Authors note: Well, here it is, chapter 35:) Kai is connecting more with the other bladebreakers, and there is a change in attitude. You get to se his softer side. In the next chapter Boris will make his appereance and things will become a little more heated.

A feedback is very much appriciated!

SketchMo: Thank you so much for the review! Great to know that people are reading this story!:) Regarding your comment I think you will like this chapter, while things finally does get better between Kai and the others:) Thanks again:D

Sunygirl: Thank you! Great to know, that is when I update, when I know people are reading:D:D

Girru: Thank you very much for a thoughful and constructive review which I will keep in mind for future chapters:) I completely agree with you. Throughout the story I have tried to portray Kai's own insecurities in how he sees himself, dvs. the way he thinks he his above everyone and how he masks his true feelings by acting a certain way. That being said I have worked on this for quite some time now, and after reading through some of the chapters I realize that I have overdone it a little. Regarding reviews I ask for a feedback because I need to know that people read this in order to update. I write this thing for you guys after all, and of course because I love Kai:) Anyway, thanks again!:D:D

Behind the wall of sleep

Chapter 35: The right way

Despite my efforts Frankie somehow woke up when I arrived home early in the morning. And, feeling uncharacteristically emotional I told her about what had happened at the bar. She got really angry; actually I had never seen her in such a state. I couldn't quite describe it either, she was…..enraged. And, on top of it all I did something I had never done before; I sat down on the bed, and then I started crying.

Perhaps it was the Irish coffee, I don't know; it had tasted like crap. Either way Frankie comforted me, and in the end I collapsed on the sofa, resting my head in her lap while she stroked my hair. My head was spinning and I felt almost nauseous, sick. I was pretty certain it was psychological, and this bothered me. All my life I had been taught not to give into my emotions, and here I was, crying like a baby. And, yet I still hadn't gotten my act together. Instead I slept until late afternoon, and finally, after spending almost half an hour in the shower I felt somewhat ready to face the others. Not that I would ever forgive Tyson, or forget for that matter, but it didn't matter, not anymore. I only had a couple of months left and then I wouldn't have to put up with their shit ever again. That being said I did care for them, sort of, at least Rey, Max and Kenny. Tyson had grown on me as well, although I didn't like admitting to it. I suppose that was why his actions bothered me to such an extent, made me so…..emotional.

When I arrived in the kitchen all conversation faded into an uncomfortable silence, and I chose to ignore the others, immediately feeling better when I discovered that Frankie had made me pancakes. Our eyes locked briefly, and she smiled at me, glaring at Max when he reached for a pancake. Max and Kenny was seated opposite me, while Rey was leaning against the fridge, a pained look plastered on his face. "Erm….erm", Max noisily cleared his throat, looking at me with an emotion I couldn't quite place. I hoped it wasn't pity; that would just make everything worse. Max left it at that, and Rey took over, his voice sounding strained. "I….We….What Tyson did was…..", he inhaled deeply, looking at me. "Really bad", he lamely finished, Kenny hiccupping nervously in the background. Then Max surprised me, speaking up in a surprisingly mature manner. "What…..What Rey is trying to say is that we won't forgive Tyson before he redeems himself….whichever way you see fit".

I looked at them, suddenly not feeling so bad anymore. Whichever way I saw fit; I kind of liked that phrase. With a shrug I reached for Rey's homemade strawberry marmalade, smearing an even layer over my pancake. Frankie looked expectantly at me, and after a brief moment of hesitation I reverted my attention over to the others, a slight smirk settling on my countenance. "I appreciate it", I said, noticing how both Rey, Max and Kenny lit up at my surprisingly sincere behavior. They were happy afterwards, blissfully unaware of my far from honorable intensions. That being said I hadn't planned on doing anything. As far as I was concerned Tyson no longer existed outside the beyblade arena, and thus he wasn't worth wasting time and energy on. Instead I spent a couple of hours in the weightlifting room, before having a beybattle with Rey.

He still looked at me whenever he thought I couldn't see him, but for once I decided not to be mean, and merely ignored it. It was a decent battle, and I was pleased to see that he had gotten stronger since last time, and gave him an approving nod. "You were hurt….were you not?" He asked me afterwards, and not for the first time I cursed him and his insight. What could I say? There was no use lying, not to Rey. He would just see through me either way. "Maybe I was", I said shortly, walking in the direction of the locker rooms to change and shower. Fuck them! They could think whatever they wanted, I didn't care! Or perhaps I did, but just a tiny bit.

"Frankie told me you are going on a double date?" Rey commented, shyly watching as I dried off my hair. Now it was his turn to feel uncomfortable, as I sent him a scrutinizing gaze. He was still in love with me I realized, and he blushed deeply, fixing his gaze on the floor. "I….I…", he swallowed, resting his head in his hands. "Sorry", he then mumbled, and for the first time I saw how broken down he really was, how much the whole gay thing actually bothered him. I felt, I don't know, I felt kind of bad. Rey was a good guy, I respected him. This whole thing made me feel surprisingly self centered, something I had always been proud of. This time it was different. Such values didn't fit in here, it wasn't right. "You will be fine", I said to him, pausing to pull a clean t-shirt over my head. He smiled weakly at me, shaking his head. "You have changed", He responded, watching as I smiled at him before taking my leave.

I didn't wait for him, and he didn't stress to catch up with me. He wanted to be alone, and I more than anyone understood that feeling. I didn't like the fact that Rey seemed so out of it, that he was not doing as well as I had initially thought. He was what kept the team together, and I realized that I would have to take more responsibility. Up until now I hadn't really mentored them, I had just looked after them whenever I felt like it, and that was by no means enough. No, from no on I would do my job properly, and I would start by talking to Tyson. Granted that he was a complete jerk and that I didn't like him, but deep down I knew that it was partly my own fault. I envied him; I wanted what he had, a loving family, an outgoing and social personality. He had all those thing I didn't, and it had bothered me from day one, which was why I had treated him the way I had.

In a way I felt somewhat surprised he hadn't pulled something like this before, everything considered. I had never been fair to him, had always preferred Max and Rey over him. Being the one I was I had never made any attempt at hiding this, I had just done what I felt like, in my usual selfish manner. Would I ever come to like his company? Probably not, would I ever consider him a friend? I doubted it, but I would give him one thing. Despite all the negativities I had on him, I respected his drive and his ambition, and that was one thing I actually valued. He never gave up, and I did like that about him. Perhaps from no one I should try and at least be civil with him, treat him, if not as an equal, as a valued member of the team.

Unsurprisingly I found him in the cafeteria, busy stuffing his face and drowning his misfortune in a mountain of food from the buffet table. I sat down opposite him, ordering a Macchiato. For the first five minutes we merely stared at each other, no one saying anything. His nose looked red and swollen, but I was positive it wasn't broken. At least that was something. He rubbed it from time to time, in between mouthfuls of what looked gravy and noodles. Then my coffee arrived, and we settled on a comfortable silence, for once feeling relatively at ease in each other's company. He was the one who spoke up first, and I warily watched him as he wiped his mouth on his chuffs. "I….I am so sorry for what happened Kai, I was drunk….I really didn't mean it", he said, looking genuinely sorry. I took another sip of my macchiato, deciding that it was far too sweet.

We sat in silence for the next fifteen minutes before I said anything, but Tyson seemed to understand, and patiently waited for me to decide on what to say. Needless to say I have never been very good with words, at least not regarding such matters. Unlike Rey I never knew when to say what. I just said what I felt like saying, rarely reflecting on wheatear or not this would hurt people. In that regard what Tyson had done in the bar meant nothing; I was a thousand times worse than him anyway. "I am sorry about your nose", I finally said, and he smiled at me, nodding. "I suppose I deserved it", he responded, and I chuckled, smiling at him. It was an honest smile, not a smirk, and I quickly finished my coffee. Better to leave before things got too emotional. He waved after me, and I gave a quick not in return before leaving. It was 6 O'clock, and me and Frankie were supposed to meet Johnny at 7.

Frankie was wearing skinny jeans, and I loved how they clung to her body like a second skin, showing of her assets. She looked great, and in my opinion she completely outshined Johnny's date; a petite but stylish looking French girl named Padme. Johnny was just as approachable as the previous evening, and I felt comfortable around him. I was loosening up, and while the girls argued over what movie we should rent, we talked about everything from sex to who had the best taste in cars. Johnny was convinced that the Bugatti Veyron was the best sports car the world had ever seen, and although I would agree that perhaps it was the fastest it lacked the striking elegance of a Ferrari. Especially the 458. "You snob", Johnny said to me, and Frankie started laughing.

Unsurprisingly the girls ended up renting something Johnny referred to as a chick flick, and although I had no idea what this meant Frankie was happy, which ultimately was the most important thing. Whatever a "chic flick" was I felt positive we had never had one in the Abby. It turned out to be a romantic comedy with a somewhat ridiculous plot, so in the end the girls and Rey remained in the living room watching, while me and Johnny played poker in the kitchen. Max, Kenny and Tyson were in Tyson's room, watching the newest episode of Top Chef just Desserts on his computer, and everyone seemed to have found their place. It was a somewhat strange experience. For the first time the entire team seemed to be in complete harmony. No bickering, no frustration, no sugar high, no nothing. I doubted it would last, but still, the sensation was pleasant.

And that was when it struck me, I had forgotten something, something important. It had been a distracting day, and I had let my guard down. Blast it! I had forgotten Boris. Johnny raised a questioning eyebrow at my sudden change of heart as I left our game, entering my room and shuffling through my clothes. The small piece of paper was in one of my jean pockets, curled and stained. I flattened it out against the wall, eying it with unease.

I was supposed to meet him too hours ago, and I had forgotten, of course I had. That being said it could have been worse. Now he was waiting for me to make the next move, to chose a time and place for a rescheduled meeting. With a heavy sigh I flushed the note down the toilet, returning to the poker game. Fuck Boris! There was nothing I could do about it now anyway; I would just have to leave him a message in the hotel lobby, and take it from there.

"Something wrong?" Johnny inquired, looking intently at me. I shrugged, forcing a smirk before showing him my cards. "You bastard!" He laughed, shaking his head in defeat. If everything could just be this easy...