Disclaimer: I do not, and sadly never will, own Beyblade or any of its characters. If I did, Ray and Kai would definitely be all over each other throughout the entirety of the show xD

Summary: The BladeBreakers live together and Mr. Dickinson invites the Demolition Boys to stay with them for a while. Tala notices a few things and helps Ray get Kai by making him jealous! KaRe

A/N- Sorry, this took longer than planned, but hopefully it's worth the wait. I want to personally thank sasukechica, and YuriFonFabre since I was unable to reply to their reviews before posting this.

I'm so happy that you all enjoyed the fluff in the last chapter yet didn't think I overdid Kai's social skills. That was something that really worried me, so I was thankful for the positive feedback on it.

This chapter was HELL for me.. I'm not sure why, but I kept wanting to stop. I literally forced myself to sit down and write it today. Blah, I hope you all enjoy it, it gets a little interesting at the end

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Previously;

"Oh! That's great! I didn't win anything, I wasn't patient enough. But Ranny won all these," he said as he indicated the five toys he was holding in his arms.

Ray smiled, "Wow Bryan, you must be good."

"Not as good as me, I'm sure." Kai said with a challenging smirk.

That was all that needed to be said as Bryan smirked back and the two took off towards the games, being followed by Ray and Tala who both rolled their eyes, with a small smile on their lips.

Now; The Plan is Finally in Motion

The competition went on for what felt like forever, but Ray had to admit, the smile that crossed Kai's face with every win was absolutely breathtaking. He'd be willing to play games all throughout the night if it kept that smile on his captains face.

It wasn't long before both Tala and Ray had joined in the activities, and it also wasn't very long before Tala had claimed that playing carnival games was stupid and decided to sit out and watch. Ray had learned very quickly that Tala was quite competitive, and did not like losing. He had also learned that when Tala did lose, he was a sore loser.

The boys were playing basketball again, but this time it was a three way competition. Bryan and Ray were really getting into the swing of things, and Ray was just about to win, having already knocked Kai out, when Tala accidentally fell on him.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay Ray?" The Chinese boy rolled his eyes as the red head clumsily pulled him to his feet.

Bryan smirked, "Awe, well doesn't that just suck." Swish. Seems Bryan won this round.

Kai got a ferocious look in his eyes as he stopped pouting, leading Bryan to a new game. Kai was even more competitive with Bryan than he had been when he needed to win the shooting game. Unfortunately for Kai, Bryan seemed to be good at everything.

They were evenly matched in the wins department though, despite Bryan's natural ability. Kai's determination was proving to be enough to keep him in league with the pale Russian. Basketball had been the only thing that Ray had dominated at, he had chosen to take the back seat when it came to the majority of the games.

After a few more games, Ray chose to let the boys do their thing while he hung back with Tala.

"Isn't Kai just great at this game?" Tala asked, in what Ray took as a dreamy manner.

Ray shrugged, "I think Bryan will win."

What?

Tala's eyes slit slightly as he took in what Ray had just said. He had been watching the boy closely, and was positive that he could make Kai happy. He knew Ray could be the one to break through Kai's defences the way the Demolition Boys had done.

Kai was such an important person to him. He wanted to see the other boy happy, and was willing to help in any way he could. There was definitely chemistry between himself and Kai, nobody could deny that, but Tala knew it was nothing compared to their friendship. But.

Yes, there was always a but.

Looking at Ray, and the way he was looking at Bryan, was really disturbing. Could he have been wrong? He was always so good at these types of things when it came to matching up the couples on tv shows who were just perfect for each other and didn't realize it yet. Was there really a chance that he was mistaken and that Ray actually fancied Bryan?

Tala scowled. "C'mon Kai! I know you can do it! Wooo!" he cheered out loud, jumping up and down with a renewed energy. He would get to the bottom of this, no matter what. There was no way he could be wrong, and he was going to prove it. He found his first success in the angry glare his peripherals caught.

Time seemed to drag on for both Tala and Ray as they followed the boys, their arms being piled up with stuff animals as the two Russians dragged them from game to game.

"We should meet up with the others," Tala announced as he looked at his watch, noticing that it was already 8pm. It was still light outside, the sun only just beginning to set, but Tala was really starting to get annoyed with not being the center of attention.

Bryan and Kai both reluctantly agreed as they contacted Ian and Spencer, who were already with Tyson and Max. The group met up, and decided it would be best if they just head back. They called for the car and waited for its arrival while Bryan and Kai argued over who had ultimately won

They arrived back at the house within the hour, and Ray immediately went to take a shower after dropping the toys off in his room. He carefully placed the first toy Kai had handed him on his bed, along with the giant tiger. He couldn't help but have a smile glued to his face, he felt that he and Kai had really bonded at the carnival – until Tala had showed up that is.

'I guess he didn't really say anything more than usual. But he made an attempt to talk and have fun, that's definitely worth something in my books. Maybe I can get him to open up to me the way he does to Tala if I just try hard enough.'

Ray sighed as he let the hot water hit his body, relaxing his muscles. His thoughts were solely on Kai, he couldn't get the other boys gorgeous smile out of his mind. He sank down into the tub and rest his head on the wall while the water continued to fall on him. How could he be in love with the one person who could never return his feelings?

He was almost positive now that there was something between Tala and Kai, regardless of what either said. He might be naive at times, but the red head made it damn near impossible for anyone within a 50 mile radius to miss the adoring looks he was sending Kai throughout the duration of the night.

Ray stepped out of the shower and let out a loud scream before a strong pale hand was clamped over his mouth.

"Shhh!! You're gunna make my ear drums burst."

The Chinese boy blinked and focused as a mass of red came into his line of vision. "T..Tala?" he asked, looking around to make sure he was still in the locked bathroom. "Um..."

"What's the matter? You look surprised kitty."

Ray mumbled with a dazed look on his face, "Don't call me that.." as he continued looking around. "How did you get in here?"

"Window," Tala said with a shrug as if it was nothing that he somehow managed to squeeze himself through the tiny bathroom window.

"Okay.......... and why are you in here?"

"You might want to grab a towel before we get down to the good stuff."

Ray blushed as he realized he was still in the buff. He quickly grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his lower waist.

Tala pouted. "I was only teasing. I really didn't mind you standing there stark naked."

Ray's blush deepened. "What do you want?" he almost growled.

"I want to discuss this little thing you have for Kai."

Amber eyes widened as he stared at the smirking boy across from him. "W-what a..are you t-t-talking about?" he asked with a slight stutter.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Kitten."

The others eyes suddenly hardened. "Why would you think I know what the hell you're talking about? You sneak up on me while I'm in the shower, and then start sputtering bullshit and expect me to understand? What the fuck are you on Tala?"

Tala rolled his eyes. "No need for the language Ray. I'm only here to help you."

"Help me? Ha! I highly doubt that. I seriously don't know what the hell your messed up mind has come up with, but you realllly don't need to worry about me getting in the way of you and Kai."

The red heads features turned to that of confusion. "Me and Kai? What? In what world does "help you" translate into "stay away from Kai"? and you say I have a messed up mind? Seriously Kitten, chill."

Ray blinked a few times, Tala wasn't here to tell him to back off Kai? What was he here for then?

"Hellloooo? Anybody in there?" Ray focused as he saw the pale hand waving back and forth in his face.

"What do you mean help me?"

"You want Kai, don't you?"

Ray stared at the boy for a few moments, unsure of what to say.

"It's honestly not that difficult of a question."

"Tala. I don't know what you think you see between us, but there is nothing. Now if you'll excuse me," he said as he walked past the Russian, bumping his shoulder while he did so. "I'd really rather get dressed."

Ray unlocked the door to the bathroom. This was definitely the last time he used the bathroom on the first floor, he wasn't ever going to risk having creepy people sneak in through the window again while he was showering. He turned to the right once he was out of the bathroom and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Raaay! Wait up!" Tala said from inside the room where he was still standing on the same spot. He quickly turned around and followed after Ray, only to collide with the boys back. "Oww," he grumbled.

In front of the two, was Kai.

"Awe, Kitty-kins! Why did you run outta there?" Tala asked as he dipped his head close to Ray's ear, visibly making the other boy shudder from his cool breath.

Ray turned his head slightly to the left and looked at Tala with big eyes, bringing their faces mere centimetres from each other, then he looked back at Kai. Well, he would have looked back at Kai, but the other boy was effectively Missing in action. Kai was always MIA though, so no surprise there, but damn, he moved quick. Wasn't it only seconds ago that he was standing there, staring at them with the most ferocious blank stare anyone could muster? For a boy who had no expression on his face, his eyes sure said a lot.

Tala snapped his fingers in front of Ray's face, "You like to daze off a lot, don't you?"

Ray shrugged. "What the hell was that?"

"That my friend, was proof that Kai wants you too."

Ray flushed, "What do you mean 'too' Tala? I never said I wanted Kai."

The red head rolled his eyes. "Oh please. I thought we had made it past this stage."

"Seriously Tala. Back off." Tala shrugged and walked away, allowing Ray to make his way upstairs to his bedroom. He passed Kai's room and heard the loud blare of music that clearly stated "Do Not Disturb".

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Kai walked into his room, closing the door a little harder than necessary. He instantly spotted the two t-shirts lying on the ground and growled. 'Tala.'

He picked the shirts up and hung them back in his closet, he hated mess, and Tala knew it. The pesky red head was always trying to get him to loosen up about needing things to be in their proper place, but he could just never do it.

Thinking of Tala made his blood boil. What had Tala been doing in the bathroom with Ray? And why was Ray in nothing but a towel?

He growled again as he walked over to his stereo, putting in his favourite CD and blasting the volume before falling onto his bed, face first. There had never been a time before that moment where Tala had managed to piss him off so much. His best friend had tried many things to break his calm exterior, and now he had upset him more than ever, without even trying.

He knew Tala wasn't intentionally doing anything to provoke these emotions from him, but he still couldn't help but feel them. And so what if Tala had a crush on Ray? Maybe Ray liked him back. Tala would probably be better for Ray anyway; at least he knew how to show his feelings.

Those thoughts frustrated Kai even further. He wanted his best friend to be happy, but why did Tala need to pick the one person that Kai wanted? It was true that he would probably never tell Ray about his feelings anyway, but still, he didn't want someone else telling Ray about their feelings either.

"Ugh!!" he groaned in irritation, burying his face deeper into his pillow. He had a tough decision to make; fight for the one he wants, or let his best friend have the one he wants. Neither seemed desirable to him at the moment.

If he fought for Ray, he would definitely make a fool of himself, especially if Ray already had a thing for Tala. And if he were to just give up on Ray and let Tala have him, then how would he ever know if there could have been something between the two of them?

It's not like he felt overly sentimental when it came to Ray, but the other boy just did something to him. Almost as if he was lighting a spark. Kai's day was usually uneventful and spent in solitary, ignoring everyone who even tried to get close to him, but with Ray, it was different. He made Kai feel things he hadn't before, made him want to see him just so he could get that feeling of excitement in his stomach. He loved whenever the Chinese boy would smile, even if it wasn't directed at him.

He noticed that Ray acted slightly different around him, but everyone acted different around him. They were all scared to do or say the wrong thing. He really wished that Ray wasn't afraid of him, but he had never given the other boy any reason not to be. He was a little nicer to him than to the others, but that didn't really say much.

Maybe if he tried to treat Ray the way Tala treated him then the amber eyed boy would fall for him?

.....

...

..

Yeah right. Like Kai could actually treat someone the way Tala treated people. Tala just had a charm about him and people felt a natural connection. Although, it seemed weird to Kai that Ray would have a thing for Tala since the younger boy always seemed to be annoyed when the red head was around.

Kai himself had called Ray 'kitten' before, and the only reaction he had received was a slight blush of embarrassment, but when Tala did it, Ray turned bright red and got this infuriated look in his eyes. Maybe it just embarrassed him so much more when Tala did it because of his crush?

'I honestly was beginning to think he liked Bryan' Kai thought to himself. It was true. He had noticed the boy warming up to Bryan quickly, and even the bigger boy himself seemed to have a soft spot for Ray. What would he do if both Tala and Bryan had a thing for Ray, how could he compete with that? Even though Bryan showed less emotion than he did, he still treated Ray a lot nicer than he did, and he smiled at him. Kai rarely smiled at Ray, even though they had been teammates and travelling together this entire time.

"You'd think I could learn to loosen up," he mumbled to himself, his cheek now resting on his pillow. 'Loosening up' just wasn't apart of who he was, and he knew that Ray understood that. But still, even if Ray understood, it didn't help the situation.

Maybe Ray didn't even like guys? He couldn't exactly assume that Ray would choose Tala or Bryan over him, when maybe there was more of a likely chance that he would choose Mariah over all three of them.

-----

Ray walked out of his room and noticed Kai's door opening. Should he ask what made him leave so quickly before? Or would it be better to just pretend he hadn't noticed? With Kai, it was probably better to ignore it.

"Hey," he said as he smiled at his captain.

Kai's facial appearance looked like he was struggling with something, before he settled on an awkward look. "Hi," he finally greeted.

"You going downstairs?"

Blue hair shook back and forth, "Shower," he said, indicating to the bath towel and shampoo in his hands.

Ray grinned in a goofy manner when he realized his mistake, how could he miss that Kai was holding a towel? He continued to head towards the stairs, "Have a good shower." With that, he walked away.

When he reached the living room, he noticed Tala sitting lazily in the beanbag chair with his feet up resting on Bryan's knees.

Ray walked to the loveseat and sat beside Bryan, noticing the way Tala stopped talking for a split second. "Hi," the red head greeted, though it was more of a cover up for the way he stopped midsentence.

Ray looked at him for a moment, still embarrassed about what had transpired in the bathroom earlier.

"Wow. I can feel the love in this room," Bryan half joked, still with a straight face, the sentence coming out as more of a deadpan.

Ray raised an eyebrow before smiling sweetly, "I don't know what you mean."

Tala rolled his eyes, "Can you get me some water Ranny?"

Bryan groaned but got up and walked towards the kitchen.

"Knock it off," was the first thing that came from Tala's mouth once he was sure Bryan was out of hearing range.

"Knock what off Tala?" Ray asked, still keeping up the sweet act, with a detectable note of malice.

"Stop flirting with Bryan! I know you are."

Ray's eyes widened. "Moi? Never."

Tala's anger melted away and he stared at Ray. "You don't really like him, do you?"

Ray shrugged, "He's nice. Why?"

The red head couldn't stop the growl that came from deep in his throat. "So you wouldn't mind if I hooked up with Kai then?"

The tanned boy swallowed the lump in his throat as he shook his head no.

"Ugh!" Tala shouted. "Stop lying!"

"I'm not lying!"

"I'm going to get you together with Kai whether you like it or not!!"

Ray blushed, so Tala really did want to help him get why Kai. "Why?"

The Russian shrugged, "His eyes light up when he sees you."

A thin, sceptical eyebrow rose. "No they don't."

"Okay.. well maybe they don't ACTUALLY light up... but I've seen the way he looks at you at times. I know you mean something to him. I'm not completely sure what, but I know it's there."

Ray sighed. "Does Kai even like guys?"

"He goes either way,"

That was definitely news to Ray. He had never seen Kai show interest in anyone; male or female. He slightly wondered how Tala knew that, since they hadn't talked very often since they were young. Maybe they had secretly kept in touch?

"Maybe you could help me," he mumbled shyly.

The serious look finally disappeared off of Tala's face and the red head broke into a grin... this was going to be fun.

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A/N – There it is people! Sorry this chapter took so long.. to me it honestly feels like I updated last week.. like these few weeks have ZOOMED by, idk why. I'm leaving for New York on the 12th, so I will try and get an update out before then, but I have a crap load of school work to get done before the term break .

So.. I looked at my profile for the first time in a while, like really looked at it, just for the sake of reading what I wrote.. and omg, I LOVE my picture of Kai/Ray.. It's been the same pic for quite a while, but I forgot how much I love it, its adorable3

Okay, I know that was random.. I just wanted to point out how cute I think it is haha.