AOD: ) Yay! Thankies Reviewers! You people are the reason why this fic is being written! Cause you really do influence me.
Kai: Disclaimer; AOD does not own Beyblade, Manhattan or New York for that matter.
AOD: ¬.¬U Yeah... I know... Do I look like a president to you? I couldn't even run a mile, never mind run a city!
Kai: ...Whatever.
AOD: ZOMG! I might be changing my penname to something like: 'Angel Of Darkness 91' Or something similar to that. So if you see a different penname next to this story's title.. then it'll be me ! o.o I really don't make sense, do I?
Dance Like No One's Watching
Chapter 14- Sweet Sixteen
The gibbous moon glowed strong blazes of white light through the rim of the curtains, spreading the shine into the cosy bedroom. It wasn't quite a full moon yet; at least one more night and the full circle would be complete. The leak of faint light was glimmering across the bedroom walls, creating crazy shadows and odd shades of movement. Not once did the shadows move- just like everything else in the room.
The total silence sent endless buzzing cries through Fern's ears in distress. Not that she was paranoid, but being in a dark room with no sound or noise made her feel very self-conscious. No song of the birds, no splashing of the rain, no babble of the Bladebreakers...
Nothing. It felt like she had been swallowed into a dark whole of nothingness and dragged into a world where noise didn't exist. Worst of all, there was nothing at all appealing to her to look at. Her shining orbs stuck above her nose couldn't pick up anything worth looking at; not while she was lying down anyway.
She was getting a sudden feeling that something would suddenly jump out and attack her; that's until she dragged her conscience back into reality herself. She sighed heavily, enjoying feeling and listening back to her long fresh breath. It was the only noise she was going to get all night, she figured.
Staring wide-eyed at the peaceful-looking ceiling, the flaming-haired teenager sighed again, still enjoying the even slightest of noise that occurred. That was all she needed. A bit of company, though she knew she wouldn't get any of it tonight.
She tilted her head to the side, now facing Max and Ray's double bed. Watching them was better than watching the ceiling, even though they were just as life-less. She couldn't figure out if she felt happy or sad at the moment, due to her mischievous feeling and events that had happened over the past few days. From the most recent, to the long ago events of her life, it all seemed like one big roller coaster. Things kept happening, and as they did, more and more just came without stopping or slowing down. Sometimes she wondered whether this really was reality; or a messed up dream world she sometimes thought existed in the very back of her complicated state of mind.
Continuing to watch Ray and Max intensely sleeping like there was no tomorrow, she straightened her leg in annoyance as she just couldn't get comfortable; only to connect with something else under the covers.
Kai's leg. He slept so soundlessly, she almost forgot he was even there. But she knew her limits; she couldn't roll over anymore than 50cm or she'd collide with Kai. Amazingly she had remembered that little rule she had made up even though Kai had slipped out of her mind for a short amount of time. Yes, it was short. Forgetting about him completely was out of the question. Now that she knew a little something which made her feel very awkward around him...
That love letter. Those simple words wrote by hand across some useless piece of pink paper meant so much to her. It made her angry, knowing that one stupid piece of paper had managed to squeeze itself into her mind, along with the other 100 things that she just couldn't solve. But somehow, that note had pushed itself to the front of her thoughts, and many of the important ones had been pushed to the back out of the way. There was no stopping it; it wasn't like she had a choice. Besides, not knowing who really wrote it made her cringe. It was Kai right? It had to be. Who else could it have been?
The evidence. There was much of it, but she decided to stick to the main things. One, he was the last one in that room! She remembered clearly, that he was sat on the bed when she walked in; he could of slipped it under her pillow then. Two, Kai was never one to admit his feelings. Especially... love. She didn't need a professional to work that one out. It was clear, Kai would of never of said those things to her face; if he did, it truly would be out of this world. So the easiest way to go about it would to write his feelings all down on a note, right? That's what she was convinced. And Three, who the hell else would it be? Ray? No way, he's too honest for that. He'd just come right out and say it. It seems Love Letters weren't really his thing. Tyson? Na. There had been no signs at all, and besides, he wasn't really into the whole lovey dovey stuff. But neither was Kai, when she came to think of it. Max? They were more like brother and sister than anything else. They got along well, why would he just come out and write that letter? Of course it couldn't be him. Or... Kenny? He's shy, she knew that much. Yet, he wasn't bothered about love. He was interested in computers and technical stuff and handling data and all that mumbo jumbo. And to top it off, he was only 13. 13 year olds can't seriously think of something as good as that to write... could they? Well, he was Kenny after all...
Fern's nose twitched at the sudden thought of Kenny sending that letter...
'Na!'
It wasn't Kenny. Or the rest for that matter. It must have been Kai... but how could she be so sure? Ask him? The thought of asking him made her stomach wince. She truly didn't have the guts to do anything like that, what if he was negative about it? What would she look like then?
'Stupid, that's for sure!'
Bringing her arm out from under the sheets, Fern laid back on her back before wiping her forehead in slight frustration; her head was too small for these long essay-thoughts she was always having. She didn't fancy thinking of them as essays; she had to do enough of them at school.
Now she had erased her thoughts by simply rubbing her forehead, she became stuck with the awful silence again. It seemed she had been thinking too hard again; and she'd completely forgotten about her boring surroundings. Unfortunately it had came back, and she only wished she could go back to her essay-thoughts again. She tried to clear her brain as she stared continuously at the bathroom wall, trying to pick up from where she left off with her thoughts.
It was no use. It was gone for good.
'May as well get some sleep...'
Closing her eyelids lightly, soon enough Fern fell into deep slumber that she longed for after her much impressionable day. It would be only hours until she would have to wake up to what she had a feeling to be a very action-packed, fun day.
A slight, gentle rub against her shoulder caused her to wake suddenly, dangerously swinging her arms out in displeasure as she was awoken from her deep sleep. The fairly lighter room than before, slowly brought her to realize it was the early hours of the morning, at least 6am. Now catching up with her breath which had speeded up due to her sudden disturbance, Fern caught eye-to-eye with the raven-haired Neko-Jin, who softly pulled her a grin. His golden eyes were exceedingly bright this morning. That was the first thing she noticed about him. The soft smile he pulled her gave her a warm feeling. It made her think back to only a few hours ago when she was having trouble sleeping. That dark unwelcoming scene had dampened her mind and had held back her deep urge to sleep. Although now, seeing the room in a total different state and a nice smiling, alive-looking face staring at her just as she woke up made her feel back down to earth. That's all it was. She just felt a little lonely, which she had suffered almost all of her life...
Knowing she'd once again start recurring into a deep chain of thought, Fern quickly shoved her upcoming feeling aside and greeted Ray with a nice, warm smile back to match his own.
"Hey Ray!" She stage-whispered tensely, avoiding waking up Kai in any shape or form. She wasn't surprised the slightest; she was expecting an early wake-up call from either Ray, Max or Kenny, minus Tyson who would probably still be sleeping as usual.
Ray was wearing a baggy, white dressing gown which was tied together with a thick blue piece of velvet rope. It almost seemed like it was dragging off him it was so baggy- even when he turned his head to look at Kai she noticed it seemed to hang off his neck too.
Fern followed his eye contact and stared at the birthday boy along with Ray. It was cute, he hadn't a single clue what they were up to. Fern had a feeling this surprise party was going to be an absolute blast- not to mention meeting new people, she was determined to get to know Hilary and Mariah more. And if possible, Mariah's team. Meeting all of these teams in person was brilliant. The experience of it was astounding. These teams had all been on TV before, in the papers, they were practically famous! Only until now she realized how truly lucky she was; it was like a one in a million chance anyone would get the chance to be trained by these professionals... it was all totally bizarre to her! This was the first time she ever really thought about it; before when she first met them she was too over the moon that they had actually offered to train her than anything else. Now this is what she called living a dream!
Once against she caught eye contact with Ray as both teens turned their heads off Kai and back on each other.
"Man, only seems like yesterday when we met him... now he's 16! Time sure does fly," Ray commented cheery, before taking his two fists off the bed and standing up straight.
"Well, shall we? Let's go into the living room so we don't wake him! Come on, the others are waiting!" Ray explained, now beginning to slowly walk backwards as he tried to make his way out of the room while still keeping his eyes focused on Fern and waiting for her to follow him in.
Fern nodded positively. "Is Tyson up yet?" She climbed out of bed and revealed her cute rainbow gown.
Ray sniggered slightly. "Yeah, we had a struggle, but we made it in the end."
Shaking her head and sighing jokily, Fern managed to keep her balance as she tiredly followed Ray into the living room, yawning quietly as she did so. Walking into the next room, her beaming eyes met Tyson's double bed eagerly at the sight of Max, Tyson and Kenny sat in a circle smiling at her like she had just pulled off a funny joke. They were obviously amused at something; their wide grins and half-open eyelids were signs of jovial. Something very humorous must have been on their minds.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?" Asked Fern, making her way towards the bed.
"Ever heard of a brush?" Tyson joked.
"Oh har-har!" Fern boasted sarcastically. Her quick half-smile showed she wasn't bothered; soon it disappeared as she glanced at herself in the wall-mirror which was hung beside Tyson and Kenny's bed. "Wow... it really is a mess, huh?"
Fern glared at herself in the mirror, examining her hair amusingly. Most of it was all over the place, with pieces of hair sticking up and covering her face. She sighed quietly and wandered over to the Bladebreakers.
"Make this quick, I'm tired! What time is it anyway?" Fern moaned, rubbing her sore head. It was still aching from when she had bashed her head off the bathroom door... twice! And to make things worse, she was getting really bad head aches lately which only made the pain more severe.
"It's about half six. Alright, so let's get this over with! I don't blame her for feeling tired.." Tyson trailed off after receiving a slight glare from Ray.
"Okay, so does everyone know their role for tomorrow? Me, Max, Tyson and Kenny will set up the party in the afternoon. It should take us a good few hours since we don't have the proper equipment, like ladders." Ray explained, leaning against the side of the bed as he spoke.
Fern continued to gaze over him in confusion. Her name wasn't mentioned.
"...And what do I do?" She asked, squinting her eyes slightly. Her eyes were very sore- being woke up early after a hard night's sleep wasn't particularly something she was keen on. She could practically feel the red lining around the rim of her eyes, burning up like the sun had just hit her flat in the face.
Ray smiled cunningly, much to Fern's dislike. She had the hard job, right?
"You have the most easiest, yet important job of all! You have to keep Kai away from the hotel while we set it up for the surprise party!"
Fern stared at Ray like he was dumb. Keep Kai away? Is that even possible? He's the type of guy to say 'No one tells me what to do!' No way was he going to listen to her of all people. And if she seemed too keen to keep him away, he'd be sure to suspect something. And besides, she still felt awkward about the whole love letter thing. Spending a day alone with him might only stir things up more than they already were.
"What? Are you kidding? That's the most hardest job of all! He won't listen to me!" Fern told Ray, with a slight hint of seriousness in her face.
"If we can pull off getting out of training for the day then we can pull off anything!" Tyson smirked. He rubbed his hands excitedly whilst hugging his pillow and resting his chin on top of it.
Fern sighed. "...Alright, I guess. But where do I take him?"
"I heard that in Central Park a travel theme park named Pineapple Fair arrived here yesterday. It's going to be here for at least a week, so you could take him there. It's your choice, really."
"Yeah, we should all go there one day! It's meant to be the biggest theme park of all time!" Tyson agreed, bouncing up and down on his knees with excitement.
"Ha, do you really think Kai would go to a theme park?" Fern asked in amusement.
"Of course. I know he seems cold all the times, but I'll bet he'll really be buzzing to go!" Max chirped.
A sudden leak of light erupted into the room, as the morning sun rose past the window lightly in the deep blue sky. The curtains were still tightly shut, although the strong gleam of light was enough to make it's way into the fairly luminous, pitiful dark room. The light made each blade squint their eyes.
"Looks like it's gonna be a nice day. I guess... Alright. Leave it to me! I'll keep him away.. somehow," Fern assured the Bladebreakers quietly. There was no choice in the matter. She had to do it. After everything they had done for her, she needed to repay them in small amounts until she got her act together again. She promised herself that once of all her problems were solved, which she knew perfectly she was the cause for them all, she'd make it up to them in one whole chunk. The least she could do was help out with this party, and by the looks of their pleasant yet privileged faces, there was no way she could let them down on this one.
Ray slowly nodded, Fern catching the movement and bringing her straight back into reality. "Okay, you go get some sleep. I'm off to bed myself."
Fern nodded, and sighed once more. She seemed to be making a habit of sighing alot lately; And she didn't even realize she was doing it until after she did. It was just one of those things you couldn't help doing. They just kept coming out, straight after the previous.
Trying not to worry about her constant sighing, she tried to perk her own hopes up by smiling back at the attentive looking bladers. "Okay, I'm off to bed. You coming?" She asked, aiming the question at Max and Ray but still giving each blader a fair gaze.
Ray slowly nodded, and followed her back into their bedroom along with Max not too close behind.
Flicking her eyes open once more, it took Fern a good few minutes to get used to her bright surroundings. For a few seconds, she rolled her eyes over in each direction, until she tensely met Kai's bare back. The faint sound of babble and laughter was coming from the next room, drifting into her ears as soon as she managed to notice was day it was.
Smiling, Fern sat up in bed, her eyes still stuck on the cold phoenix who was attempting to quickly pull on his dark purple jacket. She blushed at the sight of him pulling it on, muscles on his back sticking out like goosepimples on a cold day. His broad, tense and rough body creased slightly as he finally managed to pull his jacket on without getting it tangled again. What a sight.
Suddenly snapping out of her staring-phase Fern smiled at her own actions. She had just been staring at a guy getting changed. The thought infuriated her a little, how could she be so careless? If the Bladebreakers had caught her watching she'd have alot more to answer for.
There was no time to be essay-thinking now. Today was a very special day. It was one of the first things on her mind, so in a way it meant alot to her too. The one person who had helped her train was celebrating something big. A birthday, but not just any old birthday. It was his sixteenth! It wasn't everyday once-children were hitting the big age of sixteen. He was practically a man, now. She suddenly felt so small, she was still a hyperactive, emotional teenager, while Kai was now growing up into something.
"Happy Birthday, Kai!"
Kai immediately turned around and caught eye-to-eye with Fern, sat happily smiling at him in bed. It made him wonder how long she had been sat there watching him. He had been getting dressed! A faint scowl in his mind told him to blank her- it was awkward enough at the thought of her watching him for the past few minutes, but he wasn't into the 'Happy Birthday' stuff at the least.
Automatically that scowl was pushed right at the back of his mind. For once, he thought with his heart. What would his heart do? There was apart of his mind that was saying, 'Go on, smile! Thank her!' It felt like that part had just been opened from a deep, darkening sleep.
To her pleasant surprise, Kai managed to crack a quick smile through his eyes- A bright sensational light rose from the deepest areas in his two orbs. They flickered with complete pleasure, stuck on the flaming-haired rouge.
"Just feels like a normal day to me," Kai quickly told her, finally finding that scowl again and pushing it straight to the front of his mind.
Fern smiled and shook her head in amusement. "Ah, Kai. That's what I like about you. No matter what the situation, you always manage to stay focused somehow."
A quick silence crossed them, as they both continued their wild staring game.
"Sixteen, huh? You're growing up, Kai," Fern smiled. She felt like laughing mentally after listening to herself saying that. It sounded like something your grandma or grandad would say, but then again it seemed to suit her pretty well. She had to admit, even though she was fairly childish herself, there were times when she felt like she was older. Well, which growing teenagers don't?
This time Kai couldn't fight his upcoming smile- it just slapped him straight in the face and rubbed against his skin, creating a gorgeous curved lip line sparkling over the brightness of the room. "I grew up a longgggg time ago."
"Haha, yeah, you are pretty grown up for your age-" Fern began, now climbing out of bed. "But-" She paused for a second, making sure she got her words right and waiting until she got up close with Kai. "You're still a kid at heart. I'll bet you have a great fun side to you!"
Kai shook his head in amusement. "I'm going to sit in the living room. You coming?"
Say what?
Did Kai Hiwatari just ask her if she wanted to walk into the room with him? Wasn't he afraid the Bladebreakers would get ideas?
Not wanting to ruin the moment, Fern nodded quickly and smiled. "Sure!" She wasn't even dressed, but this was too good of an opportunity. It was like heaven had suddenly came down and slapped her in the face. Feeling special now that the legendary cold-faced Kai had asked her to walk with him, she happily followed him into the next room, forgetting about her state of being dressed in a nightgown and her ruffled hair.
Kai tugged the curtain out of the way, now dreading the thought of getting pats on the back from his team mates and a whole bunch of 'Happy Birthdays.' One was enough for him to get ahold of, he didn't need about a dozen more being thrown at him. Especially from Tyson... Kai cringed at the thought.
Lightly walking into the room, to his surprise he didn't suddenly get attacked with big, bright 'Happy Birthdays'. Instead, he received a warm smile from each of the bladers who were sat devouring bacon at the kitchen table.
"GAHppy Bifdare KARRI!" Tyson muffled in between his chews, with mushy food about to be swallowed.
"Tyson! Don't speak with your mouth full!" Ray moaned, before swallowing a long string of bacon politely and greeting Kai into the room. "Morning birthday boy!"
'Birthday boy...' Kai raised his eyebrow slightly. 'You'd think I was a little kid or something...' Fern snickered and dived onto the sofa, enjoying Kai's teammates giving him a good morning greeting. Watching his face was just priceless.
"Happy Birthday, bud!" Max sang happily.
"Yeah, have a good one!" Kenny smiled.
"Hn." Kai ignored his teammate's warm talk, and joined Fern in the seating area. The blazing TV shone throughout the room, rattling the silence as each of Kai's teammates dug into their bacon and eggs.
'Hmmm...' Fern raised her eyebrows at Kai's unexpected reaction. She at least thought the Bladebreakers would receive a smile back, or some sarcastic comment. But... nothing. The thought of getting sort of getting praised for her words and the Bladebreakers not, made her go all weak inside. It just wasn't right. Due to her confusion, she once again found her thoughts wandering back to that stupid love letter. It had once again pushed it's way into the light of her mind. The more important yet unpleasant things were trapped in the darkest areas of her thoughts, which wasn't a good thing. Stupidly enough, she knew she had to stop thinking about this letter and concentrate one much more serious matters. But she just couldn't let it go...
"Kai..." Fern began, before she felt herself nipping at her tongue with her two cuspid teeth with deep frustration. Part of her wanted to surreally ask him about the note, but that part of her was now in darkness. Before she brought herself to ask him, she realized there was something else she needed to do. That part was now in the light, shining in her maze of a mind.
Kai curiously watched her as she hesitated at first, but finally her words came out.
"How do you fancy coming to the Pineapple Fair with me? Just for a look around?" Fern sighed once again. That really was a close one. If she hadn't of remembered that, she probably would of asked him about the letter.
Tyson and Max snickered silently. Hopefully their plan was going to work. The Bladebreakers continued to stuff their faces, while secretly listening to Kai and Fern's conversation. Fern attempted to talk loud and clear so the team could listen in, but she couldn't bring herself to talk any louder. The TV was faintly glowing, along with the quiet sound of Ray and the others chomping on food. It just seemed too peaceful to ruin it with a sudden loud voice.
It felt comfortable, in a way. Kai's fresh presence made her feel warm. She didn't need the heating on to feel warm anymore. Staring into Kai's glorious eyes was enough to make her feel alot weaker. Legs shaking slightly, chin up, Fern cracked a faint smile across her pale pink lips, gazing into Kai's dark red eyes.
It wouldn't feel right if she just started talking boldly. The peaceful atmosphere was one not to be disturbed; and she had to admit, she enjoyed every second of it.
Breaking the burning feeling, Kai came out strong and clear. "A fair? Why would I want to go to a fair with you?"
Fern sighed. There it was again. That same sigh. Many different emotions flickered through her deep, verdure eyes. That fair scent of mint and freshness felt like nothing. Her heart chimed through her body. That feeling had totally wore away. But still, she had a job to do. She couldn't let her friends down. There had to be a way. She fought the exasperated look that was trying to take over her joyful face, and managed to bring herself into the smiling mode again.
"Well... it's your birthday, and I thought you might want a break? Oh, come on Kai! Don't be so crabby! Live a little! Get your bodice moving! You could do with a little fun. What do ya say? Only for a few hours? We'll get candyfloss?"
The phoenix pulled her a straight, anxious glare. Waiting impatiently for his answer, she had a feeling that if she was turned down, this time that exasperating feeling will win the battle. She couldn't let her valued team mates down, just couldn't!
Kai rubbed his forehead quickly, trying to avoid full eye contact with her. Why did he just feel like he wanted to give up and go? One word is all it took to change their relationship forever. A 'yes' would prove alot of things. That he had changed. Probably for the better, but not in Kai's eyes. A 'no' would prove he was still a cold, heartless being who hadn't changed the slightest.
That part of him that wanted to say yes was pulling muscles in his body, urging him to say those three simple letters together. Did he even want to go to the fair?
Not really. But with her... he wasn't so sure. His head was sure messed up right now. It would be easier just to say no, but why say no to something you want? He wasn't certain as to why he had the urge to say 'yes' and go with her. Her presence to him, was powerful and attractive. Just like how he felt about Dranzer.
He could now see Fern was getting impatient for her awaited answer, due of her constant biting of her lips and loss of twinkle in her lime eyes. He decided to just go with whatever he thought of first. He let his heart talk for him.
"Okay."
That one word felt like his life had just been to hell and back. It just slipped straight through his shivering lips, and it wasn't even on his mind. He wasn't the only one who was almost gasping for breath with shock. Fern stared at Kai, wide-eyed with her jaw almost touching her knees. That simple word, that couldn't possible do much harm, over-whelmed her small mind and sent a thousand tears roll into her veins.
Still not quite over the shock, Tyson interrupted their much-needed thought. "GREAT! - Oh, I mean, great... That means a few hours off training right? We would come with you, but we're too tired. We stayed up late last night!"
Max, Kenny and Ray felt like mentally sweatdropping. Trust Tyson to almost give the game away. 'You are such a bad liar, Tyson... You could of made it sound more realistic!' Ray thought, before being distracted again by Fern's sudden energetic attitude.
"Great! Why don't we have breakfast there, too?" Fern beamed, letting her rebellious mind fly free. Prancing up from the sofa, she couldn't help but smile when Kai looked at her like she was stupid.
"They won't sell breakfast food there!" Kai declared, glancing up over the sofa.
Before Fern could even speak, Max took her role. "They do! The most action-packed food-filled cafe there is one of the most famous of all time. There isn't anything there you can't buy!"
Ray gulped slightly as Kai stared at Max suspiciously. Hopefully, just hopefully, Kai didn't get the impression they were trying to get rid of him.
"Uhh... Okay? I'll go get changed!" Fern smiled, her eyes meeting Kai again. "Kai, thanks! You deserve time away from these guys-"
"Hey!" Tyson yelled in annoyance, understanding Fern's mocking clearly. Fern just smiled and ignored him.
"-And even if you don't like it, it doesn't matter! There's still plenty of little numbers to be had today, eh Kai?" Fern winked at Kai confidently, before skipping off into her bedroom to get changed.
That little wink meant alot. It made him feel funny, like he could never, ever be sad again. What did she mean by those words, anyway? Yet again his mind fogged over with strange accusations. As quickly as he breathed, that simple 'okay' he gave her appeared into his head again. Not that it mattered anymore. There was no way to change it now, what's done is done.
Much later, Fern finally managed to pick a suitable outfit for her trip to the Pineapple Fair. It was much like her usual favourite outfit, but she wore long pink straps instead of brown ones crossing over the top of her body. She had fastened them onto her belt so tightly, it almost looked as if they were crushing her to death.
She didn't really fancy a long walk all the way down to Central Park- the easy way out was to simply stand along the pavement and shout 'Taxi'. It kind of amused her, but before she could shout it again one had already pulled up along the pavement.
"To Central Park, please!" Fern chirped, climbing into the back of the cab along with Kai.
"Certainly, ma'am!" A man dressed in all black, with a cute short tie and neatly fastened shirt on was the driver, and he seemed friendly enough for Fern to make conversation with along the way. There wasn't anything else she loved more than talking to people. She had practically made it into a hobby.
The yellow taxi set off down the road, sprinting past the many buildings of New York city.
"The Pineapple Fair is a great place for two young people such as yourselves to have a date- good for you!" The Taxi driver smirked, staring at Kai and Fern from his upper wingmirror.
Fern giggled. "We're not on a date, driver! It's his birthday!"
Kai rolled his eyes slightly at the driver's accusation. 'Date? In her dreams!'
'You two must share dreams then,' Dranzer sniggered, now entering Kai's head.
'Not now Dranzer..' Kai sighed, blanking Dranzer from his head.
For most of the trip there, the two remained quiet. Something else had caught their attention, and that was the beautiful sights of New York. The amazing sky-scrapers and heavy buildings surrounded the busy roads. Covered in millions of tiny blue windows, and grazed in giant adverts stuck on the side of them and names of shops sticking out high above their heads. At night, this part of the city must be beautiful; It was like a new world. The futuristic scene made Fern cringe with excitement.
The passing cars and taxis swarmed the area, making the city seem more crowed than it actually was. The cars only took up more room, it was even hard crossing the road as Fern found out as she watched a mother and toddler hesitate to cross. The wheeled-beasts were coming from all directions, around sharp corners, from junctions, and there didn't seem to be much chance of them crossing the road. She was glad she wasn't them right now.
Everywhere she looked, there was either a sky-scraper, shop or building, swallowing the sky with it's horrendous height. The only thing which made them worth looking at was the huge adverts and colours spread out across the walls of the buildings. But no doubt, it was astounding. If it could make an impression on Kai, it could make an impression on anyone.
From the turn of a corner, blasting jolly music could be heard throughout the warm, winter sky. Straight ahead, was a gleaming area of lights, fun and people. The heavy babble of people talking was now becoming louder, creating a whole whirl-wind of happy voice and screams.
It was almost like Heaven.
From above the trees which surrounded Central Park, wild rides spread for miles around the edge of the funpark, peeking above each and every tree which tried to hide it's presence. Constant, fast movement wept into their eyes. Every few seconds sudden wild rides would rise into the air, filling the atmosphere with painful, yet excited screams as they fell like a bullet back to the ground. The immediate flashing lights one after another made Fern and Kai feel like they were about to have a seizure.
Fumes of hotdogs, chips and strong sauce made Fern's stomach ache with hunger. Her urge to rip open the taxi door and rush over to where ever they were selling this deliciously-smelling food suddenly came to a halt as the Taxi pulled up along the curve.
"Have fun!" He called. His muffled voice just about caught their ears; the events at the fair had totally taken over the communication of noise in every shape and form.
Fern rummaged through her pocket and brought out a 10 dollar bill and handed it to the driver. "Keep the change! I'm outta here! I gotta get food!" Fern almost literally tore off the door in complete eagerness and scurried into the street. Kai sighed and followed her, before listening to what the driver had to say.
"She seems keen. Just look after her, okay? These huge fairs are easy to get lost in; even in daylight they aren't the safest places," He assured Kai. With that, the phoenix shuffled after Fern who was increasingly getting over-excited at the sight of the fun park. She was quite far ahead of him, prancing and skipping along along the pavement, looking for the fair entrance.
Fern quickly turned around, Kai now startled to see her running straight towards him. Lucky, she halted at the nick of time before she was about to run into him, and instead, grabbed Kai's wrist.
"Come on, Kai! Time for some fun!" She beamed, dragging Kai along with her into a fairly fast sprint.
"Ugh..." Kai let out a quiet moan, a little surprised as to how fast she was running. Any minute, he felt like his legs were about to fail, which would result in him being scarped along the floor.
Thankfully, Fern suddenly stopped and examined the entrance of the fair. There was a quick staring-phase before the two of them actually went inside. Fern was amazed by the park, the transformation was fantastic. Only days ago it was a grassy, family-type area for little kids. Now it just looked... amazing. Horrific high rides, tonnes of enormous arcades, food stalls, roller coasters, ghost trains, Ferris wheels and even water rides! It seemed to go on for miles and miles. It looked like practically the whole of Manhattan was in here!
"Oh, Kai! I'm in total heaven! Let's go!"
Meanwhile...
"Alright! Now pass me the banner, Max!" Ray called anxiously from above, awaiting Max's next move which would hopefully become a success this time after many failed attempts. Ray was stood standing weakly on top of the kitchen table, which had been pushed against the kitchen appliances. There was quite a large gap between the table and the wall itself, only because the fridge and cooker were annoyingly in the way which didn't make things any easier.
Max pulled Ray a convincing smile, and carefully lifted up a huge 10m wall scroll which was incredibly hard to even hold. It had came rolled up like a scroll, and every time Max tried to straighten it, it would just curl up again. But finally, after some flattering with the bed duvet, it finally matched the shape of what it was supposed to look like on the packet it came in.
Tyson sturdily gripped the table as strong as he could. Kenny was stood down below Ray ready to pass him some pins in order to stick the banner up there. Max gaped at Ray, a bit impatient because of Ray's struggle to stay steadily balanced on the table. The feline then came across a very easy method of taking your shoes off- it seemed to work pretty well.
"Just hurry it up! Ray's feet stink!" Tyson joked.
"Shut up! Or I'll kick you!" Ray warned, grabbing the banner from Max's hands and carefully standing up straight again. He handed Kenny one end of the banner so he could deal with the other end. Kenny threw a pin towards Ray, catching it with ease.
Ray leant forward and placed one foot over the cooker, glad that it wasn't actually turned on, or that really would be fried cheese!
"URGH..." Ray groaned as he used the muscle of his finger to push the pin into the wall, directly over one end of the banner. Kenny handed him another pin, and the other end of the banner as Ray just about managed to pin that end in too.
"There!" Ray smiled, jumping down from the table to stand back and admire his work.
'Happy Birthday Kai' is what it read, in bold blue letters on a pale orange background. It had cost them more than they expected just to get Kai's name especially printed on. Hopefully, just hopefully, it would be worth it.
"This party if going to be a blast anyway even if Kai doesn't join in or anything!" Tyson commented with enthusiasm.
"I'm sure Kai will appreciate it. Now, what's next? Should we start blowing up some balloons?" Ray suggested.
"Whatever, as long as we can have a break in between. A growing boy like me needs food! I'm so envy of Kai and Fern! Getting to spend the day in that theme park while we're working out butts off..." Tyson said dryly.
"Yeah, but remember. She's with Kai. She'll sure get some big kicks out of that one!" Kenny rolled his eyes with sarcasm.
"Makes me think... I wonder how them two are getting on..."
Yet another flash of screaming kids ran past the cafe window, all with dripping ice-cream and candy-floss in their hands. Fern smiled and turned back to face Kai, who was staring at her like she'd just done something stupid. Fern sat back against the wooden board on the seat, folding her arms in total amusement. "You gotta problem?"
Kai wasn't sure whether to take her seriously or not- her slight frown made him believe she was; but her eyes told him differently. She seemed to hide alot of her emotions through her eyes. He could now practically read them like a book, as they sparkled with glee.
He rolled his eyes, sighing at her diddly little jokes.
Fern glanced over at the cafe counter, annoyed to see at least a tonne of people all lined up to take their order. She was usually quite patient, but waiting in long lines just wasn't her thing. Letting her eyes wander off, she scrolled around the room, envying the people sat at different tables who had platefuls of chips, bacon, noodles; you name it. Max wasn't lying when he said this major cafe sold everything- it practically did!
"Hehe.. stop that!" Fern and Kai immediately whirled around and met eye-to-eye with a passionate couple, only a few tables away from them. They seemed to be making quite a scene.
Kai raised an eyebrow and quickly turned his head away to face the window, after just seeing the couple smother each other in random kisses on the cheeks.
"Awww... sweet," Fern smirked.
"They need a room," Kai commented, seeing Fern's face brighten up and giggle made him want to return her the favour.
"I guess. But they are married! They can do whatever they like!" Fern smiled, looking at the couple every now and then as they kissed and hugged each other.
"Hn. How do you know they are married?"
"Look at their fingers!"
Kai did as she said, and quickly gazed at their hands, which were rolling down each other's faces tensely. Both man and woman wore a golden ring, and specifically on their wedding finger. He looked away again, facing Fern and pulling her a comprehending look.
"Don't you get it?" Asked Fern.
"Hn. Of course." That look just seemed to wear away, and vanished from his face completely. She really did wonder about him sometimes.
"Ah, I can't wait until I get married!" Fern boasted, swirling her index finger through her layered hair.
"...Why?"
"Well, why not? It's one of my dreams to get married to whoever I fall in love with! The experience would be great! The cute white dresses, ribbons, cake, bridesmaids, church, and most of all the love of my life! Don't you want to get married to a girl, Kai?"
Did he? He had never really ever thought about it. Now he was sixteen, he could get married whenever he wanted. What was stopping him? The fact was that he wasn't even sure what love was... not after the business with his grandfather.
Instead, Kai choose the easy was out and pulled Fern a cold glare. "...Not really."
"Or would you prefer a guy?"
Kai jumped at the question. "What? Don't be stupid!"
"Just testing Kai!" Fern sang happily. Kai's shocked expression was now beginning to wear off, but there was just enough left for her to devour. Seeing Kai act all defensive was kind of... cute. "How about kids? I definitely want kids! I've even figured out the names and everything. I was thinking of Yoshi for a baby boy, and Marion for a girl!"
"No way. Kids just mean more trouble. How do you think Tyson's mom felt when she brought him up?" Kai replied.
Fern smiled at Kai's comment. He didn't show the slightest bit of jokey ambience, but by his sarcastic tone of voice, she knew he was trying to be friendly. She began to laugh a little.
"Ha! You mean he was a right little brat?" Fern wondered.
"Yeah, I should know, I first met him when he was 12."
"12..? I was actually thinking about younger kids."
"No, he still acted like a kid. Ask Ray. He was very immature. Even though he's still a dumb-ass, I must says he matured over the years."
"I think you would make a good dad, when you're not acting like a jerk!" Fern joked, curious as to what his reaction would be.
Kai scratched the back of his head. "Me? A jerk? I never act like a jerk!" He rolled his eyes sarcastically. The hint of happiness in his eyes once again indicated he was just joking around.
"Oh? So you trying to say you act like a dad?" She asked, placing her right arm across the table and using her left elbow to rest against the surface as she cupped her hand gently in her palm.
"Sometimes it felt that way. I always had to look out for them... Damn kids..." Kai sneered softly.
"So... you think you know all there is about looking after kids, huh? Why don't you try it for real? You're old enough now, right?"
Kai pulled Fern a timid look. "Uhhh.. No. I'm not interested. I don't want kids."
"Aww come on Kai! Live a little! The others aren't here right now! You can admit it to me!"
"Huh? There's nothing to admit! I just don't want kids!" That was interesting. Did she know... his weakness? Before he could go into thought about it, she cut him off.
"But.. you want a wife, right?"
"No!"
"Ah.. Kai.. one day some lucky girl will steal your heart. And there's no fighting it! That's what my mum used to say... apart from the girl.. being the boy.. and stuff...!" Fern stuttered, blushing a nice shade of pink at her muddled words.
"Heh. Do you ever shut up?"
"Ummm... No. Do you ever talk?"
"I am now."
"Oh, well done, Kai! Your next step to becoming a sociable young man! All we need to work on now is your attitude, tiger! Now, how about we order large fries?" Fern smiled, glancing over at the now wore down cue.
Kai sniggered. She wasn't so bad. "Chips for breakfast?"
"Yeah, my appetites real big right now. Besides... I've missed breakfast. This is my lunch. I'll order something else too to make up from breaky!"
The cold phoenix suppressed his raging smile, just dying to tear into his flesh without prevail. Fern didn't seem like the type to care what others thought of her. For some reason, he kind of respected her for that. She wasn't just the usual teenage slut of a girl which all they ever did was stand in front of the mirror and cover their faces in slap. Immediately Kai felt a little guilty for being so stereotypical of teenage girls, but he had to admit, Fern was different from the others. Not just physically.. but mentally...
The sudden flash of screaming kids brought him back to reality and rubbed out his thoughts- glancing out of the window, he saw that another monstrous ride was just starting up, and already the kids on it were 10 foot in the air. He looked back to where Fern had been previously sitting, only to find she was gone. For a second, his heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly gazed around the room looking for the missing wolf.
The red head was stood at the counter, being served by one of the staff. He sighed with relief; for a second there, the taxi driver's words thumped in his mind like a sore thumb.
Just look after her, okay?
He had to be more careful. If he just kept getting in radges like that, he wouldn't seem so organized and laid-back as he usually did. His identity was one thing worth protecting.
Ray finally puffed the last bit of air he could mange into the small hole of the yellow balloon, immediately tying a tight knot in the end of the rubber party decoration. He didn't realize blowing up balloons was so much hard work. Unsurprisingly, Tyson had chosen probably the most easiest job of all- setting the table full of food, snacks and drinks. Ray was sure Tyson had secretly tried to scoff a baked bun, but he didn't mind. There was practically enough food to feed a whole country! And with Tyson here, he knew it wouldn't go to waste.
Kenny was currently setting up the party poppers and silly string, keeping a few bottles for later on so they didn't run out all at once. He knew how much Max adored all things party-ish.
Max moved at an undulating pace, making sure the finishing touches were in place. He glanced up at the small clock settled on the window-sill which Kenny had brought along with him.
15:06am
He sighed heavily. Kai and Fern were bound to be back soon, and with only a few hours to go, it seemed almost impossible to get everything ready. For one thing, Tyson's encounter with Mariah and Hilary was another thing to worry about. It meant they would be coming too; but hopefully not late. If they arrived at the party after Kai and Fern came back, Kai would only question.
Stopping his pacing abruptly, Max gazed suddenly at the loud swing of the hotel door, revealing a couple of figures stood by the doorway. Each blader stopped what they were doing, and looked up at the quick shake of the door which brought them eye-to-eye with a couple of teenagers they knew very well.
"Hilary?" Max beamed, widening his arms for a tight hug.
Stood in the doorway, was the very confident-looking Hilary, shining her brown eyes across each corner of the room, until she met Max's deep blue orbs after hearing his sweat voice she longed to hear again.
"Hey guys!" Hilary sang.
"Hill! Good, you came!" Kenny beamed.
Hilary smiled and stepped into the room, revealing yet more people stood hovering behind her. Ray smirked at the sight of the sharp fangs and rough skin; he knew them alright.
"Guys! I'm so glad you came! Tyson mentioned to me that he had seen you!" Ray beamed, dropping the balloon from his sturdy finger tips and racing towards his team mates. Tyson and Kenny joined him, while Hilary embraced Max into a tight hug.
'Hmm... looks like they've dropped the black eyeliner..' Tyson smirked to himself, while pulling each White Tiger a soft smile. He had to admit, Hilary and Mariah looked much better without the gothish look. It didn't suit them at all. 'Meh.. girls and fashion! It's such a strange thing!'
"Lee? Mariah? Kevin? Gary? Come in!" Ray chirped, moving aside so his old teammates could enter the room. Lee was first to enter, his strong, sensible nose twitching slightly at the sight of the clean, tidy room. It was sure different compared to what he had ever stayed in.
"How'd you end up in a place like this?" Lee murmured, still exploring the room through his sharp eyes. He had dark grey hair, and sturdy eyebrows like a real tiger's mane. He was still wearing that bulky necklace, and wore a simple shirt which was opened and pampered his strong chest nicely.
Mariah, Kevin and Gary entered the room after him, only Mariah stopping to greet Ray. Ray didn't mind. He had a feeling the blanks and vicious stares were due to his last failed attempt of trying to reason with each of them. Unfortunately for them, he had to leave them once again so he could enter the fourth World Championship. It was tough, but in the end, they finally agreed. He had recieved a few claw slaps off Mariah, but that was all. Along with a huge heap of guilt to go with it. There was nothing he hated more than seeing his ex-teammates like this. But what did he expect? Telling them he'd be gone for a while again, to reunite with the Bladebreakers? He certainly didn't blame them for taking it so badly.
At least now, they were making an effort and they had turned up to Kai's upcoming party. That was a start.
"Hey, Ray!" Mariah smiled, her golden eyes shimmering through the faint, deep sunlight. Ray couldn't help notice her's and Hilary's strange new fashion of dressing like two party girls. He didn't know Mariah liked to dress up so much, until now anyway. But that wasn't important. The two Neko-Jins shared a quick moment of staring, Tyson and Kenny realizing the two should be left at it. Immediately they walked away, and greeted the rest of the White Tigers.
"Mariah... I'm so sorry..." Ray stammered softly, lowering his eyelids. Mariah watched her friend's guilty face. It sure looked like he had a guilty conscience from the outside.. but what about the inside? She had to know for sure, otherwise she could never forgive him. Although, deep inside, she already had. But he needed to hear it.
"What does your heart tell you?" Mariah asked, slowly pacing her warm hand on Ray's pink cheeks, rubbing his skin softly through he light fingertips.
Ray felt a swift, light feeling settle inside of his body- his heart was open.
"It tells me... that I am. I truly am sorry, guys," Ray gasped, swinging around and staring at his now staring ex-teammates.
Lee saw the guilt in his eyes- nothing like he'd ever seen before. Lee shook his head slowly, to Ray's surprise. "Are you still mourning over that? We got over that ages ago, man! Let it go! The reason we came her in the first place was to support you, that's until Hilary mentioned it was Kai's sixteenth. We let her come along anyhow."
Those were the words Ray longed to hear.
Fern blinked twice at the rising theme park ride, her sparkling grass-green eyes twitching in fear at the sight of the giant swing lift the hundreds of screaming kids and adults into the air. Even by staring at it her stomach began to twist with excitement. She noticed most of the rides here were mainly dangerous, wild, adventurous things. There was hardly anything here for little kids, apart from the exception of the one or two small roundabouts.
She didn't quite fancy having a go on any of them at the moment. She wanted to save it until all of the Bladebreakers were there. But there had to be something her and Kai could do which wasn't too severe-looking. The two teens stood in one patch of grass, gazing around at their packed environment. Kai stood silently with his arms folded across his chest.
First she could do with some candyfloss. The sight of people walking around with either ice-cream or candy-floss in their hands made her drool over it. After her big meal, you'd think she was full.
Rubbing her stomach, Fern turned to Kai, already gazing at her consciously. She let a faint smile spread across her lips before letting words slip through her mouth.
"I'm gonna get some candy-floss from that stall over there!" Fern pointed to a small stall full of blazing red, yellow, orange, delicious-looking sweets. Kai followed her pointing finger. "Want some?"
When was the last time he had candy-floss? Long, long ago. 'Hn... haven't had it for a while. I may as well.' Kai nodded slowly. "Yeah."
After waiting in a 10-minute cue to finally buy their simple floss, Kai and Fern decided to just have a quick walk around the Pineapple Fair, to stare at the sights of the park. The day had been better than Kai thought; he was used to large crowds, mainly because of all of the beybattles at the stadiums. The crowds were enormous there- nothing topped this though. Everywhere he looked, people were strolling around, laughing, excited. Too much happiness in all one day made him feel tired. Not his happiness, but other people's happiness. It was just so uncomfortable to him.
Turning around yet another corner from a long river stream that was part of a wild water ride, a string of emotions almost dripped from each blader's eyes. That sense of people and loud ramble seemed to just vanish, into a much quieter area of the theme park. And a much sinister one...
Few stalls lied on the unusually bare piece of grass unlike many other areas of the park. A simple throw-a-ball at the coconut stall stood lonely, the grass around it muddy and slushy, probably due from the rain.
The very last activity in the theme park rested against thick pins, which held up a small, dark purple tent. A crescent moon was whirling slowly around on top of a small stand, which held up a bright, magical-looking sign which printed three simple words.
Luna's Future Readings.
Kai stared beyond the tent for a second, noticing it was a good few yards away from the theme park. A bare ground of grass rested behind it. It was like they had reached the very end, the left-over out-skirts of the park.
Fern couldn't help but listen to the fainted cries and laughter in the distance behind her from back deep within the park. It seemed like hardly anyone came here- nowadays most teenagers were interested in the high, scary type of rides.
"Luna? Wow! It actually looks like one of those psychic tenty-things you see in movie! It could be the real thing! Come on Kai, this could be fun!" Fern gawked. Before Kai could answer her back, she had already grabbed hold of his wrist without him knowing. Soon enough, he was flying down the grassy path with Fern taking lead.
They paused just before they entered. Fern grabbed ahold of the tent door, and slid it open carefully, leaving enough space for Kai to follow in after her...
'Wow.'
Their wide, blistering eyes caught the room's strong scent of supernatural magic. Surprisingly large and spacious, the room gave off a 'magical' feeling, which had completely swallowed Fern and Kai's attention. Voodoo dolls were hung up all over the place, the thin hair of the dolls hanging off them like they were slowly falling apart. Strange and bizarre long tubes of water glowed lucently above their heads, sending bright rainbow lights around the whole room. It felt so supernatural, the place reminded Fern of witches and black cats. Whoever this Luna was, she was no joke. She certainly was superstitious.
Kai and Fern's eyes finally casted on a woman sat almost silently behind a round, pine table. The woman looked like one of those people out of movies; a round headband flung over her head, which came down to her chest. Her big, bulky round earrings rattled slightly as a grin spread across her purple lips. Fern couldn't help notice her hair; black, raven locks which looked like they reached her backside. It looked so unbelievably shiny and silky, Fern could almost feel the silk of the woman's hair glide through her fingertips by just staring at her.
Kai guessed, that this woman must be Luna. She looked exactly how he expected; a fake!
"I've been expecting you," Luna's face lit up wisely, her brown eyes glimmering under the light above.
Fern raised her eyebrow. "You have?" She asked cheery, yet in an disoriented tone.
Luna simply nodded, her hair bouncing with her nodding beat.
'How...?' Fern scratched her head. How did she know they were coming? 'Oh wait... She's a psychic! Of course she knew we were coming!' Fern laughed in her mind, almost sweatdropping but refrained when her eyes caught Kai.
He was staring at her tensely. "Can we go?"
"Would you like a reading?" Luna asked, as she placed her hands stretched out across the rounded table and cupped her two hands together.
"Oh yes! Would we ever! Come on Kai!" Fern cried happily, exchanging a quick glance with Kai before beginning to walk over to the two seats that were across the table from Luna.
Kai sighed. He had no choice but to follow her.
Taking their seats, Kai sat uncomfortably opposite the lady, as Fern slouched next to him in another pine seat. He watched Fern for a second, examining her lips as they pulled into a tight smile. The glitter in her eyes told him she was excited and looking forward to her 'reading.'
"Shall we begin?" Luna smirked, immediately shaking her long sleeve.
Fern and Kai looked at her in suspicion. They had no idea what she was doing, but she was speeding up so it didn't seem like they'd catch it with their slow movement of eyes.
A pile of cards flew out of her sleeve, Luna catching them with easy into a strong grip in her soft palms. Fern watched on in amazement. She hadn't ever seen anything like this before.
Luna carefully placed the cards on the table in front of her, but turned them around so the picture side wasn't facing.
"Uhmmm.. excuse me? What are you doing?" Fern asked.
"I'm hiding the cards from their true positions. I'll give both of you a separate reading. Once I have finished mixing them around, when I tell you, blow lightly over the cards. Then I will pick one up at random, with my eyes closed. That will tell me your destiny..." Luna smiled, as she used the palm of her hands to mix up the cards on the table.
Kai looked on skeptically at Luna. 'She's crazy! She actually thinks all of this is real?'
To his surprise, Luna immediately looked up at him and shook her head. "I'll prove you wrong."
'? What? Did she just.. read my mind?' Kai blinked twice at Luna, totally astonished and baffled. He had always heard stories of people like her, who would dress up as a witchy-looking person and give out fake readings just to get in on the loot. Something about this woman, convinced him she wasn't one of the fakes.
"Alright..." Luna stopped shuffling the cards and looked up at Fern. "Now, blow!"
Fern smirked timidly. "Alright!"
Fern believed in all the supernatural beings, aliens and ghosts type of stuff. And because she did so, about to get her future given to her on a plate made her ever-so nervous yet excited. It wasn't everyday people got hints of what would happen in their future, but it frightened her at the thought of a bad reading. It did happen, many people received bad readings and it all came true.
Trying to push aside her thoughts, Fern blew softly against the cards. She sat back nervously, gripping onto the rim of the table tightly as she awaited Luna to pick up a card. Smiling slightly, the raven-haired woman closed her eyelids, and picked up a random card without even twitching with fear.
Fern wondered how Luna could stay so calm when giving people a reading. What if it was an unpleasant one? How would she break it to them?
'Well, she must be very brave, Fern. She has to, to be able to choose a job like this. Many medians just leave their gift alone and get on with their own lives. But folk like her seem to enjoy helping people with their lives.' Werex said, entering Fern's mind.
Fern listened, but ignored the wolf purposely. Her eyes were far too concentrated on the turned over card that Luna held in her hand to even talk back to Werex. Luna glanced quickly at the card, then suddenly slapped it down picture-faced on top of the table.
"A star," Luna began. Fern stared down at the turned over card. A large, bright yellow star was printed onto the card, with a beautiful-looking woman knelt down to the side of it. "Many people get this. However, each time they all have their own special meaning. My lovely lady, I sense good things for you. This star represents solitude, feelings, a slightly held-back life. Your eyes... the twinkle in them tells me differently... Hmmm... this is a tough one..."
Fern gulped slightly at Luna's wandering eyes. She was thinking. Yes. She was having a hard time finding a reading for Fern. Perhaps it was bad? And Luna didn't have the heart to tell her? Fern looked across at Kai, who had his arms folded over his strong chest, as usual. Feeling the wolf's eyes focused on him, Kai pulled a quick, soft glance onto her. He could see it in her eyes- she was nervous, no doubt. There was nothing he could do to comfort her.. or nothing he felt like doing.
"Aha! It's come to me!" Luna's positive attitude earned a glance from Fern and Kai. "You are strong at heart, my dear. But, you will need to be healed at some point in your life by the one and only. Never fear, if the said person manages to find their heart and forgive, your life as well as many others will be saved from an evil force. May that be anything along the lines of death, electric shock, help with homework, I cannot say. However, I do know, your heart will live on, for many years to come and go." Fern was almost hanging off her seat, ignoring Kai's slight moans of annoyance completely as she listened eagerly to Luna. "All you need, it a little encouragement, my dear. Don't give up on life."
Fern was lost for words as her jaw almost dropped onto the pine table that sat in front of her. It was amazing. Fern couldn't help but create accusations straight away in her mind of what it could mean. It didn't take long before she was thinking of Black Pele. '...Saved from an evil force? Black Pele...'
Her green, stretched eyes shone with sadness. It matched. It all made sense. What if it was all true? It was almost told like someone would have to save her from herself. 'Kai...?' Her watery eyes casted on Kai's crimson eyes. If he ever, ever found out about Black Pele she could never forgive herself. It wouldn't just hurt him, but by Luna's words she guessed it would hurt her physically too. Yet, Luna didn't exactly mention what would happen to her. As she said, it may only be help with homework.
'But I'm not at school at the moment, am I?' Fern cried to herself. Her head spun, new ideas popping into her head. Luna's words had certainly hit her hard, and Luna picked up on this straight away.
"Dear, it's just what the cards told me. I don't know anymore than you, but I see it in your eyes- you have a strong sense of justice. You don't fail at much, but those one or two things which live in your dreams to accomplish will always be there with you. As I said, never give up," Luna smiled. Fern smiled back, her words had made her feel a little better. She was right. She couldn't give up the fight. Her dream was to become a good blader; but not the most superior. Like she was ever going to catch up with Kai, but the thought of being able to enter the tournaments with at least a few successful wins made her heart skip a beat with excitement.
"Do you want a reading?" Luna asked, now facing Kai directly.
Kai shook his head. "No. We'd better get back."
Fern sighed. That guy really needed to lighten up a bit and have some fun. Speaking of which...
The red-head glanced up at the black clock just above her head. It was just past half five. The party must be set up and ready by now, so she guessed the best thing to do would to head back. She thanked Luna with a simple smile, and threw her in a couple of dollars. Fern stood up along with Kai, and the two began to walk away from the table.
"Hey..." Luna's voice sang cunningly. Fern and Kai stopped and faced Luna. "You want to know something else?"
"Uhmmm.. we really have to be going..." Fern explained. To her surprise, Luna shook her head.
"It won't take 5 seconds..." Luna smiled. Fern looked at Luna curiously along with Kai. Now Luna had their full attention, it was the perfect time to tell them. "When you two entered this room... the spirits whispered 'perfect'..."
Kai and Fern blinked continuously at Luna. Was she implying what they thought she was?
"That does it! I already knew you were a fake, but that one takes the biscuit!" Kai snapped. Fern was still gazing at Luna. Those stupid words had annoyingly managed to push right at the front of Fern's mind. Her and Kai.. together? No. It could of meant something different. Just like her reading earlier. But it just all seemed to connect somehow. Black Pele, Kai, the love letter...
'Miss, now you're going around in circles. This is just a simple silly fun-loving prediction for a spot of pleasure. Don't take it so literally,' Werex assured Fern. The red head smiled slightly at Werex's words. She was right. They were just that. Simple words, which didn't change her fate whatever happened.
'Kai, Kai, Kai... I second that," Dranzer snickered faintly inside Kai's mind.
'Cut it out!' And with that, Kai leapt back into reality. Those words meant nothing to him. "Let's go."
Fern pranced after Kai as he left the tent without her, now feeling a little nauseous, she set food outside of the tent. The first thing she noticed was how dark it had suddenly become; the pale blue sky had turned into a slate blue, which narrowed the sky into a deep turn of emotion.
"Should we go back?" Fern asked Kai.
Kai nodded. "Yeah, we've been out a long time."
Kai and Fern decided to walk back; they didn't have much money left so it probably wouldn't cover one single taxi fare. They remained almost silent as they walked the cold streets of Manhattan, continuing out of the city and moved towards the out-skirts. Their hotel was quite a while away, although feeling that gorgeous winter air and being set upon a clear, slate-blue sky gave Fern fresh feeling. It was truly going to be a lovely night. A clear night sky meant that once the sky was black, it would be filled with many stars.
The phoenix flung open the main entrance door, and held it open slightly for Fern to grab. They had yet another couple of hundred steps to walk. The large staircase awaited them. Fern was going to suggest going in the lift, but after the other day's performance of getting trapped in the bathroom, she really didn't want to risk it. In any case, Kai had already started walking up the stairs so there wasn't much chance in getting him to walk back down the few steps he had mastered.
'Oh! The party... I just hope they've finished getting things ready..' Fern watched Kai reluctantly in fear of the party not being ready. He opened the hotel door, Fern's heartbeat now beating quicker...
By Kai's sudden paused pace, Fern managed to crack a sneaky smile in triumph.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAI!"
AOD: Hehe! Aren't I evil leaving it there? Well the chapter was long enough anyways, so please review and tell me what you thought! If you want, please point out where I could improve! Thanks peeps /nods/