CHAPTER 20

I know that you probably wish

That I would just bow down

Would that make you happy?

But you should know that

I would rather die

Than to watch you have that finale

Bülow

At the beginning of the third week of May, Tyson visited his doctor and had his cast removed before ten in the morning. Since it was an off day for him, he decided to go see JB afterwards, taking the long route to his dealer's shop as he used his leg muscles for the first time in a month and a half. Tyson savoured the sunny weather, the light breeze, the fresh air and the deep satisfaction of being able to walk again. Even though there was zero chance of him being let back on to the team again this season, he was adamant to see his coach. If he couldn't persuade him, then he at least wanted to be told to his face that he was out for the rest of the year.

JB's shop was a discreet, one-storey establishment, painted an ugly combination of orange and grey. The only thing Tyson liked about this shithole was that JB's little brother had strung fairy lights along the board bearing the name of the place behind the counter. 'Joozy's', the board read in big neon letters. Where the fuck did JB even come up with that name from? He wondered sometimes. To an outsider, the place seemed like a poorly maintained supermarket, but to users, Joozy's was heaven. Or it traded in substances that gave you a little taste of the opposite of the hell that was their lives.

"Sup" Tyson called as he walked in through the front door, the bell hung upon it chiming after him.

JB's brother, Kid was manning the station. "Oh look who it is," he drawled in the nasally voice of a thirteen year old boy yet to hit puberty. Tyson grinned at him. "Aye JB, look who decided to show up!" he shouted out to someone at the back without removing his eyes from Tyson's face. "I'll tell you now, I didn't miss you," Kid said with complete seriousness.

"Didn't think you would" replied Tyson.

"When I heard you were in the hospital, my first guess was you overdosed."

"Bet you were disappointed to know it was an accident."

"I was. You shoulda seen my face."

"Next time, buddy," Tyson winked at him. "I promise"

"Just got back on your feet and you're already making promises to kill yourself again?" JB emerged from wherever he'd been hiding to come for Tyson's neck. As usual.

"I wasn't" denied Tyson, shifting to rest an elbow on the counter. "I was only trying to get your morbid little brother to smile."

"Get away from him," warned JB, pushing his brother out to the back of the shop. "You're a bad influence on him."

"I'm a bad influence?" Tyson muttered to himself in disbelief as Kid disappeared behind the shop, grumbling all the way.

"Listen, if you're here for greens," JB began, but Tyson cut him off.

"I'm not. I'm here for the info on the Russian." JB's big bug-like black eyes watched him silently for a minute before he stowed a hand under the counter and pulled something out. A folded piece of paper. "Don't be stupid." He held it out toward Tyson. "Don't go after him."

"I won't," vowed Tyson, taking the paper containing the con's address and pocketing it.

o - o - o - o - o - o

Kai called him Black. He'd let it slip during one of their late night conversations. Tyson had pretended not to notice in order to avoid raising suspicion. Tyson was well aware Kai had plans to land the Russian in prison after their deal was fulfilled, but he didn't have the patience nor the mercy to leave the murderer's fate in Kai's hands.

Black had walked into Tyson's life and taken everything he held dear to his heart away from him. His dad, his grandfather, Daichi, his friends, his passion. All of them. He couldn't live knowing the man who killed the people he loved more than anything was roaming the earth freely. Happily. Where was the justice in that?

Tyson had realized long ago that he couldn't rely on the police. He had to take matters into his own hands and he'd been waiting for a chance for two years. The opportunity was right in front of him. All he had to do was take it. Over the last one month he'd been bedridden Tyson had been thinking. He had had a lot of time to think. There wasn't much else to do. And he'd come to this striking conclusion: there was no point in living without a reason. And Tyson had a reason to live. He had to avenge his loved ones. If he couldn't do that, then he rather he died.

Black had chosen to haunt an abandoned attic of an old but sophisticated Chinese restaurant a few blocks down the hotel where Kai stayed at. Tyson had begun spending countless hours scoping out the place, trying to figure out a pattern to Black's daily activities. He left the attic at odd times, but every Friday night, after midnight, he was out. It took Tyson a month to confirm that this was a consistent habit. He laid a plan the very next day.

On the first week of spying, he'd dropped by Kai's office to see Kenny, because that was his HQ now. The guy worked, ate and slept in the lavish, well-equipped room, Kai had set up for him. Ten floors above ground, on the farthest western side of the tower, sprawled a techie's dream haven, fully furnished with a cozy bed and a beverage counter piled with energy drinks. (Kenny was a pretty generous host and so needless to say, Tyson and friends often crashed the place and Kenny was okay with it till Emily decided it was good idea to give Tyson a haircut in The Chief's overseas HQ. They'd cleared up a nice spot upon the desk that ran along the wall for all the computers and equipments while Kenny was out on a bathroom break and set up Tyson on a plush stool that had been dragged over from the beverage counter and began snipping away at his dark locks. Poor Kenny had returned to a scene where they were brushing the hair off the floor and had nearly torn his own hair off his head in outrage. He was stricter with what was allowed in the HQ now.) Tyson had sauntered in beaming and thrown himself on the leather sectional. Somewhere in the middle of their conversation, Tyson's gaze had fallen on a tiny button-shaped thing and he'd asked the Chief what it was. "It's a mini microphone," he'd answered, while tweaking the base of a beyblade. "Used for eavesdropping and stuff." And an idea had blossomed in Tyson's mind.

On the second week of espionage, he'd stopped by Kenny's lair and slipped a tiny USB drive he called "The Venom". The USB had a malicious software in it which when inserted into a computer, logged in automatically, downloaded all the files in the computer's storage, including the deleted ones, and logged out without leaving a trace. The Chief had kept it in a small box with a holographic lid, but Tyson had stealthily pocketed it and replaced it with a harmless pen drive of a similar design.

On the third week, he visited the restaurant and treated himself to a bowl of chicken noodles, his all-time favorite and casually chatted with the waiter, before making two discrete rounds of the interior. It was a two-storey establishment with wooden chairs and tables of twos on the ground floor and family seats on the first. The attic was above the first floor and there was only one way up there. Through the pantry that had a door leading to a flight of stairs that led to another door which opened into the Russian's hideout. The pantry door was heavily padlocked from the outside so no customers accidentally wandered above.

Here's what Tyson was going to do: wait till the restaurant closes for the night and Black leaves his hidey hole, then scale up the dark side of the restaurant and climb in through one of the windows on the first floor. Once he was in, he'd find the pantry, pick the padlock, run up the stairs and unlock the door to the attic if it was locked (most likely) and let himself in to the dragon's lair. And then, he would install the little recording microphone, search for anything incriminating if he has time and get the fuck out before ten minutes is up. But what actually happened was this:

On the first of June, the inauguration day of the exposition, Tyson woke up at the crack of dawn, mind alert, body ready. He did a quick stretch, took a shower, dressed up, ate some cornflakes and left the dormitory quietly, Mike still sleeping soundly. He bounded down the stairs and headed for the exit, the sky outside a mix of colors, but dominantly a disgusting blue. He revved up his bike and was on his way to Kenny's.

When he got there, he was surprised to see Emily. Both Kenny and she were up, having an intense conversation and they shut up as soon as they saw Tyson. Fishy.

Tyson walked in with narrowed eyes, the automatic door closing behind him. "Okay, what is going on?"

"Nothing," said Emily, sitting primly in the bed. "I'm just here for some help with my assignment that's due today morning. It was a emergency and he's a genius, in case you forgot."

"So are you."

"Thank you," she flipped her hair over her shoulder, " but not in quantum physics though," she said gesturing toward a thin stack of papers by her side.

"Jesus, how many courses are you taking? Twelve?" Tyson asked incredulously, taking a seat on the bar stool.

"Six" she corrected him, then glanced over at Kenny, who was waiting for them to give him a chance to talk. "Thanks for the help. I'm leaving though." She stood up, gathering her assignment.

"Wait," Kenny abandoned his chair to ask her to stay a little longer. "I haven't even offered you a drink." He flushed. "Ah I'm such a- Emily, at least have a soda before you go."

"Thank you, but I don't drink that trash," she spun on her heel, already on her way out, "I'm kidding, but really I don't want anything, I had a huge cup of coffee before coming over."

"Um okay," said Kenny, deflating.

"What the hell are you doing here, Tyson?" Emily shot at him.

"I'm here to see my homie," he answered as Emily reached him and pinched one of cheeks, painfully hard. "Ow"

"I better see you in campus today or I will have you neutered," she threatened. "Understand?"

Tyson groaned. "Urgh fuck, yes ma'am," he gritted out. She let him go.

"Okay bye," she said as he heard the soft whoosh of the doors opening, "I love you," she dropped a kiss on the cheek she'd been abusing a second ago. "See you later." She straightened and Tyson saw that Kai had just come in. He was watching their exchange, looking way too pissed off for six thirty in the morning.

"Hi, Kai," Kenny greeted him as Tyson caught Kai's eye and the edges of his world blurred for just a moment.

"Good morning!" Emily chirped at Kai.

"Bye" drawled Kai.

"Wow, you're really full of sunshine and rainbows, aren't you? Good luck tonight, dickhead," Emily teased before sashaying out with a final wave at everyone.

Tyson's eyes returned to Kai once more. He'd dressed up in a sharply cut blue suit. Fancier than usual. There was something about the way the suit clung to his body that made it hard for Tyson to look away from him. "Looking good, Hiwatari," he said, drawing out the syllables.

Kai cut his gaze to glance down at himself once before replacing his attention back on Tyson. "I have a board meeting at eight."

"So early?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Because of the time difference between here and Tokyo," Kai replied, gaze dark and welcoming.

"Uhh right, I'm-" interrupted Kenny. "I'm going to go to...the bathroom. Yeah. Bye," he said, making a beeline for the door, suddenly seeming to be in a rush to get out of there.

A soon as he left and they were alone, Kai took a step forward at the same time Tyson did. "When is the opening ceremony?"

"At six, will you be there?" Tyson considered the question, gaze on Kai's collar, the one open button, glinting silver in the seductive violet light.

"I have a lot of work to catch up on," he said finally. "I don't think I will be able to make it."

Tyson's eyes tracked upward, till they rested on Kai's mouth, watching his lips move around the words as he said, "I wish you could."

"Yeah, me too," he replied without thought, caught in the moment, then upon realizing what he said, looked up at Kai to see his brow crinkle lightly. They hadn't yet talked about the incident in the hotel room a month ago, letting it sit and fester like a sore in their newly repaired friendship. He could almost read the deep confusion in Kai's eyes. I'm sorry I'm being such a manipulative bitch to you, he wanted to tell him. It's because I can't figure myself out either. I'm sorry I'm dragging you into my mess. I don't want this for you.

Tyson looked down, ready to excuse himself and go hunt for Kenny down the halls, but Kai stopped him with a hand on his wrist. He felt all the nerves in his hand come alive under Kai's touch. Tyson raised his gaze to meet the other's dark lavender one. His pulse picked up beneath Kai's thumb and he knew that Kai knew. "Tyson" he said his name like it was a beautiful secret and stole his breath. He sensed the edges of his world blurring further, and further, until it narrowed down to just Kai and what he was about to say next. "This Saturday." Oh god. "Will you be free?"

"Yes, why?"

Kai, don't do it, Tyson begged in his head.

"There's something I have to show you. Will you come?"

Will he? Was that even a question at this point?

He nodded slowly, before licking his lips and saying yes. He would go, that is if he survived tonight.

o - o - o - o - o - o

Kai floated through the inauguration party in a trance, nervous and distracted about the upcoming launch, barely paying attention to the speeches and the conversations that followed. The decorations glittered around him, heels clacked, a bead of condensation ran down the side of his full champagne glass. Precisely thirty minutes were left on the clock and he counted down each second in his head. Intuition told him this night held more weight than he'd previously imagined. A strange sense of foreboding clung to the inside of his throat, keeping his back ramrod straight throughout the whole evening.

Two years of preparation and seamless planning would finally be brought to life tonight. His palms were clammy, smile strained, suit pressed a bit too smooth. Somehow he felt as though everyone in the room knew what he was up to. That this was all a sham. One huge, elaborate lie. King's rolling head at the other end of it. The only truly anticipated outcome. Kai wondered at times, how different he was from Black. If he was different at all. He was out for blood and blood alone. None of this meant anything to him. He'd lost his passion for Beyblade a really long time ago.

Kai checked his watch. Twenty-five minutes. Time to make his exit. "Thank you for your company," he said to the head of Samsung. "I hope your project is a huge success and I wish you all the best but I must take my leave now." He held out his hand for him to shake.

"It was a pleasure, Mr Hiwatari." They shook.

o - o - o - o - o - o

Tyson strapped the second glove around his right wrist, squeezing the leather in his fist and liking the feel of it. He picked up his little bag of supplies and crept out the open window of his dorm, quickly scaling down the pipes along the wall and climbing down. He leapt off the last ledge and dropped an entire floor before hitting the ground. He picked himself up and tested his recently healed leg for any aches or pains and when he found none, broke into a light jog toward the parking lot where his partner in crime waited for him with a full tank.

Tyson straddled his bike, put on a helmet and veered out of campus, the wind whipping his jacket like a leaf in a storm. His heart thrummed away as he crossed each mile to the restaurant, the watch hidden under his sleeve, ticking by slower than he appreciated. Street lights and trees blurred by as he flew across the road, grip steel tight around the handles, the engine roaring between his legs. He reached the Chinese place quicker than he'd calculated. He parked his bike a block away, amidst a large number of other equally brightly coloured and flashy ones. He clicked his helmet unlocked and lifted it off his head, shaking out his sweaty hair. The temperature of the city had dropped low after the sun had set but perspiration glistened along his hairline nonetheless.

He dismounted, grabbed his backpack and drew his hoodie down his face.

o - o - o - o - o - o

Kai breathed in a lungful of air, eyes closed. He opened them just as his former teammates Tala and Bryan approached him, out of sight of the hundreds of people who awaited for the kick off of a sport that had been dead for a while now. The stadium doorway loomed like a dragon over their heads. "Wish us luck," said Bryan. Tala rolled his eyes.

Kai smirked. "Good luck," he told them. "Give us a show." He held both of their gazes for a couple seconds, one after the other, making sure they heard what he was saying loud and clear. Tala nodded once, tersely. Bryan winked at Kai. "You bet your ass we will."

He folded his arms and turned as they walked around him and into the stairwells that led up to the platforms on which they were going to play. Tala took the one nearest while Bryan went all the way around the structure toward the opposite set. Kai glanced at the time. Fifteen minutes left. The dome was yet to be revealed to the masses.

Kai headed up to the control room to make sure nothing was out of order. He didn't trust King to not pull another stunt like at the Quadrennial Championship. He trotted up the stairs and opened the door to a large room full of screens and staff seated at desktops. "Kai-sama!" Matsuda ran up to him with a clipboard in hand.

"Everything going as planned?" he asked as soon as reached his side.

"Yes, Sir!" he assured him. "The players are in position, the dome is ready to be unveiled, the lights are all set to go, the band is waiting for their cue."

"Good" he nodded. "Do we have eyes on King?"

"He's in the VIP section, Sir," he informed him, then clapped a hand over his mouth, recalling something. "Shit! Fu- Apologies! Sorry! Sorry! Kai-sama! I did not mean to curse in front of you," he stuttered as Kai regarded him with a raised brow. "I'm sorry!" he kept apologising.

"It's okay" Kai told him, impatient to hear the news. "What is it?"

Matsuda calmed down enough to answer him politely. "Mr. King requested your presence in the lounge, Sir."

"When?"

"About five minutes ago. I forgot. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he reassured him before checking his watch. "Ten minutes. Signal the band and open the dome."

"Yes, Sir," he bowed and scurried away.

o - o - o - o - o - o

Five till nine. Black should have left for the exposition by now. He had to work quickly because the match would be over by nine-thirty and then he'd have about six to eight minutes at max before Black returned. Tyson would have liked to do this after the restaurant had closed but that way he'd have to gamble his life, because there was no assurance that Black wouldn't break his nightly routine and come back home while Tyson was still in there.

This way, he could be a hundred percent sure that he wasn't going to return while Tyson was scouring the place. All he had to worry about were the restaurant staff. Tyson slunk toward the back of the restaurant without attracting attention and obscured himself in the shadows behind the building. Thank god for small mercies. The establishment was old and though they'd refurbished the front, they hadn't bothered much with the back. There were bricks along the back that provided convenient handholds. He climbed up easily, fingers searching for and digging into cracks along the wall to haul his body in the direction of the sky.

He hoisted himself up to the first floor window, the pantry window if he'd done his math right. Tyson extracted one hand and held on with the other as he slid the glass open. The pane wouldn't budge at first as it hadn't been opened since god knew when and he had to rearrange his grip along the bricks and put his weight against the window. He got it open at last and he crawled in after making sure nobody was in there. He located the door to the attic. It was locked. He fished in his pockets for the hairpin he'd borrowed from Emily in class earlier. He found it after a moment of frantic rummaging and inserted it into the lock.

He opened it without much trouble and closed it behind him with the padlock still dangling from the hook. You wouldn't notice it was unlocked unless you looked closely. Tyson took two steps at a time. There were ten in total. He reached the top and bent to unlock the door to the Russian's haunt.

o - o - o - o - o - o

The steel enclosing covering the large dome was unpeeled, slat by slat. The audience were seated along the circumference of the structure that was slowly being brought to light. Music blared from the speakers as the plexiglass beauty which had been in the making for over a year was finally uncloaked to the public.

The dome was built in the shape of a perfect sphere with its bottom segment cut off. As it was completely uncovered, fireworks shot up to the ceiling as a band of five musicians waiting at the centre of the spherical wonder was brought into view. They were a crowd favourite act. A world renowned phenomenon. The main singer sang his first note upon the raised stage and a thunderous cheer followed. King patted Kai on the back as the spectators came alive. "You made the right choice by choosing them," he complimented. "Let's see how well they do now."

Kai gulped, feeling unusually nervous as the fireworks settled and the lights were dimmed. Lasers danced in rhythm with the crazy beat of the song the band was performing. The glass of the dome was so transparent it felt as though there was none at all. Its presence did not interfere with the visuals of the show and Kai let out a tiny sigh of relief.

The stadium glittered in red and gold, the act was playing an incredibly upbeat song and they managed to amp up the hype for the inaugural match. As the song reached its second chorus, missile fireworks burst up into the air, their tails trailing sparks as they flew. The entire set had the feeling of a concert as the excitement was built up into a fever pitch, the crowd singing along with the band, screaming their throats dry as Kai glimpsed down at his wrist, noting that less than thirty seconds were left.

Suddenly the music spiralled and a band member screamed out into the evening, "Make some noise!" his voice a beastly growl. The shout was followed by a heavy beat drop, the bass banging against the ear drums as the performance approached its thrilling climax. The vibration thrumming through him combined with the adrenaline already in his veins created such a rush that when the song hit the peak level of energy and the stadium practically started trembling all around him, he felt goosebumps burst up his arms.

Back up performers joined the act for the final chorus and broke into a dance as the beat climbed higher, in sync with the energy radiating off of the crowd. The song ended with one long stressed beat that reverberated through the stands.

The band greeted the audience as the screams petered out. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the renaissance of the sport we've loved for ages," he announced with a British accent, sweaty angled face gleaming in the lime light. "The sport we've carried in our hearts and souls since the day we learned to walk. The sport we have cherished even after its sudden and unfortunate ruin," he paused for a breath. "Tonight!" his eyes sparkled. "We revive Beyblade! Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the two greatest masters of of the dish! Bryan Kuznetsov and Tala Valkov!" The crowd cheered as the band bowed and exited the stage. The stadium went dark and quiet for a moment, exhilaration running high in the atmosphere. Kai's heart skipped a beat in the break. Two spotlights suddenly blared to life, shining blindingly on the opposite ends of the sphere where Tala and Bryan stood on pedestals in flashy outfits, a wide dish, shaped in the form of an enormous bird bath, rising up from the bottom.

Tension filled the air and the commentator, AJ topper, began the countdown without further ado. "The game begins! In three!" Kai held his breath.

"Two!"

Tala cracked his neck.

"One! Let it rip!" Bryan roared, unleashing the beast inside of him in one arcing move, the majestic falcon exploding out from his blade and taking off into the air with a screech, straight towards Tala. His opponent wasted no time to retaliate, dodging the attack and launching his own blade with a gracious spin, Wolborg leaping out in a bright snowy form.

The beasts clashed mid-air, talons clawing, canines snapping, and the crowd was left speechless by their power. The holograms came on, duplicating the sparks from the fight over the heads of the audience to give the illusion of danger, even though they were protected from the beasts by the great dome. "I still say the holograms were a bad idea," muttered King. "What makes you think they're over Tokyo?"

"They're going to love it," said Kai.

"You have too much faith in yourself."

"Then that makes two of us."

o - o - o - o - o - o

Tyson pushed the door back to reveal the room and found it empty. There wasn't anything inside. Not even a window. Just a wide space with a slanted ceiling made completely out of wood. Tyson stepped into the expanse, noticing the dusty smell, wondering if he got the wrong place. He felt around the dark room for a light switch in vain. The attic was lit only by the light seeping in through the tiny cracks in between the slabs of wood. He closed the door and set to work.

Tyson found a corner that looked dark enough and taped the tiny microphone to the wood, making sure it was switched on and he was receiving a signal on his phone. He checked the time once he was done and realized he had a good six minutes left.

He felt out of body. Like he was watching a stranger as he tracked the room in slow deliberate steps, eyes scanning the areas he covered, every crack, every crevice. He could hear his own footsteps, boot moving over wood. When he had walked around the attic twice and discovered nothing alluding to the Russian having stayed here, he felt doubts starting to creep in. May be he had been wrong?

How could that have been possible though? He'd seen Black leave the restaurant multiple times. What did he use the attic for anyway. He was always out at night. Or may be he just used the place to sleep in the morning, but if that was the case, why did it have no trace of the man? This was a fucking goose chase. Tyson, disappointed and on edge, decided to get out of there. But as he grabbed his backpack and walked toward the closed door, he heard the wood creak once under his boot. He stopped and turned, gaze on the wooden slats. He retraced his last few steps, slowly, and when he reached the same spot, the wood groaned again. Softly. And Tyson knew immediately.

He knelt down and wriggled his fingers into the tiny cracks along the loose wooden slab till he got a good enough grip to pry it open. There. Underneath the block he'd lifted lay the Russian's hidden stash of weapons. Tyson felt his blood run cold. Revolvers, rifles, shotguns, metal rods. They were all there. He reached a hand down and inspected the sides of the hole and was shocked to find there was more space under the floor. His palm accidentally slid over a smooth surface that didn't seem like wood and he dug the flashlight out of his bag and shone it along the stash of guns and rods. The fuck was that? A box?

It was grey in colour. He put his arm back in and took the object out.

Oh

Tyson's eyebrows shot up.

Jackpot

It was a laptop.

He quickly opened it and inserted the USB drive with the malicious software he'd snagged from Kenny and waited for the blue light at the end of the stick to flash green, indicating that it had downloaded all the files. He bit his lip, feeling like time was running out and the drive was taking too much of it.

A minute passed.

Ten passed.

Yet the led would not turn green. He spun around and watched the door, expecting the Russian to knock the door down any moment. His watch read nine thirty five and he swore. When did it get so late? Fuck. He waited with cold fucking fingers, his heart in his damn throat, sweat collecting on his forehead and upper lip.

For a second he considered giving up the files and fleeing before the Russian found him and murdered his ass. His gut kept compelling him to listen to that thought, but his stubborn heart couldn't just let all of that evidence go. He'd waited too long. He could wait a little more.

Just a little more.

Come on.

He prayed.

Come on.

The light finally went green and he wrenched the stick out of the laptop and banged it shut, stuffing it back under the floor and letting the wooden block fall above it and conceal all the weapons from view again. He'd just managed to snap it closed and pull on his backpack when he heard a creak from behind him.

He hadn't made that noise.

He heard another sound, of someone stepping into the attic with him. Tyson felt his feet go numb. He gulped, hearing his own heartbeat go wild. Slowly, he turned around and looked straight into the eyes of the man who worked for the Bratva.


A/N: HOWDY! HAVE YALL MISSED ME? I HOPE YOU DID. I hope you did. How have yall been? The coronavirus outbreak has brought one good thing and that is...drum roll please...no fucking classes for the next twenty days! SO i took opportunity to write. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Stay safe yall. Love you! Leave a review! See you soon!