A/N : Oups, this came a bit later than I had said... Sorry everyone ! You see, yesterday in the evening I made some last minute plans with two of my friends ; we went to see a movie, then we stopped to eat and we talked... In the end, it was very late when I got home, so I waited 'til this morning to post this chap. Sorry guys ! But I do have a life other than fanfictions you know ?

Raiu : Yeah, who would've guessed ?

Do I sense sarcasm, Raiu ?

Raiu : Duh.

I hate you... Anyway folks, here's chapter ten !

Akari : Yay ! Read and enjoy !

.: Sweet tragedy :.

by cherry fantasy

Chapter ten : Miracle explained (part 2)

Mr. Dickinson's office, 2h23 p.m.

-

Looking at Tyson's own peaceful expression though, as the boy stared almost reverently at his and Kai's joined hands, June couldn't help but smile. It looked like things would be alright after all...

Averting her gaze from the two young men, June resumed her speech :

"It's halfway through the third year that something decisive finally happened. I remember it was a Sunday ; I was cooking dinner in the kitchen, Len was reading in the living room and Tyson was outside. The phone rang and I answered it. It was the police chief ; they had discovered Tyson's identity.

Dinner forgotten, we all headed straight to the police station. I was a nervous wreck, and Tyson and Len weren't fairing much better. When we arrived we were immediately leaded to the chief's office. The chief was there waiting for us ; he made us sit and then started talking.

It will probably come as no surprise to you, but Tyson's true identity had finally been discovered thanks to his rather famous reputation as Beyblade World Champion. The police chief expressed his deepest apologies about not finding it out sooner. He admitted to us that they had been very busy at the police station, and that Tyson's case hadn't been investigated as meticulously as it should have. Had it been, we would've received a call much sooner. But other inquiries, more urgent, had taken the priority over the one concerning Tyson, thus slowing down its progress. The chief looked so honestly mortified when he told us about it that despite our slight resentment, we found it in ourselves to forgive him.

Anyhow, another reason why Tyson's real identity wasn't found sooner was that despite our two countries being neighbors, beyblade isn't nearly as popular in North Corea as it is in Japan. Some people know about it, kids mostly, but it's not as big of a hit as in Japan, Europe or America, for example. We don't broadcast it as much as you, and we don't have so many advertisements about it. In fact, it was luck that helped solve Tyson's case : one of the newly recruited agents came from Japan, and his kids swore only by beyblade. The man brought some of his work home one day, Tyson's file amongst it, and his oldest son recognized Tyson's face at first glance.

The case was immediately reopened. After verification, the police discovered that Tao was indeed Tyson Kinomiya, Beyblade World Champion, presumed dead in a plane crash a little more than four years ago..."

June saw the others flinch at the words ' presumed dead '. She gave them a moment to regain themselves, then she pursued :

"As the chief sat at his desk telling us all about this and about the procedure that we would now have to follow to get Tyson back to his home and to his loved ones, he showed us these pictures about beyblade tournaments, all of them starring Tyson. In some he was in the midst of a match, in others he was giving interviews, or holding up his victory trophy. Then some pictures showed him posing for beyblade advertisements, or even for some other products that needed a star to promote them. Len and I were quite amazed to see that Tyson was indeed a celebrity, and a very popular one at that. Tyson though was only interested by one set of pictures : the ones showing him with his friends and family.

I kept a careful eye on him as he swept through the lot, staring at each photo hard enough to burn a hole in the paper. I'm sure that he heard nothing of what the police chief was telling us at that moment. All his attention was on these pictures. When he suddenly focused on one in particular and started frowning, I nudged Len and motioned for him to look at Tyson too. We could tell that he was about to remember something. We weren't ready for what happened next though.

Suddenly, Tyson dropped everything and clutched his head, moaning in pain. I immediately rose to my feet and so did Len. The chief watched in confusion as we knelt beside Tyson. We tried to sooth him but it didn't work. I got worried then ; it had been a long time since he'd had flashbacks that painful. When Len and I noticed that it wasn't getting any better, in fact it was getting worse, we informed the chief that we would call him later and we left the police station. We were initially heading home, but when Tyson actually passed out from the pain on the ride there, we changed course and went to the hospital.

He woke up the next day, Len and me at his side. He looked at us then, and I could already tell that something was different. My doubts were confirmed when he sat up and signed to us that he remembered everything : his name, his past, his home, his friends. Everything. He looked both exalted and sad about it : happy to remember who he was, but sad to have missed all that time... Then the next minute he was urging me to call his grandpa, his father, his brother, his friends, someone, to let them know he was alright. Len and I had to work together to calm him ; a bit more and he would've been hyperventilating. He only accepted to rest when I told him that we would contact his family as soon as possible. I stayed with him while Len went back to the police station to take care of things with the chief.

We were able to join Tyson's grandfather easily enough. His father and brother were harder to find, both of them being in Syria for some archeological excavations at that moment. We managed to get a hold of them too though. Two days later Tyson's grandpa arrived in Sinp'o, and two other days after that his father and brother arrived as well. Their reunion was heartwarming ; I'm not sure who cried the most, although I'm ready to bet it must've been me ! Len and I got practically showered with thanks and words of gratitude from Tyson's family. Those few days we passed together were probably the happiest ones we'd had since we'd let Tyson into our home. I know I'll never forget them..."

June smiled warmly and shot a look at Tyson, who readily smiled back. She then cleared her throat and continued :

"Formalities were quickly over with the police, and Tyson's case was closed with success. However, we were left with one problem : getting Tyson back to Japan without the media going berserk. Because of his fame, we realized that Tyson would not only have to deal with his own entourage when the news of his ' revival ' would get out : he'd have to deal with a horde of fans and journalists as well. His miraculous come back would be the scoop of the year. He wouldn't get a moment of peace.

Tyson's family was very displeased at the idea. They wanted some quiet time with him, in private, to enjoy his return in their lives when they had thought him lost, and being assaulted by a crew of reporters on a daily basis wasn't exactly what they had in mind. Tyson himself wasn't thrilled by that situation. There was always the possibility of staying in Sinp'o for a few months ; Len and me would've been more than happy to house everyone. But Tyson's grandpa couldn't leave the dojo without care for so long... Add to that, Tyson was really missing home now that he realized how much time he'd been away, and he wanted to get back as soon as possible. We could always keep his return a secret for a while, but we also knew that we couldn't hide him forever. The news would have to get out eventually.

Finally, it was decided that Tyson would make his return to Japan in the utmost secrecy, and that his presence would be kept hidden from the public for a few months. It would give him and his family some peaceful time to catch up. Then, the four of them would select a date of their choosing to reveal their secret to the media. The when, where and how would be their decision. We all thought it was better that way. However, we quickly realized that to do all that, we would need a bit of help... In the end, it was Tyson's brother who came up with a solution"

At that point, June stopped talking and turned toward Mr. Dickinson. The others turned toward him too as he picked up where June had left off :

"A bit more than five months ago," Mr. D started, "I received a call from North Corea, along with a rather mind-boggling news. I think I would have believed it to be a hoax if it hadn't been Tyson's brother himself on the phone. He told me all about Tyson and everything that had happened, after what he asked for my help to get Tyson back in Japan as discreetly as possible. He explained their plan to me and asked if I would also be willing to help them set a time and a place to reveal Tyson's return to the general public. I was stunned by all I had just learned, to say the least, but I readily agreed to give them my assistance.

I had a private plane pick up Tyson and his family in Sinp'o. At the last minute Miss June and her boyfriend also decided to come, as they were both very reluctant to part with Tyson so quickly. The idea then came to me that it would be very convenient if Miss June could stay in Japan with Tyson for the first few months, to act as an interpreter for him when it would be necessary, and to teach his family sign language. It would come in handy, and it would save us the trouble of hiring someone else, whom we couldn't be sure would keep Tyson's secret..."

"I was very happy to accept" June intervened with a smile. "I have my own office and I work independently, so I can take a break anytime I wish. It was not a problem for Len either, since he is a writer and can do his work anywhere. Mr. Dickinson provided transport, and Tyson insisted we reside at the dojo with him and his family, so there was really nothing stopping us from going"

"And so," Mr. Dickinson pursued, "the plane I'd sent flew everyone back to Japan in secrecy. I then went myself to pick them up at the airport, and we managed to get Tyson home without anyone noticing anything odd.

The next step was to decide how and when we would let the media know about Tyson's rather unexpected come back. I had the perfect answer to that question, though. You see, the BBA Grand Get Together was planned since quite some time already, and I thought it would be the perfect occasion for Tyson to reveal himself. Also, it left him and his family at least another five months to peacefully enjoy being reunited"

"We all thought it was a great idea," declared June, "and everything else went rather smoothly from there on. We had time to teach Tyson's family sign language, while they got their private moment to enjoy the return of their loved one. Then, a few days before the BBA Grand Get Together, we came here to Kyoto and cautiously moved Tyson to this hotel, incognito, before moving in ourselves some hours later. Again nobody noticed anything. Tyson was to stay hidden until tonight, when he is to make his appearance as the ' surprise ' we promised... However, this morning he came to us, practically pleading to let the five of you know before the others.

After thinking about it, we also decided that it might be better that way. You were his closest friends after all, and we figured that you had a right to be told first... So Mr. Dickinson went to get you, and... well, here we are now"

That was it. The story was over. Or at least, the overall, detail-less version of the story... There was probably much more to be told. Five years was a long time. But everything that hadn't been said would probably stay that way unless Tyson himself decided to make it known.

Silence settled in Mr. Dickinson's office. It didn't last long though, as soon Max's voice was asking :

"Why didn't you tell us ? I mean... when Tyson came back in Japan, couldn't you have let the five of us know ? Why wait until today ? It's just... I understand not wanting to let the media find out right away, but what about us ? Tyson is our friend, we... we missed him so much... We've been through a lot together... I mean, don't we count as family too ?"

The blond youth was on the verge of tears now, voice trembling and eyes downwards. Someone placed a hand on his shoulder ; thinking it to be Ray, Max raised his head, only to come face to face with Tyson standing right before him. The blue-haired blader smiled softly and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, then he made a few motions with his hands and looked at June. The woman smiled and translated :

"He says that of course you're part of his family, all of you, and that you'll always be"

"Then why keep us in the dark about his return ?" Ray asked, looking at Mr. Dickinson.

The man sighed and answered :

"We meant no harm, Ray. The five of you were practically spread out at the four corners of the world, and you were all very busy with your lives. You, Ray, were going through your college exams. Max and his mom were working on a new project. The company where Kenny works was in the middle of an important transaction. Hilary was about to publish the new issue of her magazine and Kai... well Kai was simply not giving any news. We just thought it would be better to wait until you were all reunited here, with all the free time necessary. It's not that we forgot about you, rest assured. In fact, Tyson was very displeased at having to wait another five months to see you, but we convinced him that it would be easier for everyone that way. We're very sorry if you think we did you wrong, it wasn't our intention"

The five glanced at each other... Finally, Hilary said :

"No, it's alright. You probably did the right thing..."

Mr. Dickinson smiled gratefully, getting small smiles out of them in return... except from Kai of course, but that wasn't new.

In reality, Kai was barely listening to what was being said. Half of him was... but the other half was focused entirely on Tyson. The blue-haired youth had come back to sit beside him after going to comfort Max, and he'd allowed Kai to take back his hand without protest. Kai didn't even wonder about it. He was just glad that Tyson was letting him do it... He needed that touch so bad right now... That touch was proof that his blue angel was real, that he was back at his side, alive and safe... His Tyson, his angel, his miracle... Kai would never let him out of his sight again...

He was startled from his thoughts when June suddenly rose and told them with a smile :

"I'm sure you would like some time alone with your friend now. You're free to bring him to one of your rooms if you want. It would certainly be more comfortable. Tyson, just remember to cover your face when you're out in the hallways, and try to avoid other people if possible. We don't want to ruin tonight's surprise !"

Tyson smiled and nodded before rising to his feet, his friends immediately imitating him as if afraid he'd suddenly take off and run away.

"You still have lots of time before tonight's ceremony" June pursued. "It starts at 6 p.m, so just make sure to get Tyson back here... let's see... at least 15 minutes before that. Yes, this should be enough. Then you five head for the dinning room with the others, ok ? How does that sounds ?"

"Just fine" answered Ray.

June smiled and said while shooing them toward the doors :

"Well then, off you go ! If you need me or Mr. Dickinson, we'll be right here"

As they neared the doors, Tyson turned back to wink at them before raising his free hand (the one that Kai wasn't holding) to pull back his velvet hood, hiding his face from sight. Tyson then opened one of the doors and moved out in the hallway, as silent and graceful as a shadow, dragging a slightly mesmerized Kai behind him. Max, Ray, Kenny and Hilary quickly followed suit.

June closed the door behind them, a happy smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes.

A/N : Okay, how was it ? Good, bad, horrifying ? Be honest people, I want to know !

Raiu : You could regret asking that.

Oh, why's that ?

Raiu : Cause this is horrible.

As if you know anything about writing fics...

Raiu : I'm a muse, aren't I ?

Yeah, by some kind of supernatural phenomenon. Anyway people, please review !

Akari : Yes, send lots of reviews ! See you next chapter !