VelvetSoulPanda- Sewing commissions + sewing final projects + the rest of my schoolwork + work resulted in a long-than-expected delay in an update. I'm terribly sorry, everyone; I didn't forget you!

In unrelated news, fucking HELL I'm exhausted from sewing Dx I'm so glad my semester ends this week :D

In even more unrelated news, it's was birthday on the seventh…..I didn't get cake ;-;

Summary:.. A spontaneous invitation to spend a week in Russia with Kai makes Tyson determined to uncover what makes his team captain tick. However what Tyson bites off is more than he might be able to chew, and more is on the line now than just dirty little secrets. [Yaoi]

Genres:.. This story falls under the following categories- Humor/Romance

Disclaimer:.. VelvetSoulPanda does not own Beyblade or any other commercial/marketing references that may appear throughout the story. WARNING: Yaoi fanfiction. If it's something you're against than please, don't make a big deal about it? Just go back to the story selection page and pick something else.

Beta Reader:..Not proof-read by a beta-reader.

Three Skeletons in a Closet

About an hour and a half after Tyson was dragged to go sledding with the Demolitions boys with a very unwilling Kai, another snowfall began that was just as heavy as the one from the previous night. While this didn't shock Tyson (like most misinformed people or flat-out silly assumptions, he believed that it always snowed in Russia) it did come as a surprise to the natives. There had been no weather reports they'd seen of a second snowfall. The change in weather was so drastically bipolar that not ten minutes went by before they concluded that they should pack it in and head back home. As if to read their minds, Vladimir called them as well and ordered that they return home before the road became too treacherous to navigate. So home they went: snow toys and gear in the trunk, the group of teens and their siblings piled into the car in the same seating arrangement they'd come up the mountain…to both Tyson and Kai's disdain. Both Bladebreakers had been clearly avoiding each other since Kai's Zorba ball mis-adventure. No amount of distractions seemed to help either. Tyson tried to immerse himself in conversation with one of the children and Kai tried even harder to become a part of the seat. Unfortunately, for Kai, he wasn't about to develop any chameleon-like genetics spontaneously to disappear and Tyson was lost in translation once more.

Oh, and the twins? Lara pointed out how both teens were blushing, Tyson much more than Kai. This, of course, because Kai was not only hugging Tyson to keep him from slipping off his lap, but he was also leaning his head on the dragon's back to fight off his swirling head. She questioned if they like-liked each other and accused them of behaving much like her parents did before they kissed and shared cooties. While Viktor argued that cooties aren't real (he'd grown past that phase), Dimitri and Aleksei still sounded their disgust with "yuckies" and faces. Tala wasn't really sure or aware of the two blue-haired teen's peculiar behavior, but he explained to the children that Kai was feeling sick and Tyson wasn't used to the Russian cold. That was where Tyson lost the wolf on a rant about different climates of the world.

When they finally returned home, the guys broke up to get different tasks accomplished. Kai immediately ran to his room for a shower and change of clothes (and probably throw up again—Tyson discovered that unlike what he initially though, Kai has a weak stomach).Tala wordlessly volunteered to aid Vladimir in the kitchen with their late lunch/early dinner. Bryan wanted to watch TV and so did the kids, so they argued over what to watch. Since the snow had gotten the children into a yuletide mood, Bryan settled for that much but chose what they'd see: Diehard. His argument was that it took place on Christmas Eve. Ian and Spencer volunteered to take out the dogs before it'd be impossible for them to go to the bathroom. Since he needed fresh air to think and some distance from Kai, Tyson volunteered right along with them and was the first one out the door with the mother dog.

Tyson was…what the appropriate word for it…? Confused? No, confused is a shitty and generic term. Tyson was…perplexed. There we go, a perfect same-difference. Tyson was perplexed. Kissing Kai had been on his mind since it happened earlier that morning. He ran over the scene over and over again in his mind. He ruled out that it wasn't his fault. He was being a good friend and helping his team captain out after his so-called close childhood friends cruelly pushed him down a mountain in a blow-up hamster ball. Honestly, who in their right mind would call people like that friends? The Japanese teen knew that it was all but necessary for friends to pull pranks and jokes on each other—it's what friends do. However, there exists a fine line—an unspoken limit—that all the jokes stop when the fine line of safety is crossed. It made Tyson wonder how on earth the Demolition Boys pass for sane teenagers.

…Knowing them, they were probably smart enough to cheat on psych tests that determine an individual's sanity. Just pondering on that mere thought made his skin crawl with fear…he was getting off track.

All in all, he ruled out for certain that kissing Kai was nothing more than an accident: an accident where he had no idea how to react when it happened. Kai was dizzy out of his mind—so dizzy that it literally took him a minute to realize that not only had he fallen on the world champion Beyblader, but that he was lip-locked with him as well. Tyson, on the other hand, froze up completely. He was experiencing that shock where your skin feels numb and cold as snow, yet on the inside he was bubbling like molten lava. His mind was racing with so many incoherent thoughts simultaneously that it was the equivalent of having a blank mind. Would Kai get angry, even though he had no right to? Would he smack the dragon? Punch him? Bury him so far in the snow that he'd be discovered by future civilizations a thousand years later? Make him swear so horrible oath to never speak of that moment again? Should he move: push him off like the plague? Or should he try to play it off as calmly and coolly as possible—if he found it in himself—and find his voice, asking the phoenix to "please" get off him?

He didn't know. He just didn't know. All he did was stare wide-eyed at the teen with blue triangles painted on his cheeks until his crimson eyes finally regained focus and realized what happened. Tyson was willing to bet all his savings that his bright red flush of embarrassment and surprise didn't help the situation, nor did the loud, erratic beating of his heart. To the younger teen, it sounded like his heart was hooked up to a set of sub-woofers or something.

"Ty-son! Kai-bear!" Dimitri and the other children were calling the duo from the top of the hill, eager to play with the Zorba ball. The two barely heard them.

Kai blushed a blooming rose under his face paint, his eyes comically widened unlike how Tyson had ever seen them, as he stared back at the navy-blue haired teen. What felt like another eternity went by as Kai's brain soaked in exactly what was happened before he rolled off Tyson to lie in the snow beside him.

"Hurry up, Kai-bear! Dimitri next!" The little boy in the distance shouted again.

Above everything, it wasn't his own lack of reaction that bothered Tyson. It wasn't Kai's lack of reaction either. It was…it was this strange feeling that he couldn't describe. There was something there between he and Kai that he didn't realize was there before…A tension of sorts. And he felt that whatever that feeling was, he should've acted more upon it.

If only he could figure out what it is! It made him as confused as Kai was dizzy.

"Yo, earth to foreign brat! Why don't you pay more attention to where you're going? If you get lost I sure as hell ain't gonna go looking for ya. Not in this snowfall." Ian called back to the Japanese teen. Tyson snapped out of his reverie and shook snowflakes out of his face, shuddering from the cold. He glanced down quickly at Tyandra who was waiting for his command to keep walking and frowned. The dog didn't seem to be one bit affected by the weather. Coaxing the animal to jog the duo caught up to Spencer and Ian, whom were talking to each other.

"Ha, you're one to talk. If you had to walk home right now you'd get lost." The tall teen with dirty blonde hair chuckled. Unlike Ian, he was able to keep his trio of puppies controlled. "Even with a map, a GPS, and road signs specifically made to direct you to your house you'd get lost. You suck at taking and giving directions. Following them too."

"Fuck you man, you don't have to keep rubbing it in my face." The viper spit back venomously. While glaring at Spencer he looked briefly back to Tyson as if to ask the world champion a question. Instead, he decides not to, and just as he did at the carnival he rudely transitioned to speaking in Russian with his best friend about Kai's visitor. Tyson glared at the two, but mostly at Ian. Oh, if they only knew how Tyson was slowly progressing in his Russian.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's rude to talk about people right in front of them, regardless of what language you're using?" The navy-haired teen inquired. Both Spencer and Ian adopted the same expression of surprise Kai did when they realized that Tyson could understand them."

"You know what we're saying?" Spencer blinked.

"What's your name?" Ian tested.

"My name is Tyson. And da, I understand some," Tyson mockingly replied. "You mind filling me in on your little gossip there? I have a right to know since it's about me." A proud and boastful smirk painted Tyson's lips when he saw that Spencer and Ian were still recovering from shock. Ian was still speechless, but Spencer continued.

"Well, what do you know…I guess there is a reason why Kai still invests his time in your silly little team after all. You been learning for a while now or only these last four days?" When Tyson replies with the latter answer, Spencer nods, impressed. "You learn pretty fast, kid. Alright, then, since we can't talk about with and exclude from the conversation, I guess you can answer our questions. Tell us, Tyson: was that kiss on purpose?" Tyson choked on a snowflake and his face heated up to a bright red—just when he'd gotten the kiss out of his thought Spencer brought it up again. Spencer smirked widely upon seeing Tyson stutter. "I knew it. That's why Kai brought you here."

"Kai's dating this guy? And here I thought the guy couldn't find more ways to surprise me." Ian finally speaks again, giving Tyson a scrutinizing look-over. "So what, is this week like some sort of honeymoon for you two?"

"Wha—what're you?" Tyson stuttered again, but now the duo ganged up on him and didn't let him reply.

"When did you hook up, pre or post first Moscow world-tournament finals?"

"Isn't it obvious? After, duh, why else would Kai go back?"

"Oh yeah, that makes sense. So did you come on to Kai or did Kai come on to you? How was it? It better not have been anything corny, otherwise I'll knee you both in the balls for it."

"Have you two fucked yet?"

"NO!" Tyson finally interjected, startling the dogs as well as the teens. His cheeks were as red as his trademark hat and favorite jacket. "Kai and I are NOT dating! We never were and we never will. There is nothing going on between us. We're just friends."

Ian snorted a doubtful smirk, fixing his hat on his head. "Pfft, you mean to tell us that the snog-session you two had after Kai rode in the Zorba ball was completely accidental and innocent?"

"Yes!" Tyson sighed, hoping that they got the message and would drop the topic. "I was helping Kai out of the Zorba ball. He was so dizzy that he tripped and fell on me and we kissed. Accidentally. Completely unwanted and unintentional. And it was not a snog-session!"

"I don't buy it." Spencer flat-out remarked with a shake of his head. Tyson sighed in exasperation and did a face palm.

"Are all of the Demolition Boys skeptics?"

Again, Spencer nodded. "More or less; we picked it up in the Abbey. No one could be trusted there." He shrugs, crossing the street without so much as looking both ways. Ian and Tyson followed with their own dogs.

The short, violet-haired teen continued to prod Tyson, elbowing him in the ribs for attention. "Listen Tyson, you can deny it all you want. We don't care if you choose to tell us or not. Hell, we don't care if you and Kai like guys, like each other, or whatever. We're not prejudiced to that sort of thing. I mean, we're not queer or gay or whatever you like to call it. We know people that are, though. I mean, Tala and Bryan are toge—."

"Ian!" Spencer snaps at him before he can finish his thought. Tyson blinked at the exchange between the two, confused, until it hit him like a ton of bricks. He gasped aloud and reacted a little more over the top than necessary.

"Tala and Bryan are dating each other? They're…they're…capable of romantic feelings?"

Spencer snagged Tyson by his scarf and collar and pulled him up off the ground so he was face to face with the dirty blonde at his height. The teen's turquoise-teal eyes sported a death threat. "That stays secret between the three of us, understand? If you ever breathe a word of their relationship to anyone, I guarantee you that Bryan and Tala will find out and kill us. Before that happens, I'll kill you. Capische?" Tyson stiffly nodded and swallowed hard before being placed back on the ground. After taking a safe step back from Spencer, the whale-Bitbeast wielder ruthlessly punched his best friend in the shoulder. Ian yelped in pain. "I'll kill you too, pipsqueak; pay attention to what you say, retard!"

Half a walk of awkward silence followed the trio, and it wasn't until Kai's house began to appear on the uphill horizon that Tyson found the courage to ask his new questions formed by his curiosity. "Are you being serious when you said that Tala and Bryan are dating?" Both teens wordlessly nodded, neither looking back to the Japanese teen or to each other. "Oh…for how long?" Now Ian shot a glare back at Tyson and glanced up to Spencer. Spencer merely rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

"You already let their relationship slip, just answer his question."

Still unhappy with Tyson's prodding, Ian replies, "Probably for longer than we know, but officially they've been together for almost a year now." Tyson nods again slowly, processing this information, and Ian becomes irritated with this. "What, you wanted a biography or something?"

"No…It's just, well, they're not exactly…" Tyson fished for the right words to phrase his thoughts. "Lovey-dovey with each other.

Ian raised an eyebrow at the chocolate-brown eyed teen, questioning Tyson's people-reading skills in his mind. "Tyson, I don't know if you've noticed, but we're not "lovey-dovey" people. I have dated five chicks since going back to normal high school and wasn't lovey-dovey with any of them. Tala is not a lovey-dovey person. Bryan is definitely not a lovey-dovey person. Are you a lovey-dovey person, Spence?"Spencer shook his head no. "See?"

"Ugh, that's not what I meant. I mean that couples are more affectionate towards each other in their own style fitting to their personality. I can see their love and protective care for their little brothers and sisters, but I can't see anything between them now that I'm thinking about it." Tyson explained more clearly. Spencer remained out of the conversation, but he was impressed with Tyson yet again. The guy really exceeded the reputation the media and his friends alike set up for him.

"That's because, unlike you, your team, and all those other cocky Beybladers in the BBA, none of us make our personal lives public. Aside from the very limited—not to mention edited and censored—information about the Abbey the press has been allowed to release, there is barely any other kind of information about the Demolition Boys' involvement with the Abbey and beyblading team profiles on us. You can't even find our birthdays on Google. Well, you can find Kai's, but he doesn't count because he's not a Demolition Boy. You can deduce from this that Tala and Bryan not only prefer to keep the topic of their relationship mum, they require it from us and their relatives as well. It's rare that they're openly affectionate even then they're with us; I'm almost certain their siblings have only caught them kissing…what, four times the most? Considering how nosy and clingy those kids are and how long they've been together, that's not a lot."

Tyson nodded again, and the sudden reality of Ian words clicked in the teen's mind. Everything rang true. Tyson really didn't know anything about the Demolition Boys aside from what he assumed and what Kai told the Bladebreakers. "That makes sense, I guess. I just find it difficult to picture because Tala's kind of an ass and Bryan's…kind of…a psychotic murderer in disguise." For the first time ever Spencer and Ian laugh at Tyson's confession and a grin tugged at the teen's lips. "Don't tell them I said that."

"Sure. You keep your mouth shut about knowing Tala and Bryan's secret romance and we won't tell them what you think of them…or about your make-out session with Kai." Spencer smirked, ignoring Tyson's cry of protest at the last part. He saw a figure walking out to the driveway of Kai's house and start up a car. He identified it as Vladimir, since the person didn't have a vibrant hair color. "Hey, I think Vlad's gonna head out. Y'know what we should do?"

A cynical and devious grin crawled on Ian's face. Tyson shuddered just looking at it. "Break into Kai's parents' booze stash?"

"You read my mind."

While he knew that Kai, Tala, and their friends were more than mature and capable enough of staying without an adult for extended period of time and take perfect care of their siblings, Vladimir still didn't like having to leave them alone. After all, they were still teenagers, after all. And for that matter, they were teenagers that quarreled too easily. The butler shook those thoughts out of his head and breathed deeply to clear his mind. He knew he could trust Tala enough to not carry out an argument in front of his little fireball sisters. And Kai he could trust with anything. Having to watch over not only his beloved little cousin Dimitri but his teammate as well meant that Kai would go out of his way to stop any potential problems. This put the man's mind as ease.

It was ten past ten in the evening when Vladimir finally pulled into the St. Petersburg airport. He drove through a couple of parking lots until he found a place to leave the car and went up to the arrival terminal. He walked past a couple of different travel agencies, check-in booths, until he made it to the little stores and kiosks area of the airport. Finally, he found the coffee shop he was looking for, and there he spotted Mrs. Hiwatari.

The jovial woman with light blue hair was paying for her drink and food, struggling to carry everything as well as her large purse while giving the cash over to the cashier. She was pleasantly surprised when Vladimir appeared behind her, taking her luggage from her. "Vladimir, you're here!"

"I left as soon as I could. The children were put to bed and the boys were playing cards when I left." The man explained, waiting for the lady as she got her change. "Tala and the boys came for a visit this morning. I'm making them stay the night until it's safe to drive tomorrow."

A smile brightened Yuliyanna's expression. "And Kaike's friend Tyson, he's doing ok too?" He smile widened even more when the butler nodded; she waved for him to walk with her to a small table to sit. "Music to my ears. Oh Vladimir, you can't begin to imagine how happy I was when Kai came home with that boy. I know that he struggles to socialize with people his own age and that he gives this team of his in Japan a hard time, but to finally see proof that he's letting his walls come down make me so happy. I swear I had to control myself when I met Tyson. I would've squeezed him to death when I hugged him if I hadn't."

Vladimir chuckled contently at his employer's ramble. "I can only imagine, Yuliyanna. It makes me happy to see that Kai is expanding his circle of friends as well. He needs more than just those crazy boys to talk to." He chortled humorously. "How was your flight in?"

Yuliyanna drank a large gulp of her coffee, waving her hand casually. "Long, exhausting, and annoying thanks to a crying brat in the back of the cabin. How has the week been so far? Nothing too difficult to handle, I hope? Nikki, Andrei, and Nadiya send their regards, by the way."

"No, of course not. You know your children are role models for their age. How have matters been proceeding in Lyon? Is the case nearing a close?" There was hope in the man's voice and eyes that took a hit when Yuliyanna's merry smile from just moments ago dimmed.

"Yes and no…Our accusation is as solid as ever, but now…they want Kai to take the stand." The hazel eyed woman frowned, putting down the biscuit she bought. "The court asked for Kai to speak after Voltaire brought it up. They also want three witnesses to speak for Kai's behalf to determine how innocent or how guilty he is."

"I see…but it's not like we hadn't imagined this before. We knew very well that they would likely ask for Kai to speak. We've been lucky it's been pushed back for so long."

"And he wouldn't have to speak if it weren't for that bastard of a man I have to call my father-in-law." Yuliyanna spat, glaring at her drink wearily. "His obsession with my son is sickening; he still hasn't let him go. He just doesn't give up."

Vladimir frowned a little as well, trying to cheer up the woman's mood. "Yuliyanna, you know that Voltaire can't come anywhere near your son anymore. He's already lost this war, he's simply trying to play mind games with you now." The man said to her, frown deepening when she didn't reply.

"Vladimir, do you think I'm a bad parent?"

"P-pardon?" The butler fumbled, surprised when they woman with long, periwinkle-blue hair quickly wiped a tear that rolled down her face. His heart ached when he saw the young woman's fear in her eyes. "Yuliyanna dear, don't—."

The woman took a deep breath to compose her wavering voice and calm her tears before they fell. "I let a deranged psychopath take my son away from me once. And now that I finally have him back there's a chance I might lose him again. Not to Voltaire specifically, but to the judicial system and the world. The entire country thinks that my boy is a trained, heartless killer that supported a man who could very-well be considered this generation's dictator. They fear him. They think he's a monster. And I'm helpless to do anything to keep him from hearing these horrible things because I let him slip away from me. And now that we can finally be a family again, Interpol could give a ruling that makes him go to prison or some other punishment that keeps him from me for who-knows how long. I was so busy with my work to make a name for myself and be a better provider for Kai that I neglected to raise him at all and Voltaire took him from me. I'm the worst mother on the planet!"

Vladimir placed his hand on top of woman's and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You can't blame everything that happened on yourself, Yuliyanna. We all made mistakes that resulted in what happened. What's done is done, and the best thing we can do now is permanently place Voltaire and Boris behind bars to give Kai and the other Balkov Abbey victims the justice they deserve." He gathered Yuliyanna's luggage and stood for them to leave—he noticed their presence was starting to attract some attention and some people recognized Yuliyanna from the news. "And we can start by recruiting those witnesses you mentioned. Did you and Nikolai have anyone in mind?"

Yuliyanna followed Vladimir as they left the café and headed back to the parking lots for the car. "Yes, we made a call to Stanley Dickenson and he agreed to speak as a witness for Kai. We haven't really thought of anyone else as of yet. The judge gave us a rather difficult rule to follow. The witnesses must be three and only three, and they cannot be anyone from the family or involved with Balkov Abbey." She explained, taking another drink of her coffee. "That's another reason I've come back for a day. I'm hoping that I can find someone's name in those dozens of boxes of court papers we have in the basement."

"If there's any way that I can be allowed to testify for Kai, you and Nikolai know that I am more than willing to do so." The butler informed her, and she thanked him. The two walked in comfortable silence to the car before Yuliyanna spoke again.

"Vladimir…am I a bad person for wishing that what happened to my son could've happened to someone else instead?"

Vladimir smiled softly, shaking his head. "No, Yuliyanna. No mother ever wishes for something terrible to happen to their child. If it does, they always wish to take it away."

"Go fish!"

"Bryan, this is not Go Fish, this is Scrabble. C'mon man, I know you're not delusional drunk yet."

"Fuck you, man, I call the game what I want, and I'm whateva kind of drunk I wanna be!" Bryan growled back at Ian, waving a playing piece in the viper's face. He dramatically raised his hand and slammed it down on the playing board. "Yahtzee!"

"Dude, I just told you it's Scrabble, you drunk retard!" Ian snorted a laugh. Bryan glared at him and promptly shoved him five feet to their right into the couch, not caring if he hurt the boy or not.

"I fucking know its Scrabble, dumbass; the word I spelled is 'Yahtzee'." To prove his point, he pointed to the word on the board. "Call me a drunken retard again and see what happens!"

"Guys, be quiet, you're going to wake up the kids if you keep yelling." Lying down beside Tyson on the couch was Kai. The phoenix hugged a pillow to his stomach and had his eyes shut, drifting in and out of sleep while watching both TV and his former teammates play board games. He wasn't participating because the Demolition Boys stated that if you wanted to play you had to drink, and he was in no way feeling well enough for booze. While his stomach settled and he felt much better as opposed to that morning, Kai knew better than to tempt his luck. Tyson, on the other hand, refused to play because he refused to take part in under aged drinking, so he sat watching late-night Russian reruns of cartoons such as Cow and Chicken, Johnny Bravo, and Courage the Cowardly Dog to name a few titles.

"As you wish, Sleeping Beauty," Bryan acidically teased. "Maybe you should bitch less about us and translate more for your Prince Charming over there. Who's he trying to fool, pretending he actually knows Russian?" The lavender-haired falcon cackled. Kai gave him the middle finger and rolled over so that his back faced the boys, snuggling into the couch. Tyson, having caught this exchange from the corner of his eye, glanced curiously between the two before turning his full attention to the game.

The world champion could help but feel a bittersweet nostalgia hit him as he watched the Demolition Boys play the children's game. Despite disapproving of their indulgence in alcohol, their intoxication helped them loosen up a little more from their mean, uptight-selves. Now they were mean, uptight, and a little funny. Looking past everything to the little alcohol-induced glee the Demolition Boys demonstrated Tyson saw ghosts of his family in them.

Before the Bladebreakers, family game nights were a common thing in Tyson's household. It happened once a week, generally towards the weekend. They were his mother's idea. Everyone would split into groups of two. Tyson, naturally, always joined his mother. His elder brother Hiro usually joined Grandpa G, because their father liked to be the lone hero and try to win the game by himself. And while Tyson had almost no memory of her, his parents always said that his Grandmother would team up with Grandpa G and Hiro with his father before she passed away. They'd play for hours, sometimes a dozen games, sometimes one. The family game nights became a thing of the past when his mother passed away. She was the one that created them, and it just felt wrong to play without her. After Mrs. Granger passed away, the family fell apart. Tyson's dad embarked on out-of-the-country archaeological studies and excavations that, at first, didn't last longer than a month, but grew to last more than years as time went by. As soon as Hiro graduated high school, he too chose to get his degree in archaeology and did so out of the country. Left alone, Tyson was taken under Grandpa G's wing to be cared for. His childhood home, a void to the family, was sold. And since then, he hadn't picked up a single Scrabble piece or Juno card to play.

Spencer was very much like his Grandpa G, always thinking before taking action, and the booze even made him say funny things from time to time that made no sense at all. Ian was like how Hiro used to be back in the day, and now that he reflected on it a little like how he personally behaves now. Acting on impulse, going by his gut, and sometimes not thinking his plan through. It made him realize how much he and Hiro were alike around the same age, despite Hiro being more than six years Tyson's senior. Bryan, oddly enough, despite his smarts, was being a bit of a goofball thanks to the booze, and that peculiar mix reminded him of his dad when he tried beating everyone on his own. As for Tala, the booze didn't really make him talk more or say stupid things unless you got him started on a rant or in a conversation. He was just really calm and relaxed, and you could see he was enjoying himself. That reminded him of his mother. While she wasn't much of a talker, Tyson always knew his mom was happy to have the family get together once a week to let go of their troubles.

And to think that the Demolition Boys had this in them…to think that Kai had these guys as friends all this time…Kai didn't realize how lucky he had it. Tyson felt jealous. It was a dream that would never come true to have his family back together again, but an even greater desire to build a family out of both his remaining relatives and friends to create a family like the one he used to have. Here, Kai had it all, but for some reason he pushed it away. Did Kai even realize how lucky he has it, despite his dark childhood? Why did the guy insist on keeping a distance between himself and his friends and family?

"Napoleon!" Tala exclaims, reaching over Bryan's lap to try and reach the cat. The falcon saw Tala's struggle in reaching the feline but made no effort in try to help: even under the influence, these guys were still assholes. The wolf was not pleased. "I will shove my foot up your ass if you don't give me that pussy." The room burst into snickers; even Tyson hid his face behind a pillow as he laughed. "Give me that pussy, Bryan!" Tyson bit his lip. Tala had to be drunk beyond his quota. There's no way the guy would purposely say that.

"Pussies are girl cats, Tala; Napoleon's a guy."

"All cats are goddamn pussycats you nitpicking, technical…you. Just give me the fucking cat." He slurred. Bryan finally helped and gave the redheaded teen the orange, white, and black feline. He grinned and held the cat over his head, still lying in Bryan's lap, making faces and noises at the cat. Yup, the world champion Beyblader safely assumed from that moment that Tala was one-hundred percent drunk. It was then that an idea dawned on him.

"Hey Tala, do you know why Kai named his cat Napoleon? And what's so funny about it?" The dragon inquired. The wolf scoffed.

"For the record, I named this pussy. And I shall tell you why I named this pussy after the tiniest French Conqueror in history." The icy-eyed teen clarified with a hiccup. Tyson sat on edge for the answer, excited. "It's…it's because male calico cats, as you know, are sterile. They cannot make more sexy male or female calico cats because genetics and mother nature are both bitches. And…and Napoleon…hahaha, Napoleon…!" Tala fell into a fit of hysterics, dropping the cat and laughing. His laughter prompted some chuckles out of the Demolitions Boys. Tyson half-frowned, starting to get impatient.

"Napoleon what? What is it?" The teen asked, taking a guess. "Was he sterile?

"Don't you know anything about Napoleon's history?" The redhead cackled, laughing harder. "He might as well have been."

"Arrg, I don't get it!" At Tyson's frustration the Demolition Boys laughed more, and the huffing dragon turned to Kai for answers. "Kai, why's your stupid cat's name Napoleon?"

The phoenix didn't reply. In fact, it was only then that Tyson realized Kai fell asleep. The dual-blue haired teen's head was on Tyson's lap, cheek resting against Tyson's stomach, with sound, even breaths making his chest and the pillow on it rise and fall. Tyson's cheeks tickled pink at their proximity and somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered their kiss from that morning, but his emotions had been sorted out. He wasn't going to panic and get angry over the little things, but rather focus his energy on the big goals he set for himself: getting to know Kai better, making Kai smile, and now figure out why Kai didn't yell at him for their accidental kiss.

Kenny knew that Tyson was many things. He was selfless, trusting, and forgiving toward his friends; stubborn and argumentative to get answers when he wanted it; all this and so much more. But there was one thing Kenny knew Tyson was not, and Tyson was not a snoop in private and serious business. The Chief knew that if Tyson understood enough to realize what he'd found, he never would have even sent the court document photos to him for translation.

"Chi-ief!" Max shouted, running into the locker room in search of the short, brown haired boy with glasses. The competitive teen was dressed in sweats ready for a workout or training and shook his head in mocking disapproval when he saw that Kenny hadn't even changed yet. "Oh Chief, I promise that the guys and I won't put you in more awkward situations with Emily, honest! You have my word." The blue-eyed teen chuckled, crossing his fingers behind his back. When he saw that he still didn't have Kenny attention, he walked up to the boy and glanced over his shoulder. "Geez, would you and Dizzi give it a rest already? You're not talking to Tyson without me, are you? Or the others?" The happy and energetic American leaned over Kenny shoulder and his eyes scanned over the window that Kenny's eyes were glued to. Slowly but surely, his smile disappeared. "…Kenny, what is this?"

It was a moment before the brown-haired teen answered. "It's a court file from the Abbey case, straight from Kai's house. Tyson found it."

Another pregnant pause, one that felt longer than the previous. "But, Chief…Kai…there's no way…"

Kenny shut his laptop closed, storing Dizzi into his locker and placing a key-lock on it. "I don't know what to think, Max. But I do know that Tyson's not going to believe what he's just gotten himself into. We need to talk to him as soon as possible, and not mention this to anyone else; not even Ray or Hilary yet." He laughed dryly at the joke his mind just conjured. "We sent him to find some imaginary skeleton in the closet, and instead he stumbled across a murder story."

VelvetSoulPanda- Tyson won't suddenly like Kai out of the blue: there's this thing called connection. They need to find it. Also, in case you're still curious about Napoleon the cat's name, that's not the full reason behind the joke. More on that…later!

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble, something wicked this way comes…(review for more!)