I don't own beyblade.
Thank you sky'd for reviewing :* ^_^

Update: Edited on June 2018.


Chapter 09
the echo of shattering

"What have you been up to?"
"Nothing…just doing some packing". At this Hiromi's heart faltered. Packing? What is he talking about?
"Kai are you….?"

The next words made her blood run cold.
"I am leaving for Russia, Today" Kai stated coldly.

It felt like someone had taken the ground from beneath her feet. And she was now plunging in an ocean of oblivion, void….unknown.
She managed to ask, when she finally found her voice.

"But why?" Hiromi stammered.

Kai sighed. He explained then.
"Just after grandfather's death, I received a call from his lawyer. He said I need to look after his company, solve some legal matters". Then he added bitterly" Clean up the fucking mess he created"

Ouch, she didn't see that coming. Of course, his grandfather was the CEO of a company. After his death, all assets would automatically go to Kai. So it was only fair that he has to go and look after it. But still the news of his departure hit her like a racing truck.

"So…hmm when will you return?" Hiromi hesitantly asked.

Kai didn't answer her. His silence said it enough. He wasn't going to return. Not now, not ever. Hiromi gritted her teeth, incase her tears betrayed her. She then asked a pointed question.

"Where does it leaves us then?"
"I don't know". The silence between them was getting so heavy; you could almost cut it with a knife.
"I see" Hiromi said coolly.

Kai observed her from corner of his eyes. Her jaw was tightening. The hands resting in her lap were balling into fists. She was trying to hold herself from the blow he inflicted. Kai knew that look. He had seen Hiromi doing that whenever Tyson used to snap at her and she couldn't answer back so as to not cause a scene or was way too hurt to hurl a response. In this case, it was the latter one.

Hiromi stood up. She wanted to flee before she broke down in front of him. Already she has exposed so much of her in front of him. Without looking at him, she spoke.

"Well good luck Kai….i hope that is enough to suffice you…. for whatever, you are looking for".

And with that she left. But traced her steps slowly. Waiting for him to grab her hand and give her a bruising kiss. Waiting for him to say stop and making a promise of returning to Japan. To her. But he didn't.

Hiromi finally ran. Away from the bench, away from the park and away from him. She blocked her mind from thinking. Her only notion for now was to run far far away. Because if she started thinking, she wouldn't be capable of running to her sanctuary. She wanted to cover herself, because despite being clothed, she felt naked, nude and oh so vulnerable.
She finally reached her house. She quickly ran to her room, curling up in her bed. And began to cry harshly like a wounded animal. At that moment, Hiromi felt not a human but an animal. An animal used and then toss away like it was nothing. Fuck it hurts.


Kai watched her running down from the hill. Her actions revealed it enough that right now and in coming time she wants to distance herself from him.

'Good for her'. But then, Kai felt something too. Like a piece inside of him has become hollow. It was yearning to be filled. But with what?

'Damn it….it's that feeling again, the feeling of emptiness'.

The limousine stopped, near the gates of park. Kai saw it. It was his call. As he went down, he was trying his best to erase the image of Hiromi that was imprinted on his mind. If he will remember her, he wants to remember her good, her good smiling face. Not that one, which Hiromi had before departing. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he knows that face will haunt him. He can't deny that when he saw her lips paling and her eyes growing wide with fear, it did made his heart crack.
But what was he supposed to do? Give her a promise that he will come back to her?

He had to cleanse his Grandfather's business. That will take a lot of time, considering what that man has been up to. And secondly, while he does admit that he likes Hiromi….but does he really like her that much? Enough to take her with him…..for that Kai was unsure. That's the thing he detested about himself. Being unsure. It made his vision blurry and thoughts confused.

Before getting in to car, he thought:
'I am sorry Hiromi….but I just can't'


The clock became her best friend. Now that is new. Time can never be someone friend. In Hiromi case, it did.
Hiromi Tachibana would stare at it for hours. The hands moving forward give her comfort. It's moving forward assured her that she wasn't struck in one place. But there was one problem. Clocks never talk.

Hiromi thinks this is a major setback. With technology coming and upgrading, no one ever thought to invent talking clocks?

One might assert it as a ridiculous idea, but to Hiromi it sounds brilliant. Because you can tell your feelings to it and in return it might give soothing words. Just think of the possibilities. You will think twice before throwing it at the wall because you owe that clock. Sadly that's not how things work.

So Hiromi had to do ado with nothing but stare at the clock and the walls. They were the only company. The option of confiding it to friends was already buried. What would she tell them? That she and Kai were nothing but fuck buddies for the past few months. No one would understand. Not even her closest girlfriends. She knows she can trust them. They will comfort her alright, but it will come at a heavy price. They will chide her. They will apprehend her with hurtful comments. Already she had pictured their reactions.

With Mariah

"Aww…you poor kitten come here" Mariah would coo her and wrap her arms around her. And Hiromi would take it gladly. But then….
"But seriously Romi?! Him?" Mariah would add with a stern expression" Kai Hiwatari? You know full well he was a jerk…..but I never thought you of all the people would cross that limit"

With Emily

"There there….Romi….don't cry, wipe those tears of yours" Emily would say, a kind expression adorning her features and handing out a napkin" Don't waste tears for him"
Then she would say;
"Although I would suggest….you cry out now but don't cry later, because I read it in research that blocking the pain would increase it, so it's better to face it"
Trust an intelligent person to say that. But sometimes you want to kill the brain of that person. Emily being a forceful girl would bluntly state;
"You should have seen that coming you know. I don't see the point of you crying over it. You knew that was going to happen"

So insensitive. Despite being her best friends, Hiromi just can't tell them.

Hiromi needed someone to whom she can vent out her frustration, her feelings, her hurt….everything. And expect a person not to comfort her, but at least not to judge her harshly.

"It sucks to be alone" Hiromi muttered, looking at her red alarm clock that was perched on the bedside cabinet.
It's not just the insensitivity. But looking at the whole picture, she can't confide this to blade breakers as well. Because first, they won't believe her. And secondly, she can't because she and Kai had their reputations to consider. They might take her side and give solace to her, but that too will come with snide remarks. Nope, its better she sucked it up like a good girl. But Hiromi knew that with each passing second, she's close to breaking. One day she will. And for that time, she prayed sincerely that someone comes to her and picks up her shattered form. Because at that time, she will not be strong enough to mend it back.


"What about hobbit? We can watch that" Ray suggested.
"No it's boring" Tyson replied.
"What?!" Kenny said, clearly offended" How can you say that? You haven't even read the novels!"
"Chief….I can always tell what movies will be like from the trailers….when I watched the trailers of hobbit….it was full of magic and mystic and that's just not my stuff"
"Well then what is your stuff?" Ray asked.
"This is my stuff baby" Tyson said elated, showing the DVD cover of fast and furious 4. Ray, Kenny and Max groaned.
"Tyson we had watch that movie like a million times…can't we watch anything else?" Max pointed out, rifling the DVDs that were scattered on a floor.

Since Kai left, the mood of dojo became blue as well. No one felt like smiling. It's like they lost something precious….which Kai was. Everybody got so used to him, despite the fact him leaving the team several times. It was as if their family had broken. Like Hiromi, they felt hollow.

But there is nothing they can do about it. They had to move on. Chief after conducting a research to ward off depression stated that they should watch a movie. Not just one, but parts of it as well. In short a movie marathon day.

Which is why, they were all sitting on a wooden floor in a warm afternoon choosing which movie would do the best job.

Hiromi was there as well. Only this time, she wasn't involved in a discussion. Right now, following her current condition, she didn't want to indulge herself in anything. She was sitting beside the door; a leg curled to her side and was staring at the space blankly.

"So fast and furious?!" Tyson confirmed.
"What...but you didn't even casted a vote" Ray protested.
"Come on let's watch it guys….the plan is brilliant, we can watch 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 parts of it and I so want to watch 6 too" Tyson whined.
"But you watched the 6 part just last week…" Max injected.
"Exactly! Come on Tyson let's watch hobbit" Kenny pleaded. While the discussion was going on, Daichi entered the room. The red haired looked around the room and found the person to whom he wanted to talk: Hiromi.

Daichi nervously approached Hiromi, who still looked lost. She however was pulled out of her thoughts.

"Romi?" Daichi began.
"Hm?" Hiromi peered at Daichi who appeared to be sweating and was fiddling his fingers. That's odd. He only looked that way when Hiromi was about to beat him due to the blunt comments he sprouted or some trouble he caused. The situation suggested neither.
"Something wrong Daichi? You looked all tensed up"
"There is a favor I have been wanting to ask from you…." Daichi trailed.
"What is it?" Daichi looked at Hiromi. This is it. Speak now!
"We are planning a movie marathon, you know that….so is it okay if Ming Ming comes?!" Daichi spoke in a rush.
The previous Hiromi would have punched the living day lights out of Daichi for suggesting it at the first place. But since that Hiromi has gone to God knows where, the solemn Hiromi didn't resist.

"Why are you asking me?" Hiromi asked meekly.
"Huh?" Daichi raised his eyebrows, going back to what Hiromi said.
"Do as you please" Hiromi finally answered, going back to staring at space.
"Okay" Daichi mouthed, leaving Hiromi at peace. She should have gone berserk. But she didn't. Daichi gleefully left the room. Boy it sure was his lucky day. And it turns out that the boys have decided the movie as well.

"So we are watching Hobbit….does everyone agrees to this?" Tyson asked unenthusiastically.
"Yes" Kenny said beaming.
"Fine"
"Alright then" Max happily whooped. Tyson with a miserable expression kept the DVDs away of fast and furious. Ray saw this and tried to cheer him up.
"Brighten up ty….you still get to see the movies…..you never know you might even like it"
"I hope so" Tyson replied. Then he glanced towards the brunette girl.
"Romi you are coming tomorrow right?" Tyson asked.
"Hm? Yeah sure…..but what for?" Hiromi asked politely.
"Well to watch movies….duh!" Tyson said forcefully" geez you have been daydreaming a lot these days. What's gone over you?"
"Nothing" Hiromi mumbled. If only you knew. But the blue-haired was oblivious. So were the rest of them.


The next day, Hiromi was combing through her clothes that were hung in her wardrobe, deciding what to wear.
She pulled the drawer and saw a neat pile of jeans shorts. Her favorite clothing. She picked it up, but it couldn't get out because a string was struck in a zipper. A string of her skirt, Hiromi guessed, pulling the shorts out forcefully this time.
It wasn't the string of her skirt that was struck in a zipper. It was a line of sewing of her hat. A navy blue sailor hat.
For a moment, it seemed like the clock was ticking backwards. The time going backwards. Hiromi stared at the hat for a long time, before clenching it into a fist.
It had begun.


Ming Ming was singing loudly. But this time, she sang to herself. She only sang when she was this happy. The reason behind her happy singing was, she will be able to meet the blade breakers again. And especially Daichi, her best friend. She missed them so much.
Ever since the BEGA accident, Ming Ming had got closer to the BBA revolution. She admired them to no end. Who wouldn't? They were the nicest people and can be counted as a family after her BEGA team. With just one exception: Hiromi.
Ming Ming sighed. Well, you just have to ignore some negatives and focus on the positives. She however was pulled out of her pondering when her cell phone rang. Ming Ming saw the number and smiled. She picked it up.

"Hey Daichi"
"Where the hell are you?" Daichi snapped impatiently. It was his way of talking.
"I am on my way, Knucklehead" Ming Ming giggled.
"Oh, sorry" Daichi muttered embarrassed, which only made Ming Ming laugh.
"Just checking on me? Or is there another reason you are calling?" Ming Ming asked sweetly.
"Yeah about that….can you do me a favor?" Daichi asked, his voice becoming nervous all of a sudden.
"Yes?"
"Can you check on Hiromi? She isn't picking up her phone"
"You want me to check on her?" Ming Ming asked flatly.
"Yeah….i wouldn't have asked, but the guys are saying you are on your way, so it might be better, if you did that too" Daichi explained uncomfortably.
The vein in her forehead twitched. Nevertheless she said brightly.
"Sure why not?"
"Thanks Ming….i owe you one" Daichi said gratefully.


Her sailor maid voyage dress lay torn in a floor with a crumpled hat and brass buttons all over the place. The set of paints were thrown around, their colorful liquids spreading wherever they had been hit. The wooden stand for holding canvas was tossed aside carelessly. Fragments of pages were drifting to the ground silently. But it wasn't enough. It just wasn't enough to dispel her rage. Her bottled rage. She wanted to burn her lips. She wanted to skin herself, especially on those places, where Kai had kissed her, sucked her, fondled her.

"Arghhh!" with a strangled cry, she unceremoniously flipped the small round table that was holding a tray of paintbrushes. They tumbled down clumsily.

She then began to tear down the canvases of abstract one by one. Which she painted while thinking about him. Each slash relished her.

When done, she threw all of it in the air. She wrapped her arms around herself and started to cry bitterly amidst the paper pieces falling around her.

"Was I wrong in loving you?" She mumbled to herself. The current state of the room reflected the state of her soul. Torn, bruised, messed up, and smeared in hopelessness.

She was then pulled out of her reverie when a shocked voice echoed.

"Hiromi?"
Hiromi looked up and saw the last person she would want to see right now: Ming Ming.


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