Kai watched as Gou made a face.
"If you don't like it, don't drink it. No one's making you,"
"It's not that, it's good. Summer and hot liquid just don't mix well with me. Never has,"
Gou said as he removed the cup from his lips and set it down.
"Ah, I see,"
Kai got up and took the cup over to the freezer. There, he pulled some ice out of a large bag and put a big handful in the cup. On his way back he grabbed a spoon and put the now chilling coffee in front of his company. Gou watched as he did this, confused.
"I wasn't asking you to-"
"I know, and you weren't complaining either," Kai said as he sat back down. "The fact of the matter is: I don't want you getting sick on us again. Plus, you'll need energy for today,"
"Another workout?"
"No, off-day,"
"I didn't think there was such a thing as a day off for you," Kai rolled his eyes.
Snarky brat, he thought.
"We're Human, even the most dedicated will take days off,"
"What're you gonna do," Gou began drinking his coffee again. He could feel it agreeing with his stomach, which was nice.
"I've got a lot of errands to run, and if you don't mind, I'd like some help," Gou blinked.
"Okay, but why me?"
"Because, smarty, you're the only one awake," This was true.
Gou speedily got up and went to get ready.
Why do I get the feeling he's excited about doing this? Kai thought. At that Kai decided to get up and make himself some more coffee, this time in a stainless-steel thermos that he pulled from the freezer. He'd get ready in a bit.
Driving through what he believed to be intersections in a car he was not familiar with made Gou's heart pound, especially when Kai had to hit the brakes. He learned after two red lights and a stop sign to hold onto the handle or he just might go through the windshield.
"What's the matter, I thought all teenagers liked a little speed," Kai said, making another sharp right turn. This made Gou, once again, slosh around like a water balloon in his seat, which he did not like. Kai looked over and noticed how pale he was getting.
"Don't tell me you're taking me seriously," Gou said nothing. Kai took that as a yes and parked in an empty parking lot nearby.
He's spacing out again, that's not good, Kai thought, remembering what happened when they were at the beach.
"Hey. Hey, Gou, are you there? Come on look at me," he said as he lightly tapped his face with the tips of his fingers. Noticing how lethargic Gou's eyes looked, Kai opened his glove box and pulled out a stethoscope and a pack of wet wipes. Kai's eyes widened when he heard how fast Gou's heartbeat was. He put the stethoscope away and began running wipes on Gou's face.
"Gou. Gou, I need you to look at me okay. Gou!" Suddenly, the teen took a deep breath in and began coughing, which wasn't good but it could be remedied. Kai rolled down every window he had.
This should help, he thought, noticing how squeaky Gou's breathing was. With a few more deep breaths Gou finally calmed down. He turned over and looked at Kai. The hand on the handle plopped lifelessly down onto the seat. The kid looked exhausted, to say the least.
"You had either an Anxiety or a Panic Attack. I'm not sure which. But more to the point; how are you feeling? Gou?" Silence past between them as the boy gathered himself.
"It was the start of a panic attack. How did you know what to do? It wasn't the prowess of a doctor, but still, you did good,"
"I deal with cases like yours on a weekly basis. I teach fitness courses and the like at the BBA and at Bey City's local gym," Gou was intrigued. His dad never said much about what odd-jobs he did before he was born, not in detail anyway. "In six out of the ten classes that I teach there are people I have to watch closely."
Now I see. So Dad knew what to do when I had my first one. It all makes sense now, Gou thought. He continued his deep-breathing exercises.
"I'm sorry, if I had known you suffered from any of that I wouldn't have taken the backroads and sped like I did. I didn't mean for this to happen, honestly," Gou looked at him.
"We were on the backroads?"
"Yeah. What, you think I'd pull stunts like this on the highway? Hell no. I'm not an idiot. Even Tyson isn't that much of a dummy," Gou relaxed at that.
I didn't think he was that stupid, but like my uncles have always said, 'You never know what to expect from a man like him.' I guess every man has a 'way to let loose' side and this is his, Gou thought.
"I really am sorry, Gou," Kai said.
"No, don't worry about it, it's fine. I'm okay, really. I know you didn't mean for this to happen and I had fun. I don't think it was how you drove that caused it anyway. Those things- they occur at random, or because of stress, you know that,"
"Yeah,"
"Why did you go that fast and take this route anyway?"
"Two reasons," Gou nodded.
"Because my car needed a workout and to use up some gas so I can fill up before we head back,"
"Why?" Kai took a drink from his thermos and started his car.
"So I don't have to hear Tyson complain about me drinking a whole pot of coffee. If you want to hear it I'll take you back. It's entertaining, to say the least. Not to mention a good idea, considering," Gou shook his head, laughing.
"No thank you, I'd rather be here,"
"Okay, but if you start feeling funny again just let me know, and I'm serious, don't be a tough guy,"
"Understood."
Their first stop wasn't too far from the dojo. It was something Gou never thought he'd see himself in front of.
"A nail salon?" he said as he watched Kai undo his seatbelt. He undid his and got out of the car too. He was reluctant to though.
"Yeah,"
"What are we doing here exactly?" Gou said as they walked through the double doors. The overwhelming smell of acetone nearly made him sick to his stomach, dizzy, and fall to the floor. Kai gave him a few good pats on the back to make him stay upright.
"You'll be okay," Kai said as he did it.
"Okay. But you never said what we're here for, and please don't say it's to get your nails done," Gou said as he walked with Kai to the counter. The man stayed quiet, which unsettled Gou, just a little bit.
"Hello, Kai,"
"Hey, Saras. Where's your mum," Saras knew Kai was mocking her. So, to get back at him she spritzed him with water from one of the spray bottles that she kept in her apron. Kai was like a cat, unless he went near it himself, he hated water. Saras laughed as he tried to take it away from her.
Saras was a cheerful Scottish woman with long red hair and bright green eyes that made it seem like she was from another world. It was so easy to get lost in them; Kai had a time or two. Luckily Hilary wasn't around or she would've accused him of cheating. Saras looked no older than twenty-five.
"Mum's out. Now, what can I do for- Oh? I see ya have someone with you. You never told me you had a younger brother, Kai. He's a cute one,"
"I'm just a fan. Nothing more," Gou told her. His words were rather cold and his stare was Icey, very reminiscent of the man to his left. Kai was surprised.
I thought only I could do that. Dang, Like his father, Gou masked his pain well, but no matter how many times he said that phrase, it still cut like a knife.
"Well, you do a great job at impersonatin' him. You could pass for twins, honestly,"
"Thanks," Kai responded.
"Saras, is my order ready?" he added.
"Um, let's see," She pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket. "Three jumbo bottles of Remover, four big bottles of clear gel topcoat, six bottles of royal blue, two bottles of red, two bottles of silver, two bottles of white, one bottle of neon green, one bottle of yellow, and five bottles of dark purple, and two large jars of jewelry cleaner. Plus, a twelve-pack of cleaning rags, blade polish, blade cleaner, cotton balls, Q-tips, and a pint of oil." Saras looked at Kai, winded. Gou's jaw was dropped.
"Yup, that's everything,"
"What?!" Gou said, baffled.
"What's my total this time," Kai said, taking out his wallet.
No way, Gou thought.
"Your total is, $31.67,"
Unbelievable, he added.
"Have a nice day. Come again soon,"
"Thanks, Saras."
Gou followed Kai out to the car and got in. He put on his seatbelt and watched as Kai doublechecked everything in his bags.
"We are good to go. On to the next stop,"
"Okay,"
As they rounded another corner Gou spoke up,
"So, why a nail salon? Why not a hobby shop like a normal blader?"
I was wondering when you were going to ask, he thought.
"It's cheaper if I get the tools to both design and clean it myself, than to pay someone like Max's dad or mom to do it for me. I'm picky about who I let touch Dranzer, plus, I like my privacy. I'll only hand my blade over to them if there's a repair I'm not able to do myself. That goes for Kenny too. None of them take offense to it. They know that's just the way I am,"
"That's understandable."
"So, where to now?" Gou asked.
"The grocery store,"
"What the- The grocery store? Dude, there's food at the dojo and it's packed. We don't need any more food,"
"They're packed, but I'm not. Why do you think I've eaten dinner there the past few days?"
"Wait? You don't live with, Tyson?"
"No, only Ray and Daichi do. Max, Kenny, and Hilary have homes here, and I live on my own in an apartment complex near downtown,"
"Oh,"
I never knew that, Gou thought.
"I won't be getting much, because we'll be leaving Saturday afternoon for Russia. The world championships start there, and they'll end in Washington D.C. Where we'll go in-between those places I have no idea. Mr. Dickenson loves surprising us,"
"Yeah, he sure does." Gou said.
Hiro's the same way. I guess it rubbed off on him, Gou thought.
Noticing something he hadn't before Gou's heart sank. There, near the neckline of Kai's black v-neck t-shirt, was a single reddish-pink mark. It was just above his chest.
No, did I fail? I gotta find out, he thought.
"Kai, if you don't mind, could I stay with you?" As soon as they pulled into the Walmart parking lot Kai got out of the car and walked into the store. Gou groaned.
Shit, he thought. He got out and ran after the fast walking man.
"Look, I'm sorry. Dumb question, I know. Just forget I asked it," He said as he caught up with him.
Kai turned and looked at the boy after putting some bananas in his cart. Gou could tell he was contemplating something and that it was best to keep silent.
"Hold this," Gou let out an arm and on it Kai slid the cart. "Be prepared to use those muscles. It'll fill up fast," Gou nodded. Out of the corner of his eye he could see him picking up another cart.
Minus a few exchanges here and there, the whole time they were in the store neither of them spoke a word. Both knew they'd push the other if the wrong thing was said, so both decided to keep quiet. It was a tense and awkward silence, but it was needed if they both wanted to think and speak clearly later. Before Gou knew it Kai had paid for his groceries, and they were driving through the four-way intersection again.
"I have to go get my renewed passport from Mr. Dickenson, a new suitcase, and reserve a parking space at the airport for my car. Then we'll be on our way home, after we get some things from Tyson's of course,"
"We? You mean-"
"Yeah, you can stay with me. You might want to go home before Saturday though,"
"I don't have a home. Remember?"
"Yeah, right. Well, you do now," He peered at him out of the corner of his eye and with a smirky type of smile he added, "Gou."
There are so many differences between us. I'm not a morning person, you are, kind of. I can't drink a lot of hot things like coffee, you can. Honestly, I don't even like coffee; I prefer smoothies in the morning, even when it's cold out, you don't. I don't mind when Max or Kenny touch my Beyblade, but you did. You like things fast sometimes, I go with the flow and take things at my own pace. I have better people skills than you do but considering your upbringing that's not a big surprise. I'm way more polite than you were at my age and my shyness seems to show more than yours did. I'm not as confident outside the dish as you are. My emotions drive me more than my head does, and as you always say, that's a mixed blessing. I like cutting jokes and picking on a person or two. You, not so much. I'm argumentative, and you are too but only on the honorable things. At least with me, you only argue to teach a lesson or two. I do wish I was more like you though. There's still time, and maybe one day, I will be, Gou thought, looking out the window.
It took another hour before all was said and done. When they finally arrived at Kai's apartment, which was on the fifth floor, it took all Gou had not to plop on the couch. He may be in front of his dad, but this man didn't know him as his son yet. To Kai, he was just another strange kid who, out of nowhere, asked to live with him.
"To be honest I'm surprised you said yes to me living here. Let alone staying with you for the tournament," Gou said as he watched Kai remove his shoes. Gou looked around, taking everything in.
"It's so, average," Kai walked past him, putting groceries away.
"Well, of course, it is. I'm Human. I make messes every-now-and-again. If you want prim, proper, pristine, and perfect go find a mansion with service and stay there," Kai tossed him two bags. "Now, put those in the bowl on the coffee table for me," Gou looked at him. He knew Kai was joking
"Right," Though his face didn't show it, Kai's attitude sure did. He was happy to have someone around. Someone that understood his sense of humor anyway.
That night, Gou helped Kai make dinner. Homemade Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. Dinner between those two was wolfed down pretty quickly. They were either that hungry or it was just that good, neither could tell, and neither really cared. They were just happy to have food in their stomachs.
As the two sat on the sofa Gou looked around again, more closely this time, and recognized some of the books from his dad's office.
"You like to read, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. It's a hobby I'm starting to lose time for, but just like with everything else in my life, that doesn't mean I don't try and make the time for it. At it's core, Life is a balancing act,"
I know the answers, but I'll ask this anyway, he thought.
"Any favorites?" Gou asked.
"I'm fond of old legends. I love Mythology, and I like Fantasy too. I read more classic literature than anything else though. Examples include Aesop, Edgar Allen Poe, Hans Christian Anderson, Shakespeare, and Ernest Hemmingway. I like the works of J. R. R. Tolkien as well. What about you?"
"I like Tolkien and Mythology too, along with some old legends. However, I don't like the classics. I'm sorry but I don't. I know they paved the way for people like Tolkien but to me they're boring and they make my head hurt. It's ironic though,"
"Why's that,"
"Because I love Oscar Wilde's stuff. My favorite book by him is, 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.' My other favorite book is, 'Moby Dick' by-"
"Herman Melville. I know," Kai said.
"Besides books, I also like comic books," Gou said. Kai found the stories themselves interesting, but he was never able to make himself sit down and read them. "My favorite superhero is Batman, while my favorite villain is Two-Face. Followed by The Joker, then Clayface. Then there's Harley Quinn but I won't get into her." Kai nudged Gou's side playfully.
"Why not she's hot?" Gou punched him in the arm, not hard though.
"Because she's fake… and she's insane,"
"She's still sexy though and you think so. I can see it, it's written all over your face,"
"Okay, fine, but only in the beginning when Joker hasn't used reverse psychology on her yet,"
This went on for a while and eventually, the playful nudges and banter turned into a wrestling match. At the end of it all, Kai won. But, Gou put in a few good moves that caught even someone like him off-guard.
Helping Gou to his feet Kai turned and went to his room. He'd already made a space for Gou to sleep. Luckily, his couch doubled as a pull-out bed.
"Night,"
"Night, Kai, and thank you again."
"No problem,"
There are similarities too of course, and it's not just in the way we look and act. It's what we like and our views on things. And I believe, that is what makes the bond we have that much harder to break, Gou thought.
For the first time in days, Gou was able to sleep soundly. He wasn't sure why, but his heart was full of optimism, and he prayed it stayed that way.
To be continued…