TalaTati19- Can you believe it guys?! We're reaching the end! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOsh!

And so, to celebrate the upcoming finale, I'd like to hear from you all, the amazing reviewers that have been so loyal to me, what your favorite chapter from this story has been or favorite song from the soundtrack I've given you. Hopefully, from the awesome experience I've had with Decode, and the feedback you give me of this, I'll be able to narrow down what points I made that stood out. That way, I can continue to entertain audiences of the future, and maybe some of you guys again!

Cause a hooker can never stay unemployed for too long lololol

Your answers will look something like this at the bottom of the final chapters: TalaTati19: My favorite chapter was "Animal I Have Become" because of all the action and adrenaline coursing through every sentence. Although the best song from used, I think, was "S.E.X." Then again, that was a pretty tasty chapter too =D

Shout out to TheFallenangel927: You sneaky, terrible, terrible person ;-; HOW CAN YOU COME UP WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT IDEAS?!!?!?!?!?!?!!?! Bring it on! My Charmander can take your Squirtle! POKE-BATTLE!

Summary:.. [Rei's POV] It's been nearly five years since the last time we saw each other. The gang has made no effort to keep contact and I am also to blame. Now, out of mere chance, fate is binding us again. "How did we get here? I used to know you so well…" K/R, T/M

Note:.. The theme song of this story is the song 'Decode' by Paramore, found on the Twilight Soundtrack. It's the centerpiece of this puzzle. Also, the title of each chapter is two song names put together, both which summarize and are of great significance to the chapter. (Both song names are given at the end of the chapter.)

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

Disclaimer:.. TalaTati19 does not own Beyblade or any other commercial/marketing references that may appear throughout the story. WARNING: Yaoi fanfiction. Don't like it? Don't read it, don't complain, and don't be an ass about it. Just let it go and move on.

Scene Break:.. x-x-x-x

Decode (If Today was your Last Day)

I awaken to the sound of a steadily beeping monitor, the one that stood out the most against the other machine-like beeps. Slowly opening my eyes, less than clear vision deciphers the room I'm in.

The walls, a white in color, were decorated with a few small replicas of classic paintings. Off to the right, towards the exit, is a white workspace that's set up like a desk with an small emergency station posted upon the above it. Following the same direction on the right side of the room, a desk that seems to snake around the back of my bed is set up with multiple different stainless steel tools and various monitors with colorful lights on them that're responsible for the beeps.

Shifting to the left side of the room, two large windows with open shutters reveal the city outside that's starting to dawn. The moon, reaching its first quarter stage, filled the dim lighted room with more illumination, making the white floors glow and casting blue shadows upon the small table beneath the window closest to me and the long couch beneath the other one. A couch, that seems as though, it was occupied earlier. Glancing at the clock that's set on the wall between the two windows, I read the unholy morning hour: 4:31 am.

I start piecing together the puzzle before me: the pristine clean room that's mostly white, the sacred silence (if you ignore the hushed sound from outside the door), and my last clear memory. I'm in the hospital.

I attempt to lift myself to a sit but find such a task to be extremely difficult: my body, still sore to no extents, is groggy with all the morphine I must be under. Finally giving myself a good look-over, I frown at the bandages wrapping the majority of my torso and my entire left arm, encasing my shoulder along with it. I give up on trying to pull up the bed sheets and decide to squirm in place to feel what else may be in the current process of recovery. Bad idea. My torso stings with pain and the same pain shoots down my legs where it also throbs with less intensity. I'm definably fucked here.

Seeing as I'm confined to this bed now, I pout and let my head fall back on the pillow again, tracing back the steps of my last clear memories before everything dissipated and I found myself living in a memory. I hope to Buddha -shit, I even hope to God- that the others are okay. I'll never be able to forgive myself if they were injured in this fiasco.

Buddha, I screwed up so badly this time. Why am I such a klutz with everything?

The door opens and a florescent white light pours into the room from outside, the sounds heightening in volume for a few seconds. A shadow cast on the floor enters with some deliberation and disappears as the door is shut. I watch with anticipation to see who it is -I'll even be glad if it's a doctor- and a small grin pulls at my lips when I lock eyes with sunny gold orbs.

Mariah hobbles over on crutches, an enormous cast wrapping most of her right leg and a leg brace on her left leg, and she stops with wide eyes halfway to me. "You're…awake!" I can't help but smile with her when her lips are graces with that gorgeous, pearly smile. 'Crutching' over to me with twice the speed, she drops her walking aid on the floor with no class whatsoever and visibly winces when she stands on both feet but clearly ignores it. I push myself over on the bed to give her room to sit. As she set herself up I force myself, through much agony, to sit up as well. With caution she gives me a heartfelt hug and rests her head on my right arm- the one with the 'good' shoulder.

"Mariah, your legs!" I say and she continues to smile. Analyzing the small woman I also notice that she has a brace and cast on her left wrist/forearm and elbow. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, honest! A broken bone and a few fractures here and there on my right and sore left knee. Oh, and I broke my wrist on the fall. But I'm in pretty good shape, really!" Before I can come up with an argument for her she takes a clipboard from the desk that runs behind my bed with the monitors and the future nurse reads my charts. "Really, compared to you, it's as if I never even jumped out of a speeding vehicle. Do you want me to read it to you?"

Originally I was going to say no, but I think twice about it and figure that I'm going to be told anyway. "Sure, go ahead."

"From head to toe…Concussion, high chance of memory loss, minor cuts allover, bruises, no burn damage of any degree miraculously enough, two broken ribs, bullet wound, broken right forearm, minor stitches, and both knees braced for precaution." She puts the clipboard back with a sigh and returned to hug me fiercely. "Rei-kun, you had me worried so much; you nearly gave us all heart attacks! From now on I'm asking Tanya and Kris to give you permanent body guards when they come over from the hotel they're at."

I was also telling her how worried I was about her when her words caught my attention. "Wait, Tanya and Kris are here?" I ask her, shocked to say the least. But traveling from the USA to Japan is almost a three day trip. That would mean…

"Rei, it's Friday, you've been unconscious for almost a week. Hence why everyone's been camping out here at the hospital for so many days until they started kicking them out and limiting the number of people that can stay." She explains to me and I gape at myself. "You were in a coma for the first two days, almost three, but you woke up then for only a few minutes. I have no idea how, but Tyson and Kai managed to prove that you were in fact conscious and the doctors took action and assumed it was safe to move you in here."

So it wasn't a dream after all. That little figment of my imagination was, in fact, real. "Where are they?"

"Kevin needed stitches from the kunai in his stomach but he's was released after a few precautionary exams the same night. Tyson had a bullet graze his stomach so he needed a few stitches too but he was also released Sunday night like Kevin. Max has stuck to Tanya and Kris like glue, Kenny and Emily drop in occasionally with the kids, Kai's been closer to Tyson and Max than I've ever seen him -his weirdo friends come in with him for 'his own safety' apparently-, and Mr. Dickenson has been covering all the expenses and keeping us away from the media."

I frown. "Sounds pretty hectic then. How come you're in here if you're suppose to be in recovery?"

"I am in recovery, I'm in the recovery wing: six doors down the hall." She smirks mischievously. "Visiting hours aren't open until eight, that's the only reason why the others aren't in here. I still manage to sneak past the staff and come here at night to check you."

I roll my eyes at her, grinning a small grin. "You worry too much."

"With good reason." She defends herself.

I then realize that the pink-haired neko failed to mention one last person that's also been knowing away at my worries. "And what about Lee?"

Mariah's eyes glaze over a little and her entire face softens: relaxed eyebrows, slightly frowning lips, and her head bowed away from me while gazing elsewhere. "Lee…" She takes a deep breath, exhaling it as she spoke. "Lee didn't survive the explosion. The doctors that operated on him believe that he suffered from a stroke moments before the accident from the cerebral x-rays and readings they did on him." She explains to me. "They sent his body back to Hong Kong; his funeral was celebrated yesterday."

I felt like I lost a piece of my heart as she said this; the only person I could see in my mind was Lee slowly walking away. Tears welled up in my eyes and I felt guilt and shame overwhelm me- I feel like I'm part of the blame.

"Mao…I'm sorry." I bite the inside of my cheek, silvery tears rolling down my face and jaw. She shakes her head at me, wiping away the salty tears staining my face, and (I think it is) a small grin somehow finds its way to her lips.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetie." She tells me softly, comforting me since I'm the last person that knows of this loss. One of the monitors beeps increases tempo and she hugs me once more, running her hand through my hair to hush me. "Calm down before they send one of the nurses in here to check on you."

I nod twice and she proceeds talking. "Lee…Lee was corrupted by the Sun Yee On. I should've reported him the minute he settled his first deal with them, but it's too late for regrets now. Deep down I know that he never meant what he said and did to you, Rei. Sure, I agree, I do believe that he always had been envious of you to some extent, but I knew Lee. You knew Lee. He would've never gone so far on his own. I don't think he ever meant to lay a truly harmful finger on you, maybe just knock some sense into you to seize opportunities you're always presented with.

"I also think that one of the triggers of his downfall was our breakup, the way I reacted when you left. I was too dramatic and over-the-top about what occurred. So I want to apologize to you for stealing an irreplaceable part of your life. Throughout our entire teenage years I was always hogging you to myself and claiming you as my property. I didn't want to think of the possibility that my prince in shining armor might not like me back and I never stopped to consider how things work that aren't in 'Mariah's world'. I regret everything I did; I ended up hurting two birds with one stone."

I let a small smile break through my tears; I'm glad she's finally seen the light. "So it's safe to assume that you and Kevin are legitimately together now, correct?"

"I can't believe I never saw it." She admits sheepishly, letting out a short laugh. I laugh along with her, since I'm able to mirror the feeling.

"That makes two of us making the same mistake." I console her, hugging her back. I've always loved Mariah's hugs. They're like motherly hugs laced with your best friend all wrapped together in your little sibling: perfect little sister hugs.

I let out a tired sigh, glad that I'm finally getting the remnants of all the wrong off my chest. "How did we get here, Mao? Where did we all go wrong?"

The girl on my chest shakes with chuckles. "If you want to quote songs I've got one for you; you'd better recognize it." She warns before she begins singing in her melodious voice. "My best friend gave me the best advice: he said each day's a gift and not a given right."

A grin curls my lips and I continue along with her. "Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind, and try to take the path less traveled by."

"That first step you take is the longest stride." We chorus and she stops, putting her finger gently on my lips for me to follow suit.

"I want to put everything that happened between us behind us and turn a new leaf." She says with sincerity. "I see now that we've wasted too much time fooling around and how precious time is. Because as the song says, if today were my last day, and tomorrow were too late, I want to be able to say goodbye to yesterday. I want to make my mark and mend a broken heart, shoot for the stars, and let nothing stand in my way. As both you and I experienced firsthand, we can't rewind a moment in our life and time is never on our side. Not just you and I, I think that everyone here now knows this.

"From now on I want both you and I to live each moment like our last, say goodbye to yesterday and all its problems, leave old pictures in the past, and create new ones with brighter better feelings behind them. I want you to donate every ounce of your being to yourself and your well being instead of always putting others before you in a dangerous way. I want you reminisce on old memories with friends and not with sorrow or melancholy and always call those old friends- keep in touch with them. And lastly I want you to find the one your always dreaming of and finally fall in love with him all over again."

I smile brightly at her, feeling the dimples in my cheeks, and give her an assuring nod. "Only if you swear up and down to God above to the same thing." I say, also using the song as a reference for my own words. She laughs a smile and wipes away a few small tears that were threatening to spill, curling up beside me.

"I'm glad you're okay, Mao."

"I'm glad you're okay too, Rei." I felt myself drifting to sleep once more, as well as the girl beside me, when I felt her shift for something in her pocket. Pulling out a black and violet Beyblade, she puts it in my hand, making my fingers encase it. "I think it's only right that you hold on to Galeon. He was the most precious thing to Lee, and you were as precious to Lee as if you were our legitimate brother."

"You should keep it." I say softly, trying to give it back to her. She shakes her head.

"I have so many other things to remember him by, and I know that he's you're the only person he'd entrust Galeon to." She insists, he voice hinting sleep. I gaze upon the gleaming bitchip in the moonlight and shed my final tear for him.

I'm gonna miss you, Lee. May you rest in peace forever.

x-x-x-x

To say the least, I don't know if my friends want to praise me, be thankful for me, or yell at me. Example A would be the Latina that literally flew around the world to see me: Tanya.

"Rei Kon, you scared the living daylights out of me, you fucking lunatic!!! I'm so glad you're ok; you never do that again or I swear I'll murder you in your sleep you hear me?! I was really scaaaaaaaared!!!" She hugs me with some (controlled) strength, but it still hurts so I repress my wincing as best as I can. The blacknette's best friend, the ginger-haired Russian Kris, pries her best friend off me. "Kris, nooo!"

She awkwardly carries the girl to the chair and sits her down like a child. "Tanya, no." Frowning a pout, the lithe woman with chocolate brown eyes nods a 'fine' resentfully, skipping back to me to hover on the side of the bed much like everyone else. She takes a seat in the chair that's pulled up beside the bed and Kris sits in her lap.

As soon as the clock struck eight, after, of course, a nurse came in and found out I was awake with Mariah, kicking the girl out only for a half hour, the gang was all on their toes to finally speak to me after five days. And honestly, I've been just as ecstatic to speak to them. So when they all came rushing in the reunion was of cheers and tears.

Seat in a half circle all the way around me is, in order from right to left, Kevin and Mariah, Kris and Tanya, Mr. Dickenson, Kenny, Max, and Tyson. Yes, you heard correctly: no Kai. I've come to the rather depressing conclusion that, despite all my efforts to piece things back together, he will still never look at me the same way again. I don't even know if he's forgiven me. Most likely not, and I don't blame him.

But onto better matters before I bring myself down.

Following the same order of people for news, Mariah and Kevin intend to elope! Are they happy? Yes. Am I happy? YES (and no, not for selfish reasons either. I really am happy for them…and maybe a little for me). The even better news? Kevin's not mad with me at all, which, trust me, is very relieving to know. After going through everything I have, I don't want another pissed off family member on my case. It ends in nothing but trouble. The number one piece of news is that Mariah has the divorce papers with her and we've both signed, meaning that I (finally) am an official bachelor.

…I'm single!

Moving on from the Chinese couple to the infamous duo of actresses, Kris and Tanya also came bearing good news for me. I've scored several jobs back in the US of A, sixty percent of them being roles for the big screen. My career has officially taken flight. The girls, already ahead of the game, have begun arranging for my move to LA with them, and apparently they have multiple surprises in store for me there. Typically I'd jump for joy at this, but know Tanya and Kris well…yay? (A/n: this implies that they are a troublesome two lolz)

Kenny…well, Kenny didn't come with that much. He's brought his kids (against Emily's will apparently, because she doesn't approve of bring children their age to this area of the hospital…I don't blame her either) with him and I finally got to meet them: Megumi and Sean. They're adorable.

The gift that the scientist did present me with is Driger. I was afraid I'd lost him in the explosion, but it turns out that, as they were discarding my clothes, they double checked all the pockets (that still existed) if there was anything in them. Kenny took charge of caring for Driger, completely repaired the Beyblade that is now considered a vintage legendary piece of the sport of Beyblading. Essentially, my Beyblade is a piece of sports history and I, they beyblader, am not. That's not fair at all!

Max, much to my relief, did not have a breakdown of my near-death incident. In fact, according to everyone in the room, Kai was the one that had something similar to a breakdown. Strange, I know, because he's not present. All the news I received of him made me hopeful. He spent every night here in the hospital until Wednesday, where he couldn't skip any more meetings and had to attend. The word is that Tala and Bryan had to sneak a higher-than-average-bordering-on-unsafe amount of sleeping pills into his drinks to carry him out of here. From then he's been coming in regularly, three to four times a day, to check on any updates with monster things one and two. The oddest thing about this entire thing is that, after hearing that all three Russians were here, I felt glad to see that they actually showed some signs of being human. Maybe (aside from Kai) they care?

Pfft, Tala and Bryan caring. That's like saying the pope worships the devil. How the hell did it make me feel good to hear that two of the other people that want to kill me are here? I must be a masochist.

Arg, anyways! Getting back on topic here, Max did not have a breakdown. Just a(-nother) traumatic shock. Trust me, I am not happy with myself about this. Yet now that he's seen me and my amazing recovery in the past few days, not to mention that I'm awake, he can't stop smiling. Smiling Max = content Rei. The marine biologist accepted the job he got at Sea World in San Diego and is also packing for the big move. It'll take him a little longer than it will for me, since he's more attached to Japan (employment-wise) than I am, but he won't stick around alone for long.

Not that he's alone anymore…

Tyson, according to information I received from Mariah post tease-Rei-because-of-how-caring-and-concerned-Kai-was-being-towards-you, has been Max's shoulder to cry on, Max's cherry to the sundae, Max's…well, you get the gist. Max's everything. It's nice to see that he's finally seen the error in his way and has come to accept that he, much like myself, is bi-sexual. Max, however, also according to Mariah, has been playing hard to get. You go, Maxie: make that champ work for the prize just like always.

No news from Hilary has been heard, which is excellent as far as I'm concerned. The bitch can rot in hell. After Sunday night- meaning after the hell that was the rush of Rei, Lee, and Mariah to save their little butts from death- he kicked her out of the his house and hers (remember how he was paying her bills? Her apartment was under his name for safety reasons. Ironic, isn't it?). The model had to shamefully turn in her engagement ring and Prius (even the car was under Tyson's name) and run back home to her mom. The cop got a full refund on the ring.

Mr. Dickenson- oh, Mr. Dickenson. I owe two lifetimes worth of debt to him. I don't ever want to see the concrete numbers for it. Just thinking about it makes me feel bankrupt: ever since he found me, at age twelve, he's paid for my schooling, the different places I've lived, my driving classes, my beyblading career, my first major accident that landed me in the hospital, my college, a small portion of my wedding, my second major accident-. It's so much money!

To state the ever increasing amount of my debt, here's what else he's so kindly done for me: paid for car damages, paid for the house's damages, and is paying my entire hospital bill. Now keep in mind that he's doing the same for Mariah and her deceased brother. Capishe? Not including collateral issues (Kevin's little injury, Tyson's, etc.) or Max's stitches from last week (remember the shark attack?). The man has a never-ending fountain of money.

"Wait, so this means you're leaving this weekend already?" Max whines, frowning at me. According to the doctors here -they've come in contact with the old medical company the Bladebreakers were registered under in the day, and through them Kris set up a medical insurance account for me- they've spoken to the experts and were assured that I'd be with the best hands once I land in California. This fits in perfectly with my future plans as well as Kris and Tanya's, for reasons I'm still not sure of. "What happened to moving out together, Rei?"

I also frown, giving the famous duet of ebony and ivory my kitty eyes. "Guys, I can't leave Max by himself."

Kris also gave me her pitiful eyes. "But what about us, Rei? Does this mean Max is more important than Max? Than me? Than what we had?!" I blink in confusion and Tanya gasps.

"You tapped that?" Ebony inquires in shock.

"Indeed I did." Ivory replies solemnly.

Tanya furrows her eyebrows in anger, pointing at me. "I thought that we agreed that it'd be a threesome once we got him in a corner!"

…Do either of them want to fill me in on this?

Tyson, bemused, chuckles and glances at me. "Competition for ya, Rei." He raises and lowers his eyebrows suggestively. I shake my head and shrug.

"I honestly have no idea what they're ranting about. I'm usually lost in their conversations 50% of the time." I respond. Conversation continues about the upcoming moves, yet I can't keep focus on the topic. My mind keeps wandering away to different places. To the bridge near Tyson's house where my loss for Driger was consoled back in the day, to the haven among the cherry trees in the park, to the second world tournament, to Moscow. All events in my life where a certain blue-haired Russian was by my side.

Kai…where can you be?

x-x-x-x

If Today was your Last Day- Nickelback

I told you guys that these Canadians are my all-time favorite band! NICKELBACK, W00T WOO!

See?! No dead Rei! Does this mean it's safe to leave my fort now?

I actually had split requests of making Lee survive and kick the bucket, which was surprising for me, so I went through the possibilities of what could happen if he did live. In the end, I decided to stick to my original game plan and make the guy die. To those of you that wanted to pity the neko with the big nose I sorry, to those that wanted to see him die after everything he did, there you go!

What on earth does Kai think he's doing?! Oh wait, I know! But I promised to keep it a secret :]

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