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Aw, did I leave it on a cliffhanger? I'm sorry…X3 Mwahahaha!

Warnings: A bit of swearing.

Chapter 14:

Moment Of Truth

"He's not here, either," Hiro mutters quietly to himself. After leaving Kai's hospital room, Hiro decided to search for his wayward brother, who's demeanor is becoming more erratic by the minute. He checked the bathroom first, but he wasn't there. The canteen came next, but that too lacked his brother's presence.

Where the hell is he?

"Hey, Granger." Looking up, Hiro can't help but let a sigh of annoyance pass his lips when he notices a certain platinum haired Russian make his way over to him. He soon remembers that Bryan called him Granger, a name he refers to whenever he's pissed off about something.

And he always seemed to be pissed off about something.

"Where that ton of laird gone?" Bryan asks as he approaches.

Hiro presses his lips into a thin line. Bryan certainly doesn't mince his words, does he? Ok, so Bryan is annoyed with Tyson, that's fine, but can't he refrain himself from calling his brother names while in front of him?

"I don't know," Hiro quickly replies, glancing over his shoulder to look at his surroundings again. "He isn't here."

Bryan folds his arms tightly over his chest, his brow furrowing in annoyance. "Did he take off again?"

"I'm a little worried about him," Hiro admits, pressing his lips into a thin line again, a habit he has when he's feeling intense frustration. He knows Tyson isn't exactly Bryan's favorite person at the moment, and he can't exactly blame him. But even so, Tyson is still his little brother, no matter how many people he's annoyed in the past. His family and they should always be there for each other.

"He hasn't been acting much like himself the last few hours," Hiro says, pausing for a moment to try and find the right words to explain Tyson's behavior.

"That's what we've been trying to achieve over the last week, Granger," Bryan replies with a flick of his tongue as he continues to stare at the floor with a heated gaze, no doubt the frustrations of the last few hours still eating away at him and his patience.

Hiro draws in a sharp breath through his nose, shutting his eyes for a moment. He knows that Tyson's personality needed an adjustment, but he didn't want his little brother's mood to change so erratically. He's like a ghost now, not a word, not a noise. Just drifts in and out.

The biggest change to Tyson's personality is that he hasn't uttered a word about Beyblade or had a bite to eat. And for someone who can't go without a bit of chocolate every now and again, it's a rather dramatic change.

Surely, this isn't what Bryan and his partner in crime was hoping for, was it?

Hiro furrows his brow and folds his arms over his chest tightly. "I thought you wanted to teach him a lesson on gratitude, not shatter his spirit."

Snapping his head towards the older male, Bryan's frown deepens as he casts Hiro a look of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"He hasn't strung two words to me since," Hiro explains, lifting an arm off his chest to pinch the bridge of his nose. "It's like his not there anymore."

Bryan tries to process these words, the gears in his mind quickly turning, repeating images of the past of what he, along with Tala, could have done to turn Tyson into a shadow of his former self.

"He was his obnoxious self when Tala and I were training him," Bryan tells him. "He was adamant that he did nothing wrong. And the last time I saw him, which was the morning before Kai was attacked and he stuck his tongue out at me. He didn't seem any different then."

Hiro scratches his cheek, mulling over this piece of information. "Something must've happened that afternoon, then."

"That afternoon, Kai was attacked," Bryan practically spits, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He folds his arms tightly over his chest again and presses his lips into a thin line, chewing on the inside of his mouth. His anger and rage is making an appearance again. Where's Garland when you need him?

"Although," Bryan carries on, kicking at something imaginary on the floor in front of him. "Tala said that Tyson skipped practice that afternoon, only to have him appearing a few hours later, muttering something about doing something stupid."

"Doing something stupid?" Hiro repeats. He stares at the floor, appearing deep in thought. Tyson admitting doing something stupid must be the reason why his sudden his attitude did a 180. What could he possibly have done that would result in him suddenly turning into this blank, expressionless ghost?

Wait…Hiro snaps his head up, a sense of realization in his eyes. He remembers the doctor saying something about Kai's wound being clean, like a cut from a knife or a blade.

Or is that a Beyblade?

"Oh God, no," Hiro whispers, his eyes widen with a feeling of disbelief and betrayal as he covers his hand with his mouth. He suddenly slumps his profile forward and clutches at the material over his heart with his other hand, finding it difficult to breath.

This is wrong. Not Tyson, not his baby brother. He couldn't do something like this, could he?

Is…is Tyson the one responsible for the attack on Kai?

"Hey, are you all right?" Bryan asks, his hands hovering above Hiro's back, unsure what to do. "What's wrong?"

"Tyson," Hiro manages to gasp out. "He…didn't…"

A look of confusion appears on Bryan's face as he tries to decode Hiro's mutterings. Then, his eyes suddenly widen in realization before they seem to flash in anger. A low and dangerous growl erupts from his throat as he abruptly turns on his heel and powers through the hospital.

"I'll fucking kill him!"

--

"Ah, no," Kai whimpers as more flashes of memories bombard his mind. He tugs desperately at his wrist with his hand, trying to pry Tyson's fingers off of him. His iron like grip is cutting into his skin, feeling like he's trying to cut off the circulation.

Oh god, this is not happening. This has to be some sort of a nightmare. He's stuck in the hospital, in an isolated and private room with multiple aliments and with Tyson Granger for company, the very teen who put him in here in the first place.

What's he doing here? Is he here to hurt him again? He has already attacked him once, what's stopping him from trying again?

With his heart pounding loudly in his chest, Kai can feel his fear rise higher and higher. His panic grows when he realizes that due to his exhaustion and injuries, he is unable to defend himself.

"Let go," Kai demands, his fingers clawing desperately at Tyson's, trying to pry them away.

He finally manages to free his wrist and winces when he sees a thick red marking encircling his entire wrist. That will most likely leave a bruise, especially in his current condition.

Kai sinks back against the pillows, cradling his wrist in his hand as he keeps his gaze directly at Tyson, fearing that if he turns away for even a second, the Beyblade champion may strike.

Tyson suddenly bows his head, his shoulders shaking erratically. Kai wonders what the teen is doing but before he can either question him or tell him to get out, Tyson suddenly lunges forward and hugs him, burying his face into his shoulder. Kai emits a startle cry as Tyson pulls him into his arm. His eyes widen a fraction more when he feels something wet against his neck.

Is Tyson…crying?

"I'm sorry," he whispers against his neck, his voice heavy with desperation. He appears almost frantic.

"What?" Kai mutters in disbelief before uttering a small cry of pain when Tyson tightens his grip on him. Suddenly, a streak of white hot pain streaks from his temple and seemingly into his brain. He soon realizes that Tyson is unwilling touching his injury, aggravating it further.

"I didn't mean it," Tyson continues to ramble against his shoulder, but the pain Kai is currently experiencing, he's in no mood for apologies. Irrational fear feels his well-being and the intense need to get away quickly overrides anything else.

"Stop it," Kai whimpers as his sight starts to turn blurry again. He places his hands on Tyson's chest and tries to push him away. "Let go, you're hurting me."

Tyson pulls back, but keeps his grip on Kai's upper arms, giving him a small shake of desperation, his eyes wide with fear and guilt. "Kai," he starts, but Kai quickly cuts him off.

"No," he says as he shakes his head, his own sense of desperation appearing. He just wants to get away from Tyson, the fear and disbelief of Tyson attacking him with his very own blade fresh in his mind. He lets out another whimper when more pain seem to pierce his brain.

"I don't want to hear it," Kai says, his body slumping forward as fatigue begins to take control. He knows he's on the verge of fainting, but he refuses to faint while Tyson's in the room. "Just let go of me. Please."

"I'm sorry," Tyson continues to apologize, his voice holding yet more desperation within.

"Just stop it," Kai says in defeat, his voice barely above a whisper. "I've had enough."

Suddenly, the door opens and Miguel steps in. He blinks his blue eyes for a moment, taking in the scene. Tyson has Kai by the arms in a death like grip, while Kai seems on the verge of falling asleep. It takes him a half second to realize what's going on before promptly pushing Tyson to the side harshly.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Miguel demands before gently taking Kai into his arms and holding him protectively against his chest. He utters a small noise of concern when he realizes that Kai is shaking uncontrollably. He seems to be trembling with a sense of fear, his eyes staring at Tyson unblinkingly.

"Miguel?" Kai whispers, blatant relief in his voice as he sinks against him.

"Kai?" Miguel says in concern. He leans back to look at Kai more clearly and gently takes his cheek in his hand. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"He…" Kai stutters, finally tearing his eyes away from Tyson to look into Miguel's eyes. "He did it…"

"What?" Miguel asks, his eyes widening when he realizes Kai is trying to tell him what happened, who his attacker is. He tightens his arms around Kai's fragile frame and holds him closer, knowing all too well that Kai is undoubtedly fearful and confused. "Take your time. Who did this to you?"

"I did," Tyson says, his voice barely above a whisper, his body tensing when he notices the muscles in Miguel's back suddenly stiffen, his body becoming completely still.

"…What?" he asks as he slowly turns around to face him in an most ominous way.

Subconsciously, Tyson takes a step back, not entirely sure what Miguel will do. He once told him that he'd give him a swift kick to the head if he didn't grow up. What will Miguel do now that he knows Tyson was the one who could've easily killed Kai?

Miguel takes one threatening step forward, his usually bright blue eyes are now a very dark blue. Slowly, he lifts up his arm, his hand curling into a tight fist. He seems to hesitate for a moment, but then lunges forward and punches Tyson square on the cheek. A loud crack echoes through the room as Tyson falls back against the wall behind him.

"You stupid, arrogant bastard!"

Yay! Miguel finally punched him!

Miguel: Yeah, and it only took fourteen goddamn chapters!

…Better late than never?

Please review.