Chapter 14

"I'm sick of being followed. I'm tired of people lying, saying what they want about me"

Rumors- Lindsay Lohan

"This is insane!" Max cried as he slammed the dojo door shut, putting a barrier between the flashing lights of cameras, microphones, and reporters and their victims. The two victims of the mass media were none other than Kai and Tyson.

The bluenette had fallen on his knees and clutching his heart as he tried to catch his breath. Kai was able to stand on his feet, but his messy hair and the sweat drenching his body gave away his exhaustion.

Rei, Max, Tyson, and Kai (against his will) had planned to spend the day together to relax. The next tournament wasn't for a long time, and it had been a while since the four of them had spent time together outside of the dojo and they thought it would be a good idea to go out together. How wrong they had been.

Reporters and paparazzi were everywhere! They hadn't stepped two feet out of the dojo before the first flash went off.

Kai had been the one to suggest they end their attempt at having a fun day out on the town right then and there, but Max and Tyson had insisted while Rei remained neutral. At first it was only a few flashes, but within five minutes there were more cameras and reporters. It wasn't until they were completely surround by reporters that the four make a break for it.

Tyson was beginning to see why celebrities eventually went crazy. Who wouldn't go crazy with fifty flashing lights in your eyes?

But that wasn't the half of it. The four of them had tried to go back to the dojo to hide, but the paparazzi were waiting for them. It had been quick thinking on Kai's part that had helped them escape that situation. For the next five hours they had run everywhere around the town, trying to lose their pursuers, or at least leading them away from the dojo.

After those five long grueling hours of never ending running, the dojo was free of paparazzi, and the four of them managed to get into it. If only the paparazzi that had been following them would leave now.

"There has got to be a law against stalking minors!" Tyson cried, letting his body fall face first to floor. He was used to being in the spotlight, but not this much. How did Britney Spears do it? Just thinking about those horrible blinding lights made his head dizzy. He had a new respect for celebrities now.

"They don't care about the law," Kai huffed, casting a glare at the door, knowing full well what lay behind it. "All those idiots care about is getting a picture or a story, and they'll get it if it kills them."

"I can't believe your relationship is receiving this much press." Rei shook his head in bewilderment. "I can understand some paparazzi following you but not this much."

"I agree," Max threw in his two cents as the sound of a body hitting against the other side of the door made him flinch. Tyson's stomach sunk at the sight. He hated seeing his friends being affected by the supposed romance between him and Kai. "This is crazy!" Max cried as a body slammed against the other side of the door again.

Sighing in what Tyson recognized as a combination of annoyance and frustration, Kai straightened his slouched posture and wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead before walking away from the group. It was a silent sign to follow, one Tyson recognized instantly, and he complied to it.

Rei and Max were not as quick to pick up on the silent command but as Tyson followed Kai into another room, he heard the soft shuffle of footsteps behind him.

Inside the room was a small TV. Kai didn't waste any time in walking up to it and turning the machine on. As Rei and Max entered the room, Kai began surfing through the channels frowning as he did so.

What was Kai doing? Tyson's curiosity made him move closer to Kai until he was standing in front of the TV with Kai. Was Kai trying to find something to watch? Perhaps a movie to take their mind off the reporters outside, but that was very un-Kai like. Rei would be the one more likely to try and distract everyone.

Kai was blunt and didn't like to hide facts. Whatever he was doing it was not going to sugarcoat the problem they were facing. If anything, Kai was about to reveal how dire the situation truly was. Of course this was all speculation on Tyson's part, but a part of his brain was nagging at him and telling him this was Kai's plan.

Kai stopped pressing the channel button and moved away from the TV so everyone in the room could see the screen.

Tyson's suspicions were confirmed.

Plastered on the screen was the same picture that had been on the newspaper Mr. Dickinson had shown them. The picture zoomed out of the frame, and a middle aged female reporter's face was revealed. Next to her were two boxes with other people in them.

"The relationship between Tyson and Kai has raised a voice to many concerns." The woman spoke with an air of knowledge and elegance, prefect for someone of her station. "People are aghast with the notion that two of the best beybladers in the world are homosexuals. These two are idolized by so many young teens and children parents are worried their children may start leaning towards homosexual tendencies in an attempt to mimic the behavior of their idols. Your thoughts on the matter, George?"

Tyson felt his jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"It is understandable that some adults may be concerned about their children," the man in the bottom right hand corner of the screen started, "but their accusations are created by a sense of fear and lack of understanding. Yes, there may be children out there that will mimic the actions of these two, but that does not make it wrong. And ultimately, most young teens are already going through sexual confusion, and seeing their idols being open about their sexual preferences will hopefully help the children feel less pressure and confusion. Hopefully, they will be able to pursue a relationship without any stress over whether the person they are dating are of the same sex or not."

"And what about you Sara?" The woman reporter from earlier asked the woman in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

"It's disgusting!" Tyson winced at the comment. He knew Kai and him weren't really dating, but the venom in her voice hurt nonetheless. "It doesn't matter if children are already going through sexual confusion or not! If they are exposed to homosexual ways they will be more likely to become homosexual! It is a vile thing!"

"You have no idea what you are talking about!"

A fight between George and Sara broke out, but Tyson couldn't listen. His body had lost all feeling. He had been experiencing guilt a lot lately but nothing like this. He hadn't meant for things to get out of control like this. If Kai and him were really dating then he could have stood up proud against the insults, but as it stood, he felt tiny and weak.

"That's only one reason why the paparazzi are after us," Kai said, and started changing the channel. On the new channel stood a beautiful woman who couldn't be older than her late twenties. Unlike with the other news reporter, she stood in a fancy news studio with TVs and magazines littering the wall behind her.

"And now for our top story!" She cried excitedly, and again that picture of Tyson and Kai was on the screen. "TyKa! It's taking the world by storm. You can't walk by a news stand without seeing something written about the happy couple!"

"TyKa?" Tyson heard Max question behind him. "That's what they are calling you guys? Even 'TomKat' sounds better."

Rei 'shh'ed Max.

"An article from Hito magazine states the happy couple has been together for years," The reporter squealed. "It says the two have been keeping a low profile to avoid controversy. The reason why the two have suddenly revealed their love life to the world is because the two are planning to move in together and become life partners."

"What!" Tyson shrieked! "I'm still a teen! We're minors! How can we be life partners!"

"That's only the beginning of it." Kai turned the TV off. "There have been articles publishing stories about the 'secret love life' we had. There was even one about the night when we finally slept together."

Tyson wanted scream! He wanted to pull his hair out and slam his head against a brick wall. He wanted to grab his sword and beat up the paparazzi outside his house.

How dare they! They were making up stories about his life! Not just his life, but Kai's too! They had no right! His life was his, not the public's!

X.X.X.X.X.X.

Hi guys. After thinking about it I have decided to throw in an interlude to give you, the readers, more insight on what is going on with Rei and Max. You guys didn't really get to see their full reactions to the situation that is unfolding so that is why I am making an interlude. It should be up in a few days.