Kai:
She had to tell him. Why would she leave her friends?
She was the one who told him it was foolish to push the ones you care about away!
XXXXXXXXXX
He always moved with purpose. There was something he needed to accomplish, even if it was merely pacing until he wrapped his mind around a plan. He never did something for no reason – even if it was a trivial thing, there was always some thought involved.
Until now.
Now he felt impulsive. Like he wanted – had to – had no control over doing something. There were blurred thought processes, ideas he grasped at, trying to make things clear. And every time he attempted to wrap his head around it, he would become distracted.
"If you don't make a move, I will," Yuri had said to him.
Yuri was also sporting a nice bruise on the side of his face from where he'd been pinned to the brick wall outside the auditorium. Kai didn't pull any punches.
Not that he could explain why the rage that bubbled up in the pit of his stomach was so white hot that it nearly blinded him with its intensity.
He was at a crossroads, he determined.
One one hand, he needed to figure out what was going on with Hiromi. Every time he attempted to find her, she was in some meeting or conference – even President Kaichou was more available. He offered no assistance, only told him where her next appointment was and asked to see his beyblade.
This fucking beyblade.
He knew for a fact, the moment he let the old man inspect his beyblade, that it was a lead. He looked impressed, and asked him how many parts he'd replaced on it over the last few years, how he liked it, and how it compared to previous models. Kai kept his answers brief, but expressed his opinion: he'd never had a beyblade like it. It was practically indestructible, with the exception of standard maintenance. It was like an extension of his body.
"She's very gifted," Was all Kaichou remarked, handing back his equipment and nodding as he walked away.
Kai could've thrown something, but refrained, for the good of his team and his chance at taking down Kinomiya.
"All this for a fucking beyblade?" The challenge in his voice was clear. Hiwatari Kai would accept no veiled statements. He gave – and would receive – face value.
"I'd consider holding my comments until I spoke with her." It wasn't often, but the bite in the old man's tone reminded him that he wasn't dealing with someone who would back down or give into him based on his status alone. This wasn't a beybattle, and he wasn't fourteen anymore. The head of the BBA would be treated with respect. Whatever his reasons were, the business tycoon would keep them to himself.
"Tachibana made me this beyblade two years ago." It was an observation, made with a softer tone.
"Tachibana-"
"I can't make a beyblade for you and work for G-Revolutions. Is that what you are looking to hear?"
Kai stalled, turning around at the new voice. "Ano-"
"That's about the long and short of it." Hiromi looked imposing, with hands tucked in her pockets and a severe look in her eyes. She wore a dark blue leather jacket that contrasted the red of her lips, and tight jeans with dark brown boots. "I'll meet with you later," She nodded toward the Battle Association's leader who returned her nod curtly and headed back toward his office.
She didn't say anything, but walked past him without a word. He didn't need to be told, following her as she walked to an office at the end of the corridor. Producing a key, she unlocked it and held the door open. "Take a seat."
The office was minimalist: the colors black and white with pops of dark blues and reds to accentuate the décor. The only evidence that the office belonged to Hiromi was the picture on the wall beside the door of their motley crew after her first year with the team. Beside the picture was a slew of championship medals that were cased in glass and mounted to the wall in black wooden frames. Her desk was on the right side of the room from the doorway, and a comfortable leather chair sat more toward the center of the room. The far wall was all windows: the office was not just a small convenience. An office like this was earned, if Kai took into consideration the large workspace on the left side of the room.
Once he sat, Hiromi leaned against the edge of her desk, not bothering to go around it to sit in the matching plush leather chair reserved for her. "You've been looking for me for days now."
It wasn't a question, and Kai met her ruby eyes with an intense look of his own. "You preach teamwork and camaraderie and then you quit the team. How does that-"
She shook her head in disbelief. "I had nearly the exact conversation with Takao." She turned her gaze toward the windows, drinking in the cityscape. "I know it's probably a surprise to you, but I aspire to be more than Kinomiya and Sumuragi's life coach." His his head snapped up. "To be honest, making that beyblade for you started something I hadn't anticipated. This whole project was supposed to be about protecting you from what happened with the BEGA." He kept his eyes trained on her face, saying nothing.
Continuing, she turned back from the window, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you know where I've been all week?"
He shook his head.
"I've been consulted by every major beyblade part distributor in the world. They all want my patents. Want to make me a millionaire or whatever other bogus promises they think I'll believe."
"Do you even know the ins and outs of a legal contract, Mimi?"
A sly smile crossed her face at his concern. Her lips immediately drew his attention, and the combination between the slight grin and her playful eyes nearly did him in. "You'd be surprised," She uncrossed her arms and pushed herself off the desk, looking down at his sitting form. "I'm not stupid, Hiwatari, I went straight to Kaichou. The BBA needed something like this. We have everything except our own parts line. It was an easy deal to make. I'm only entertaining these corporate pushovers to keep things under wraps until after the tournament."
The Russian pondered her logic for a moment, finding it to be both sound and incredibly clever. However, it still left one thing out. "So why didn't you stay with Takao until after the tournament?"
"My allegiances don't lie with Takao." Leaning back onto the desk again, she sighed. "Like I said. I couldn't make you that beyblade-" She motioned toward the equipment attached to his belt, "-And stand beside Takao."
Kai stood, his eyes finding hers and scrutinizing them, trying to see beyond their depths. "What're you saying?"
Invading his personal space a bit, she leaned closer to him, a challenge in her eyes. "What does it sound like, Hiwatari? I-"
He was on her in an instant, his left arm settling on her shoulder so his hand could thread through her long tresses. Her hands found the collar of his button-up shirt, while her lips met his in a chase kiss. Pulling back slightly, his eyes slowly trailed up through hooded lids from her red lips to her rapidly darkening irises. His were more stormy gray with flecks of amythyst while hers were practically burgundy with the emotions dredged up to the surface. She wrapped her arms around his neck, meeting his eyes. "Mimi," he whispered, drawing his hand to cup her cheek.
She leaned in this time, kissing him fiercer than he'd kissed her. Suddenly, she found herself pressed up against the desk and relented, sitting up on the edge of it so that she was angled just slightly above him. He wound up flush against her, one of her knees on the outside of his own legs. A soft moan of approval escaped her as he drew her in as tight as he possibly could within his arms, his tongue already trailing gently against her lower lip and teeth. She smiled against his lips when he pulled away, and let his forehead rest against her own.
His eyes slid shut as he kissed again and he didn't protest when her petite hands found the buttons on his shirt and undid them slowly, reverently running her hands over his toned chest and bare arms, making him buck against her and gasp unknowingly at the fire she set alight within him. She hummed in contentment when his lips slid down her neck to her collarbone, and his hands found her backside to lift her from the desk and onto his lap when he sat in the chair behind him. She smirked as she drew away from him, jacket discarded on the floor, white shirt doing little to hide the swollen peaks of her feminine curves. With a resolute glance back at him, she flipped the lock on the door and turned the lights down to their dimmest setting. A smile settled on her lips as she turned her back to him, peeling her shirt over her shoulders slowly to expose pale, creamy skin.
Like he'd said: On one hand, he needed to figure out what was going on with Hiromi.
On the other, he needed to find out if he was the only one feeling this way.
(He wasn't.)
