CHAPTER 27

I tried to put it out for you to get

Could've, should've but you never did

Wish you wanted it a little bit

More but it's a chore for you to give

The Neighbourhood

The sun was out. The day was bright and beautiful. The air smelled slightly of delicious meat frying in the kitchen. Yet Tyson felt dark and gloomy. He woke up in a crappy mood and a shot of pain up his spine when he attempted to sit up. Great. Just great. This day was going to be a fucking disaster, he could already tell.

Cursing, Tyson halted his movements and composed himself. Gently, he chanted in his head as he pushed up into a sitting position. As soon as his butt pressed firmly into the mattress, he gasped. Fucking hell. His ass was on fire.

He grit his teeth and tried to breathe through it. He'd expected to be in pain this morning but not to this extent. Goddamn. It had never been this bad over the last week and they had slept together…what? Five? More than five times during the course of the last seven days? And it hadn't hurt like this. This reminded him of the morning after his first time. When he'd woken up with the bottom of his spine screaming and an empty bed next to him.

Kai had been absent that time and that fact might have amplified the true pain he experienced. But what was the reason now? It was not as though they'd done anything out of the ordinary last night. Tyson tried to think and a vision of himself on his forearms and knees came to mind. Yeah, there was that. They hadn't done that before but it was just a change of position for fuck's sake. Urgh.

Tyson cursed everyone and everything including himself in his head as he waited for the throbbing to stop. It was then that he felt a hand on his shoulder and he opened his eyes to Kai's face hovering just above his. There was a furrow between his brows.

When had he come in?

"Lie down, lie down," Kai instructed coolly, nudging him back. He braced a hand under Tyson's neck as he helped him lower his shoulders onto the bed. The pain subsided. Kai withdrew his hand. Tyson blinked up at him as he leaned over him, palms on either side of him on the mattress, arms extended. A lock of hair fell over his right eye.

"On a scale of one to ten," Kai murmured, "how bad is it?"

"Right now?"

"Yes"

Tyson shook his head. "Zero. It just feels like something's wrong but, there's no pain."

Kai's gaze was analyzing. "Okay" He nodded. "When did this happen? You didn't show any obvious signs of discomfort last night."

There was that one moment though. When Kai had put a palm on the middle of his back and pressed down and he'd felt a shock zip through him, but he hadn't paid much care to it because the endorphins flowing in his body right then had drowned any pain out. Tyson couldn't tell that to Kai. Didn't quite know how to articulate his thoughts in a decent manner. "I don't remember," he said instead. Kai's eyes traveled down his body. Tyson was tangled in bedding from waist-down. There wasn't much to look at. Kai frowned. "Mind if I feel aroun-"

"Yes" Tyson stopped him right there. "That will hurt."

"Want me to take you to a doctor then?"

"No," Tyson said exasperatedly. "Don't be ridiculous. I'll be fine by tomorrow."

Kai stared at him. Reading him. For some reason, Tyson sensed a wall between him and Kai in that moment. And that wall was not put up by him. When he looked up at him, he saw the formidable rival he'd faced across bey dishes. Not the boy he'd been with the last one and a half months.

There was no warmth in that gaze.

I'm not in love with you either, the words echoed around in his skull. Yeah, Tyson could see the truth in that claim now. He wasn't here because he was concerned. He was fixing a problem he'd caused. Yet his heart still skipped a beat under his scrutiny. The way it always had. And always will. Even though the reasons varied.

"Try sitting up slowly," Kai straightened up. Tyson listened. "Careful" he reminded him as he sat up and waited. He sensed a light twinge now. But nothing more. Tyson sighed. "One to ten."

"Two" he answered.

"Good" Kai bent to pick up his discarded boxers and toss them to him. Tyson pulled them on, taking care not to accidentally flash his dick at Kai. Yes, he'd seen it all. There wasn't an inch left on his body where he hadn't been kissed, but he was feeling modest at the moment. "Now stand up." Kai held his arms out for him to take.

Tyson eyed his forearms for a bit before he reached out and closed his fingers over them. He tried not to think too much as he was helped up to his feet. Tyson had to drop his gaze because he was unable to hold Kai's unrelenting one. Standing up, he was free from agony. And he said as much.

His arms were let go. Kai stuffed his hands into his pant pockets, appraising him as he walked. "Two" Tyson informed, then shrugged. "It's fine. It'll be all gone by tomorrow."

"There's a bottle of Tylenol in the bathroom cabinet. Take them just in case," Kai said before ambling out the door.

Right. Distance. He was keeping Tyson at arm's length today. No good morning kiss. No joking around. Was it because of something he did or did something come up at work? Nevertheless, Tyson was not going to give himself a headache over it. May be…

Tyson smirked as he stepped under the hot spray of the shower. May be Kai was losing his interest in him. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. The attraction you feel for someone fades away more often than it stays. And their relationship had no definition to it in the first place. They liked each other. They decided to get together. And not fuck anyone else. That was all.

And if Kai didn't want him anymore, Tyson wouldn't be sad. Because he wasn't in love with him. Neither of them were. There would be no tears. It would be a rather peaceful separation. Of mutual understanding.

Shit

He considered the shower gel in his clasp. Water beating down its label. They hadn't even been together for a week and he was already having these grim thoughts. Already thinking about breaking up. He sighed. You have no idea…

How badly

You had me

How you

Have me

Tyson blinked. Kai had loved him once. But that boy was long gone. He was nowhere to be found. And in his stead stood a broken, hopeless, drug addict who smelled of cheap weed. Someone who didn't have any dreams. How could anybody fall in love with him? Kai must have been so disappointed when he learned about the new Tyson. The post-fire Tyson. One of the few joyless survivors of the Spectacle Arena Tragedy. The boy who flinched at the sight of spinning tops. The boy who'd forgotten how it felt to fight and win.

He squeezed some of the gel into his palm and lathered it across his torso. Yet Kai had still approached him. Wanted to spend time with the new him. But Tyson could tell that he too wished he'd go back to the way he'd been. Cheerful and full of spunk. And when he learned that would never happen? What would become of their relationship?

Did he already realize that would never happen?

I'll try to keep you happy and satisfied till the day I die.

Would he break that promise?

Tyson entered the kitchen and the delicious scent of frying meat greeted him. He sat down at the island where Kai had already set the table and watched as he cooked. He wondered when he'd gotten up. He crossed his legs at the ankles and smiled slightly as the food was served and his mouth watered. Kai took the seat across from him and they ate in silence till Tyson made the decision to break it.

"I have to tell you something," Tyson blurted out, fork and knife raised with their pointy ends directed heavenward. Kai paused, glancing up from his breakfast. He felt himself almost losing his nerve at the sight of that chiseling gaze. Dark, mirthless. Bearing the scars of his horrid past. Blurring the edges of Tyson's vision.

He steeled his resolve and continued. "Remember the night of the expo inauguration? When I said I had work to do?"

"Mhm"

"Well," he set his cutlery down. "I wasn't on campus that night. I was actually out searching Black's place," he said looking at the table top. Then lifted his gaze.

Kai was not someone who was surprised easily, so there weren't many instances Tyson had seen his eyes widen in sheer alarm. He stared at him now, unblinking. Astonished.

The truth was out.

He couldn't take it back.

And so he spilled some more of his secrets and watched as Kai grew more and more furious with each sentence. Tyson hadn't quite reached the part where he discovered what was in the files before Kai flew off the handle and shot to his feet, trashing his food in the basin. Tyson stared in shock as he stood in front of the basin, hair hanging low over his brow. "You're insane," he said at last.

The calm held for a minute most till it passed and Kai began shouting at him. "Were you trying to kill yourself?"

"No" he answered, rising to his feet as well.

"Do you have a death wish?"

"No!"

"Then why would you do something like that?" he yelled, flailing his arms. Colour livened his pale face. The violet in his irises gaining a rich, intimidating glint.

"Because I wanted to do something for my family!" he shouted back.

"Do you understand that he could've killed you?" Kai was asking.

"He di-"

"Do you understand that?" he repeated, unwilling to listen to him. Justified in his rage.

Tyson narrowed his eyes. "Yes" he admitted quietly.

Kai huffed, leaning his back against the counter and judging him.

"But he didn't," said Tyson. "I'm still here."

"So you've succeeded in your little mission?" he scoffed.

Tyson gritted his teeth, not liking the tone of his question in the least. He was making him feel so stupid. And reckless. He was making him feel silly. Childish. Like a little boy who went on a juvenile rampage.

"What have you gained?" Kai chided, eyes merciless.

"I-" Tyson stopped when he realized Kai didn't really want to hear the answer. He was just mocking him. Making a clown out of him. He balled his fists. "I want to get back at him for killing my parents," he ground out in the end. On the verge of tears.

Kai considered him with a smirk for a minute. Then two. Then opened his mouth and broke him into pieces. "You went on a suicide mission." He barked a laugh. "I bet they're real proud of you right now."

Tyson saw red. He felt himself go disembodied for a split second. Blood rushed in his ears. He-

He didn't-

He couldn't have-

His blood pulsed hot and cold. Breath arrested in his lungs.

No.

Tyson shook his head faintly and said, "You know what, I don't have to put up with this shit." He spun around. And headed for the door.

o - o - o - o - o

"What your brother experienced was a glimpse of their world but until and unless you belong there, you will never be able to stay." Ricardo smashed the butt of his cigarette into the concrete pavement they were sitting on. Hiro was still recovering. His entire body trembled like there was no end. Fear crawled all over his heart, winding its tendrils tight around it. Five more to go, he kept telling himself, but his entire being refused to go through another one of these trials.

Ricardo tut-tutted. "There's no way around it, brother. You must fight them all. Remember. You chose to do this. To save your friend."

Hiro buried his head in his elbows, raking his fingers through his hair. He felt like crying. But he would do it. He would do it over and over again, no matter how terrible it was. Because Brooklyn was worth dragging his body through a thousand black hells. He would find him and bring him back no matter what.

FLASHBACK

On the night of Tyson's sixteenth birthday, Hiro ventured out of the house full of guests who had come to see the birthday boy when he spotted a shadow of someone leaning against a pillar outside. "Brooklyn" he called when he recognized the person. The boy turned his face to him, the breeze catching in his hair.

He tilted his head toward the drink in his hand. "Coach" he said in that lilting tone of his. "Come to join me?"

Hiro reached the adjacent pillar and rested his back lightly on it. "Isn't it a bit cold out here?" he asked him.

"I like the weather tonight," Brooklyn inhaled deeply, a faraway look in his eyes. "It's giving me goosebumps." Hiro snorted, a smile pulling up the corner of his mouth. "What are you doing?"

"Enjoying the breeze," he answered, extending an arm to the courtyard in front of them. "You should try it too. You're always so high strung, Coach. Lighten up, won't you."

"No thank you," Hiro declined the offer. "I'm fine."

"Are you?" Brooklyn gazed at him sideways.

"What? You want me to say I'm disturbed?"

"No," Brooklyn canted his head again, thinking, "but to me, it seems like...something's not quite right," he pointed at his chest, "in there".

Hiro was amazed by this boy's guts. How could he say such things to his face without the slightest shame? He was so much younger than him. Had he no respect for his elders? "And on what basis are you saying that?"

"You always treat your brother so poorly," Brooklyn said simply. "Don't you think he deserves to be shown more kindness? You are his only sibling after all." And this was when the lines blurred and Hiro crossed over to where his student stood. Drew up to his full height so he had to look up at him a little when he talked to him.

"You don't know shit about my relationship with Tyson," hissed Hiro. "You don't get to judge how I raise him."

"I've seen enough-" Brooklyn answered defiantly.

"You're a child," Hiro said shushing him, his hot breath washing over his face. "You don't get to criticize your elders. Learn how to respect the people who have lived longer than you before you start preaching."

Brooklyn gulped, eyes wide, his inhales were shaky. Good. He hadn't meant to chastise but he needed to be put in his place. The stars shone in Brooklyn's irises, making him almost regret his words and thoroughly forget his own place. "I'm eighteen" he whispered after a minute of silence. "I'm not a child."

There was nothing to it really, but his tone still managed to disarm Hiro. His arms hung limply by his side. Not knowing what to do with them. "And I wasn't," Brooklyn continued in that same subdued fashion, "trying to admonish you. I phrased my sentences incorrectly. I'm sorry but I only wished to say Tyson deserved to be shown more love. I respect you." He gave a light nod, bird-like. "I always have." And just like that, he doused the fire of rage licking through his veins.

Hiro backed away. "I'm sorry," he apologized, dragging a hand down his face. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you." He looked up. "I'm sorry. I know you were only trying to help your friend." He rearranged his feet. Gazed over at the moon peeking out from among the clouds. Brooklyn was waiting. "I'm not strict with him because I don't love him. I am because I do. He doesn't have a mother. And dad's rarely home. I don't want him to fuck up the way I did and feel the type of misery I've felt. I want him to grow up into a good, responsible man." He dropped his head, sighing. "I'm not trying to hurt him. I only want the best for him." Hiro closed his eyes in shame and regret. How had he fucked up with Tyson too? His poor little brother. He loved him more than he'd ever know. His shoulders trembled lightly. Hiro felt a warm palm touch his cheek tentatively. Cradling. He opened his eyes to look into ones the colour of the sky on a bright sunny day, silver specks sparkling in them.

"It's okay," Brooklyn whispered in reassurance. "It's okay. You've done a good job with him so far, Hiro." His free hand came up to cushion the other side of his face too. "In the future, just tell him you love him every now and then as well. Just to remind him." His palms on his face were shaking almost imperceptibly.

In that moment, all Hiro could do was thank the heavens that this boy was beside him.

"You're a good kid," he murmured in reply. Brooklyn smiled a watery smile at him.

"Thank you"

END OF FLASHBACK

o - o - o - o - o

Tyson walked straight down the street where every house he passed seemed bigger than the last, stewing in his thoughts. He was so angry he could feel it envelop him like a second skin. He stopped once he reached the beach at the end of the street. Wow all these rich motherfuckers really lived in the lap of mother nature's best sights.

He hopped upon a boulder half surrounded by the sea and gazed out over the wide expanse of cerulean blue water, the sun warming his hair. He sat there for a long time, thinking about his past. Dad and grandpa. His friends. The easy life he had.

No matter how much he tried, he simply couldn't move on. But most of all, he wanted his parents to be proud of him. He wanted Ryu to look down at him from wherever he was and say, "T-man makes me a proud old man." And he yearned to see pride in his dad's eyes when he talked about his son.

I bet they're real proud of you right now. He'd hit the weakest spot. Hit him right where it would hurt the most. Tyson had stormed out in a rage and that fury had lasted for an entire hour till he ran out of steam and arrived at the beach. Now he was just sad. So so very sad. And just this morning he'd been thinking about when they'd break up.

There was no way he could forgive him for this. They were through.

And they'd only lasted a week. Not a surprise, really. That's what happened when you tried to date your ex rival. Because when you fight with someone you once hated, neither of you would bother to pull any punches because one considered the other their ultimate competition. And then things just got ugly.

He was pondering about this when he heard the sound of footsteps on the giant rocks behind him. Kai. He could fuck off for all Tyson cared. A pang went up his chest as the steps got closer and then stopped a feet away.

He waited.

"What I said was mean," Kai said in a low voice. "It was a low blow. You're welcome to hurt me back."

Tyson shook his head. "I don't want to," he whispered at the sea.

Kai walked closer and sat down beside him, leaving some space between them. "What then?" he asked.

He was expecting an answer. A solution to the problem. Tyson opened his mouth. "I think this was a bad idea." He didn't know what Kai's initial response was to that statement but when he spoke again he merely said, "It was."

"I shouldn't have said yes to your proposal."

"No, you shouldn't have," he agreed again. "The wiser choice would have been to get away from me as far as possible." Tyson felt a lump rise in his throat. He saw Kai lift a knee up and sling an arm over it in his peripheral vision. "You still can." He closed his eyes. "You'd save yourself a shitload of trouble." The corners of his lips pulled down as Kai said it.

The sea.

The sea was so peaceful. The sun was so pleasant. Yet he felt like the edges of the skies were being ripped into shreds. Why did he feel this way? Like his heart was boiling over with sadness? He watched the ripples sparkle like diamonds on the surface of the water under the sun's rays.

"But I will say this," Kai was saying, his voice thick, "I was wrong to say what I did. It is not true. Your dad and grandpa Ryu were always proud of you and I can't imagine them thinking anything less."

"No, you were right," Tyson disagreed. "How could anybody be proud of someone who's high more than he's sober? I'm a drug addict and a smoker."

"You're not," Kai denied firmly. "And you have stayed sober for the last month and a half."

Tyson snorted. "I haven't. May be for a month. But I relapsed last week."

"If you were able to stay clean for a month without experiencing withdrawals then you're not an addict, Tyson."

Kai was speaking straight facts but the shitty mood he was in made him wish he would hurt him more so he could feel even shittier.

"You don't understand," Kai continued. "Sometimes, staying alive alone is difficult. You lost so much in the span of a few hours. Most people would have given up in a similar situation but you fought to keep living. You strive to move on and not end it all. That deserves respect." A wave crashed on the shore. "I lost my parents at a very young age. I don't remember them yet I still feel a hole where they should have filled in. You, on the other hand, you'd known your dad and your grandfather for sixteen years before they were killed." A seagull swooped down to snatch a fish out of the water. "That's sixteen years worth of memories. I can't imagine the pain you must be in." A tiny sob escaped Tyson. "They're proud. I can assure you."

Another sob. One that made his lungs ache.

Kai drew his ankles in to sit with his legs crossed. He heard him sigh. "But if you are so adamant to avenge their deaths, I know a way."

His heartrate picked up at that. Tyson found himself listening intently, ears straining. Breath frozen.

"Quit college and be a cop," he advised. "Don't waste time doing things you don't want to do. Fight crime. Put all the bastards like Black behind bars." Tyson saw him turn to face his profile. "Make every single one of them pay."

A huge wave crashed against the boulders, drenching them both. Yet neither of them acknowledged the shocking splash of cool water. It had a cleansing effect on Tyson. Washing away his sorrows, his confusions, his countless worries and leaving him with nothing but a feeling of healing determination. He coughed up some of the water that he'd accidentally swallowed, getting up on his knees. And wiped his face. Droplets of water and tears clung to the corners of his eyes as he faced Kai who was still in the same position, watching him with an unguarded expression. Tyson looked at him then and was so dismantled by what he saw that he wondered how he could have ever borne hatred towards him.

He reached over with a hand to pinch the collar of Kai's shirt between his fingers. Water leaked. He softly grazed his chin with the back of his hand to make him glance up when Kai looked down to inspect what Tyson was doing.

His irises formed a perfect circle between his eyelids in a rare show of their top halves. "Thank you," said Tyson. "For saying all those nice things about me." He smiled at him.

"They're all true."

The grin on his face grew a tad bit wider. Gaze growing tender. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" asked Kai in puzzlement.

"I was thinking all sorts of violent thoughts at you," he admitted with a weak, sheepish laugh.

Kai laughed too, lightly, the sound precious and melodic. "I forgive you," he replied, then said in a more serious tone. "I'm sorry for being an ass."

"I know," Tyson nodded.

"How can I make it up to you?" he asked, expression solemn.

"You can start by listening to everything I have to say about my encounter with Black," he suggested.

Kai nodded in assent. "But what about us?"

Tyson paused. He was actually asking him to decide the future of their relationship…

That was a big question. One to which he couldn't find an answer to without the help of someone who could see their lives ahead. And since he didn't know how to answer it, he confessed his fears instead. "Kai," he let go of his collar, "I don't want to fall in love."

Kai blinked. His gaze raked all over his face. "Why?" he responded after a suffocating moment of silence.

"Because I don't want to experience what happened two years ago once again," he managed to speak aloud, throat clogging up with emotions.

He stared down at his hands that were in his wet lap, water dripping from his nose and hair. A powerful gust of wind blew by causing his shirt to flap crazily. He finally felt free for the first time in a while. His fears had been exposed. He didn't have to hide them within his own constricted chest anymore. They'd been getting difficult to conceal anyway. A hiccup escaped his stunned lips. Tyson closed his eyes in heavy relief.

"There is no guarantee we would fall in love if we continued this way, is there?" Kai asked. "Also, with what certainty can you say it would end badly?"

Tyson looked up at him. He shook his head not knowing where he was going.

"Are there statistics to show?"

Tyson shook his head again, a furrow forming between his brows.

"Then saying you're afraid of love is the same as saying you're afraid of life. There is a risk behind every decision you make, Tyson, no matter how mundane or frivolous. You can't live fearing what could go wrong. You can't live at all that way." Kai searched his face with his eyes. "You can't live in fear."

And Tyson thought about his words. Thought about their meaning. And how right he was. He'd had a bad experience but he couldn't let that ruin his chances at finding happiness. 'You can't live in fear' was something so obvious. He'd heard it many times before. But it had never quite sunk in the way it did now. He hadn't fully grasped the depth of it before. He understood it now and took it to heart.

Tyson looked at Kai. Met his concerned gaze and leaned over to kiss him sweetly on the mouth.

o - o - o - o - o

They went to the bank where Black made his deposits and informed them of the fraud accounts, sliding forward a usb onto which they had copied the money transfer records. The bank checked the details of the transfers, verified their authenticity and that of the three accounts into which the money had been deposited.

The bank raised the counter question of why there never had been a report of these incidents from any of their clients and Tyson had shrugged in a loss before Kai posed the next question: was it possible to hack the system to make the balance amount left shown in the monthly statements appear different from that of the actual amount in the bank?

And the supervisor had gone a ghastly white. Turned out it was possible to do that and that had been the reason why no client had ever reported a case. The police arrived. They spent the next few hours answering routine questions from the bank and the local police, exposing Black's place of residence but unable to come up with much information of him other than his fake name, a description of his face and that he was an alleged international criminal.

The bank finally let them go with a reassurance that the three accounts to which millions of money had been illegally transferred to would be frozen immediately and once the tests were cleared the money would be returned to the right people. The NYPD released them a little later, informing them they'd get another call soon. They would investigate their claims but if no further evidence were found, the case would be handed over to the cyber department as an independent cyber crime and no follow up on the man named Black since the money was intact and they looked like teenagers. At which Kai had leered and produced from his jacket a black card bearing the logo of the Hiwatari Industries. The name Kai Hiwatari lay printed above a red line at the bottom in gold and right below it: 'Chief Executive Officer', in an emboldened italic font. "Try again" he'd threatened.

Though Kai did not have the same hot celebrity status here as he did in Japan, his name still carried an intimidating weight.

The Chief had stammered out an apology and corrected himself, promising to do their best to find the person they had reported without revealing their identities in the process. And they'd left satisfied.

Kai dropped Tyson off at the dorms afterward and the clock had already passed midnight by then. That night, Tyson went to bed with a feeling of victory he hadn't tasted in a while and drifted off into a long, undisturbed sleep.

o - o - o - o - o

The call arrived on the morning of the thirtieth of June, a day after Tyson and Kai had approached the bank. The Yakuza would not wait any longer. Their time was up.

Blu jumped out of bed, having had enough of the Japanese dogs snapping at his tail and pulled up his laptop. He entered the passcode with stale breath and crusty bloodshot eyes, cursing the fuckers without pause. The last deposit must have been completed last night. Thirty millions dollars was the agreed amount. He typed in the username and password of one of the three bank accounts opened under his many fake names and papers. The system displayed an error message.

The password or username you entered was wrong. Please try again. You have two more attempts before access to your account is temporarily denied.

What?

He must have fucked up in his rush. He typed in the credentials again, carefully. And pressed enter. Again, the system showed an error message.

What the fuck was wrong?

He only had one more attempt before they froze his account for three days.

Blu tried again. This time, entering one key at a time, with manic precision. Eyes flicking in their sockets between keys. Finally, once he'd typed all the characters he took a deep breath.

He did not press enter.

What if he got it wrong and was locked out of his account?

He couldn't take the risk. Blu opened the notepad file in which he'd stored all the usernames and passwords for his online accounts and checked. He hadn't made a mistake. He'd put in the correct information.

Blu tried to login to another one of the three and the same thing happened. He did not enter the same credentials for the third time and try his luck. His attempts with the third account followed the same pattern.

Something was wrong.

Sweat broke out over his hairline. His phone began ringing again. Probably Jony telling him to hurry up and wire the damn money already.

For a split second, Blu considered the consequences of failing to handover the promised money by tonight. The Yakuza would react in drastic ways. There was a high chance of a war breaking out between the Japanese Mafia and the Russian Bratva. And his uncle would blame him. The entire responsibility would fall on his shoulders. Their numbers were quite humble compared to the times in the past when they had clashed with fellow large criminal organizations such as the Yakuza. The Japanese were rumored to have military weapons in their artillery. And if that were the case, their side would suffer terribly in the following battle. The Solntsevskaya Bratva would kneel in shame again and this time, they might not have enough members to survive after the war. The entire brotherhood could be wiped out. And it would have all been his fault.

Not Viktor's. Not Helena's. But Blu's.

A prayer crossed his lips for the first time in his entire life.

o - o - o - o - o

Fear number three from the bottom. Jumping off of an extremely high cliff. The second and third last were quite similar but the fear of hanging by one hand from the skeleton of a giant wheel had grown out of a terrifying childhood incident. One he still got chills from.

Hiro was concentrating hard on not losing his footing and accidentally tumbling off and killing himself as he and Ricardo crowned the cliff. "Steep, ain't it?" Rick bellowed at him.

"Very" Hiro shouted back, cautious of the wind teasing his precarious balance on the rough terrain. From up here, the jump seemed impossible. It was a hundred foot drop to the ocean. The mere idea of falling from such a height made him dizzy.

His legs were already jelly. The way down was blessedly clear of jutting rocks and pointy branches. The water below lapped calmly against the bottom of the cliff side. Free diving. No ropes or harnesses or professional scuba divers to save him if he got injured and drowned, but Hiro had a trump card on his side. Drigger wouldn't let him drown. Worse case scenario, if he accidentally hurt himself and lost consciousness, Drigger would scoop his body out of the ocean and rescue him before his lungs filled with water. Then Ricardo would take him to a doctor.

He rubbed his hands together now, making an eager sound. "A'ight, I'm heading down. Holler when you're ready." He turned, then looked back over his shoulder. "Better yet, scream your lungs out as you go." Ricardo winked. "Don't think too much. Just jump. I'll see you," he pointed to a flat surface of land a good ten meters away from the area where he hoped to land, "over there. Good luck, buddy."

Hiro breathed deeply, attempting to ground himself. Every step he took was taken in mind-numbing fear, yet he repeated over and over in his head that every step he took was another one closer to Brooklyn. He will get him out of there. He will save him.

One second he was standing at the extreme edge, teetering forward and the next he was leaping. Flying. Past land. Past water. Past worlds. The earth spun around him as his entire body was drawn tight as a bow and he heard the hushed whispers of beings of an unknown land, yet his purpose burst through the chaos and spread its wings across his mind with an unprecedented force. Brooklyn. I will see you soon.

A/N: WHAT UP ALL? ITS YO GAL. ID THROW UP EMOJIS HERE IF I COULD. HOPE YOU ARE ALL HEALTHY AND WELLY. I SOUND DRUNK I KNOW. BUT THATS NOTHING KNEW. ANYWAY THANK YOU FOR READING AND REVIEWING. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED. I LOVE YOU ALL. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES. KEEP LOVING BEYBLADE. AH NOSTALGIA. THATS MY CHILDHOOD FUCK. SORRY I GOT DERAILED. WHAT WAS I SAYING? OH YEAH, STAY HEALTHY. STAY HAPPY. MWAH MWAH MWAH. BYEEEEE. SEE YOU SOON. LEAVE A REVIEW. MWAH MWAH MWAH.