Hey everyone! I'm genuinely so sorry it's taken me so long to post a new chapter! We made the move from Alaska to New York and stopped to see family along the way. We drove over 6000 miles in a little over 2 weeks, it was exhausting to say the least. I should be posting on my regular schedule here soon once we settle in more. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!
Maps
Chapter Sixteen: American Music Awards
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except my OC's
The week continued on in its stead. Kira was at the BladeBreakers' house every. single. day. Just as she had stated she would be. If Salima wanted to play that game, Kira would. She wasn't afraid of Salima whatsoever. She knew that Ray wanted her and didn't want Salima, so all rules were off.
One day in particular though, Kira wasn't at practice. It was unusual for her not to call, or even show up. Ray had found himself looking at the door continuously through their workouts and then when they were in the dome. The BladeBreakers only had a few more days until they would finally meet and blade against the Psykicks.
"Ray, where the hell is she?" Kai asked him, as they were putting stuff away. "I've tried to be nice, but she's not answering my calls either. I'm getting fed up." He raised his brow at the neko-jin boy.
"Um, I don't know? I'm here. Why are you asking me?" Ray shrugged and pulled his phone out. He called Kira but it went straight to voicemail. "Have you tried calling Luna? I saw Luna talking to her last night. I mean, even so, Kira was acting weird yesterday."
Ray looked at Kai who furrowed his brow and immediately dialed his fiancé.
"Hi babe.." Luna's tone was a bit more melancholy than usual. He could hear the crunch of snow beneath her feet as she walked. Kai frowned. "Everything okay?"
"Fine, we just can't find Kira. Do you know where she'd be? She's not answering phones or anything?"
"Ummm.. I told you this a few days ago..." Luna sighed. "It's the anniversary of her parent's car crash. She's more than likely holed up in her apartment eating ice cream or watching sad movies. I wouldn't be surprised if-" Kai looked at Ray and mouthed 'Her apartment. Car crash anniversary.'
Ray's eyes widened. Why didn't she say anything to him? Hell... why didn't he remember? Ray pulled out his phone and texted Salima. The last thing Kira needed to deal with today was Salima and her drama.
Kira had turned her phone off as soon as the sun rose and she opened her eyes. It had been one year since that day... one year since she lost her family, since she lost herself, and since her whole world had changed. She and her parents were never on the best of terms, but she still loved them.
Would they be proud of who she was now? Would they be proud of how far she had come?
She... didn't know.
She was vastly different from the girl who had survived the fateful car crash a year ago.
Kira had gone to a floral shop and gotten pure white roses and drove her motorcycle out to the crash site. After she parked her bike, she winced, seeing flashes of the crash in her mind. Her mother looking back at her, heat flooding to her body and then everything going black. She set the roses down, and kneeled to the ground, closing her eyes.
"Mom... dad... I don't know if your spirits are here, but... I came to visit you today." Kira sighed before continuing. "I know I'm not on the path that you guys set out for me but... I'm happy, and I'm doing well for myself." Kira set down the roses next to the pole that had been replaced from the crash. "I don't know if I'll come back here next year.. this is really... really hard." She sighed again, biting the inside of her lip. "Come visit me whenever you like, okay? I miss you guys..." Kira closed her eyes letting a few tears form, and then she blinked them away and stood, putting her helmet back on and drove back to her apartment.
Ray had also gone to a flower shop, granted not the same one Kira did, and bought an assortment of flowers. He also rented a few movies and bought some snacks and ingredients just in case she wanted to eat her feelings away with some of his food.
Ray wasn't sure how to handle this situation. He knew that Kira didn't have the best relationship with her parents, but... dealing with the loss of something like that... well he wasn't exactly an expert.
He was buzzed into her apartment and was let upstairs to her front door where he knocked. "Ki...?" He turned the knob, and as usual it was open. Ray could hear the piano from Kira's living room being played, but it was an unfamiliar song. (Memorial Address - Ayumi Hamasaki)
"Sayonara ne mou nidoto aenai basho e itta none...Eien no wakare no tsumetasa o uketomerarezu ni." He walked in, set the stuff down by the kitchen, and walked over to the piano bench to sit next to her. He knew that she had recognized his presence, but kept playing the piano. "Kikasete hoshikatta uso de kamawanai kara..."
Kira kept playing the piano but stopped singing.
"That's beautiful..." He spoke, and she looked at him and nodded.
"Thank you... I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you about today I just..." She looked away and he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Uso de kamawanai kara... Atashi wa anata ni tashika ni aisareteta tte... Tatta ichido de ii kara.." Kira finished quietly as her voice broke with the last words.
"Don't apologize. You're allowed to grieve how you want. I'm sorry I didn't realize." He rubbed his fingers against her skin. "I brought a bunch of different things, snacks, movies, even ingredients if you want me to make something."
"I'm not so sure that I have the stomach to eat today..." She sighed. "But thank you. Just having you here is enough." Kira gave him a small smile, and then stood up from the piano, and walked over to the kitchen. "So... what movies did you pick out...?"
A few more days passed and Kira and Lucy were on the plane to Los Angeles.
"I'm super proud of you." Lucy spoke as she sat next to Kira, and Kira looked from her tablet where she was reading, to her friend.
"Hm?"
"I just... you've come so far since we first got to Japan a few months ago. You've changed a lot. Definitely for the better. I couldn't be happier for you." Lucy smiled at Kira and Kira smiled back.
"Thanks Luce.. that really means a lot." Kira looked out the window of the plane and saw the vast amount of lights from Los Angeles shining below them, and elbowed Lucy. "Look!"
"I'll never get over how magical this place is." Lucy put her arm around Kira's shoulders. "How do you think it's going to be seeing Johnny? Do you think he's cooled off?"
"Tch, absolutely not." Kira sighed, staring down below them. "I'm actually surprised he agreed to come at all..." The girl frowned, and Lucy patted her. "I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid.."
"He's Johnny. Of course he will." Lucy giggled and the girls prepared for descent.
"There you are! I thought you were never going to land. Got worried for a bit." Robert put his arm around Kira's waist and kissed the side of her head in a greeting as she hugged him. "Thanks for watching over her, Lucy."
"Of course." The blonde girl smiled and waved at the others. "Hey guys."
"Are you ready?! This is about to be one of the biggest trips of your life!" Enrique spoke excitedly and squeezed Kira's shoulders as they walked to the SUV that was awaiting them.
"Excited yes... but nervous, also yes! This trip could make or break my career after I retire from beyblade." Kira sighed as she slid into the car.
"Psh, as if you're going to quit anytime soon!" Oliver smiled at her and Kira tilted her head, raising her brow.
"You never know."
"Tonight we have the lovely Kira Dickenson!" James clapped along with the audience as Kira came out from the backstage area, waving at the guests. "Look at you, coming out all the way from Japan for our show tonight."
Kira laughed as she sat down, "You know, you're right. I don't have an awards show to perform at or anything." She donned a bright white spaghetti strapped dress that was solid fabric over her breasts and had lace decoration down the front and sides of the dress, which ended about mid-thigh, she also had on tan colored wedges, which just made her bronzed skin stand out more. She also had in some curled extensions which complimented her features well, and her makeup was done up with a shimmer eyeshadow that matched her skin tone, some thicker cat-eye eyeliner and mascara.
The BladeBreakers were at their house, watching a playback of the episode recorded the day before. They were surprised that it had released so quickly, but with her performing at the awards ceremony, it made sense why it was so rushed.
"Well either way darling, thank you for being here!"
"Thank you for having me here, James." Kira smiled, and Salima scoffed.
"I literally don't get why everyone likes her so much. She's so stale and her music sucks..." Salima crossed her arms and the others looked at her.
"No one even invited you to be here. If you're going to keep complaining, you can just leave." Kai raised his brow at her, and Salima sighed.
"I happen to think she's pretty great." Ray murmured next to her, and Salima glared at him.
"That's because she opens her legs for you at the drop of a hat!"
Luna huffed, whispering. "Kai, I'm tempted to commit murder..." Kai eyed her and let out a small smirk, letting his hand rest on her knee.
"I'll bail you out of prison... don't worry." The group returned their attention to the TV where Kira had given a short interview.
"So now we're going to play one the biggest fan-favorite games, Eat Your Guts or Spill Your Guts." He held his hand out to Kira and helped her walk over to the table, as it cut out for a quick commercial break, then came back to them sitting at the table.
"You know... I was watching episodes of your show on the plane... I was really hoping you weren't planning on this but..."
"Now why wouldn't we? We have one of your dearest friends, Oliver Polanger, world-renowned chef here today, who actually made you some special dishes to try." The camera panned to Kira who was making a sour face, after hearing the news.
"How nice of him..." Kira glared off to the side of the camera, as it panned to Oliver and the rest of the Majestics who were snickering and chuckling. "Oh gosh..." She murmured as James listed off the things on the table and shook her head and certain items.
"Ugh... poor Kira. You couldn't pay me to eat most of those." Max shivered and felt himself growing sick.
"Okay, so first I'm going to choose... let's go with the haggis." James spoke and snickered seeing the look on Kira's face.
"Oh ye Kira, that was me first choice!" Johnny cheered and Kira glared over at him.
"You know how much I hate haggis are you kidding me?!" Kira pouted as James turned the item towards her and covered her mouth with her hands, staring at the food, and James couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face.
"Alright," As per usual, James laughed at the card and then shook his head. "This is a two parter question... I think honestly you may be eating some haggis today... I do not envy you." Kira looked up from the food and eyed James in anticipation. "On your team the BladeBreakers-"
"Hey that's us!" Tyson cheered.
"Would you rather snog, marry, or kill these three-"
"Oh God..." Ray covered his face. He had an inkling of what was about to happen.
Kira said "Oh God" at the same time Ray did and sighed.
"Ray Kon, Tyson Granger, and Kai Hiwatari." James sucked his lips into his mouth, trying not to laugh. "I'm truly curious as to who the hell wrote these." Kira was staring down at her haggis, and then put her forehead on her hands... and a few seconds later, perked up.
"Okay, I'm going to answer it. No haggis for me, just yet." She cleared her throat and set the fork down. "I know what everyone thinks I'm going to say, because it's like a constant running rumor that Kai and I want to be together," She looked at the camera, "but I assure you all that is not the case. So... oh god, here comes the rumor mill." She shortly laughed to herself. "Snog Tyson,"
"WHAT?!" Tyson screeched and jumped up. "Seriously?!" He looked over at Ray who was blankly staring at the TV.
"Marry Ray, and kill Kai."
"I have to say... I'm surprised you answered the question at all." James laughed again and shook his head.
"Here's my logic, I can... I can just get it over with, with Tyson... I could never marry Tyson, though. I love him to death but he would drive me crazy. I could tolerate being married to Ray. He also drives me crazy but in a different way." Kira smiled over to the camera. "And I just couldn't imagine doing either of those with Kai. He's dating my cousin... that's just weird. And she would kill me so."
"Okay... good answer! Now, the same question... but with Johnny, Enrique, and Robert." Kira's jaw dropped and she laughed, looking at James and then her friends in the front row of the audience. The boys were all snickering as you could see Kira's face reddening, even beneath the makeup.
"Are you serious!?"
"As a heart attack, darling."
"Oh God, okay... Snog Johnny, Marry Robert and Kill Enrique. I've been there done that with Johnny, Robert would be a fantastic business-partner husband and support system, and I could never do either with Enrique so... yeah. There you go, guys."
Kira gave James his food item, which ended up being a tarantula on a plate, and his question which he ended up just eating a bit of the food instead of answering, as usual.
"Alright, here we go... round two." James turned a plate towards her. "Fish sperm sashimi, nice fancy dinner for you." James looked at the card and turned his head away, laughing. "You and the BladeBreakers have had a reunion, is that right? Like you're all living together at the moment?"
"Um...yes..." Kira looked at him nervously.
"Good luck going back home to them after this." He looked back at the card. "Rank the members of the BladeBreakers from best to worst." Kira's jaw dropped again and she looked over at the Majestic's who were all trying not to burst out laughing. Everyone knew that this could cause a huge issue at home, because all of the boys were insanely competitive.
"Can I put myself in the list?" She asked, and Johnny jumped to his feet.
"Nope! You're not allowed to put yourself last."
"Yeah no, sorry darling. Just the BladeBreakers who are in that house at the present moment." Kira leaned back in her chair, and stared at the fish sperm sushi in front of her pursing her lips into a straight line.
"Shit...um okay."
"You're not actually going to answer it!" James' jaw dropped and Kira shook her head.
"I can't eat this! Oh my gosh." Kira placed her elbows down on the table, and put her forehead in her hands, and then a few seconds later sat back up. "Okay... we all know the team is full of world-class bladers. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses."
"Don't beat around the bush, Kira." James chuckled, and she sighed.
"Okay so starting with best... Kai, then Tyson, sorry Tyson..." Kira paused and looked down at the table and shook her head with an exasperated look on her face. "Then Max because his defenses are crazy high. Like it's hard for even me to break through them... after that..." Kira sighed. "He's not bad at all, but unfortunately his only advantage is speed. Ray babe, I'm sorry but you're last. The thing is, if you can't catch Ray, he will beat you into oblivion. His blade is so fast it's crazy."
"Nice try, trying to save yourself." James chuckled and Kira shook her head.
"They're gonna kill me when I get back, prepare my funeral!"
James and Kira went back and forth for a few more questions, and then it went back to commercial.
"Damn..." Tyson whispered harshly. "She put you last, Ray." He burst out laughing. Ray scowled and looked away but then couldn't help but laugh.
"And you tried to choose her over me..." Salima rolled her eyes.
"I can't blame her, I wouldn't want to eat that sushi either." Max made a grossed out face when Ray mentioned the sushi. "But I think she also knows you would have a field day if she put you below me." Ray winked and Tyson grumbled. "And I did choose her over you, Salima." Ray looked at the red head, who stared wide-eyed at him, then huffed.
"I didn't know she thought you were the strongest." Luna leaned over to Kai. "Although, it makes sense because I think you're the only one who can hold their ground against her."
Kira gave James another food item and question, though to everyone's surprise he answered this time.
"Alright Kira," James tapped his chin and gave Kira her final food item. Kira grimaced, gulping, and looked at James. "Your final question..." James flipped the card. "Aww this ones so easy compared to the other two." James looked up at Kira. "What bitbeast would you choose if you couldn't have Draiga? Am I saying that right?"
"Yes, it's Draiga, like Dray-guh. Hmmm..." She tapped her chin. "There are a lot of great bit beasts on both teams that I've been on, but the one I would love to try out... I've always felt a pull towards Drigger, Ray's bitbeast.. but Dragoon and Dranzer are so insanely strong. I would love to feel that power flowing through me... so I think I'm going to go with Dragoon." Kira reached for the food item, the famous bird saliva. "And I can't leave your show not having tried anything... so here we go, bottoms up." She motioned the cup forward and took a long sip of the bird saliva before gagging and putting the cup down. "Oh my God, that's horrible!" She coughed and waved her hand at her face.
"That's all for Eat Your Guts or Spill Your Guts! We'll be right back!" James spoke to the camera, but looked off screen where Kira was just... not having a good time whatsoever. "Are you alright?!"
A few minutes later, the show came back and Kira was on stage, getting ready to perform. The lights dimmed and there was a single white spotlight on Kira.
"I can't believe she recovered so quick!" Tyson said amazed and Luna sighed.
"It's edited, Tyson. This isn't live." Luna couldn't help but laugh and shook her head, then everyone quieted down.
"You should've been there, should've burst through the door with that "Baby, I'm right here" smile. And it would've felt like a million little shining stars had just aligned, And I would've been so happy..." She looked up to the camera, and Ray could feel his guilt eating at him. He hadn't taken much time to listen to her music that had came out recently. "Christmas lights glisten, I've got my eye on the door, just waiting for you to walk in. But the time is ticking, people ask me how I've been as I comb back through my memory. How you said you'd be here, you said you'd be here." Her last performance... he shook his head and sighed. "And it was like slow motion, standing there in my party dress, in red lipstick with no one to impress, and they're all the watching. As I'm looking around the room, but there was one thing missing, and that was the moment I knew..." Kira continued to sing, and Ray sighed, reaching into his pocket, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He could see tears forming at the corners of her eyes, as her voice shook slightly. It wasn't too noticeable, but he heard it.
"What do you say, when tears are streaming down your face in front of everyone you know?" Kira let out a shaky sigh, and she looked up towards to ceiling. Ray could tell she was trying not to cry. "And what do you do when the one who means the most to you is the one who didn't show...?" The last part of the verse she barely whispered. He had his hand wrapped around his phone, and clenched his eyes shut. He reopened them, and saw she was staring into the camera, but it felt like she was staring into his eyes. "You should've been there... and I would've been so... happy.." She sang through the chorus again, and then in the middle of the song, it shifted to more of a rock sound.
Someone ran out from backstage, handing her a leather jacket, and Kira pulled her hair out from her ponytail.
"Yikes, this really is bash Ray night isn't it?" Max murmured, and Ray looked at the tv curiously.
"Well, good for you, I guess you moved on really easily. You found a new girl and it only took a couple weeks. Remember when you said that you wanted to give me the world? (Ah-ah-ah-ah) And good for you, I guess that you've been workin' on yourself, I guess that therapist I found for you, she really helped. Now you can be a better man for your brand new girl..."
Ray stood and walked to the other room, pulling out his phone. Luna jumped up and followed him.
"Well good for you, you look happy and healthy, not me, if you ever cared to ask..."
"Ray what are you doing? It's like the middle of the night in LA. I'm sure she didn't mean anything by any of those songs. They're just songs."
"...they're not just songs, Luna. And I'm not calling her." He continued to stare down at his phone and then looked at Luna. "I'm flying out there, to surprise her."
"What?" Luna's eyes widened.
"God, I wish that I could do that. I've lost my mind, spent the night, crying on the floor of my bathroom. You're so unaffected I really don't get it, but I guess good for you...." Kira's voice continued on in the background. Tyson, Hilary, and Max were all jamming out to the music while Kai was watching them with an annoyed, yet slightly amused look on his face.
"You heard her. I should have been there. I'm going to be there this time. It's the least she deserves after her last awards show. I can't disappoint her again."
The lavender haired girl stared at Ray, looked back at the TV at the performance that Kira was giving and bit her lip. Would Kira be okay with this? What would they do about Salima? She looked back at Ray. "You're going to need to leave as soon as possible if you're going to do that. If you leave now, you might make it to the awards show on time." Luna smiled at Ray and nodded. She pulled out her own phone and forwarded him a contact. "That's Kira's manager. She adores the publicity that you and Kira get. Give her a ring, I'm sure she'll help out." Luna waved and walked to sit back down. Ray stared at his phone, nodded to himself and dialed the managers' number.
"Hi... this is Ray Kon, Kira's... friend."
"Oh, I know who you are." The voice on the other side of the line sounded pleased to hear from him. "Now how can I help you, sonny?"
It was hot and humid. He wasn't prepared for this, whatsoever. It was his first time at an awards show, and he didn't have anyone to coach him through it. A beyblade event? Those were easy. This, on the other hand, was a completely different world.
Kira's world.
Ray pushed his way through the crowd. He had left the house without so much of a word to the rest of the team. He had called Kai from the airport and let him know, but to say Kai was pissed, was putting it lightly.
How the hell was he supposed to find Kira? There were so many people here... he sighed, looking through the crowd. He continued to walk through the crowd for a bit...
Then... he saw her. She was on the red carpet, doing some interviews and taking photos. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Was this how she looked to others? The best part, she was completely unaware that he was there. She looked like she was having a blast through the interview.
He was absolutely blown away by how beautiful she looked. She had on a sleeveless floor length silver dress that sparkled brightly in the sunlight, it had a deep v-cut in the front showing off a fair amount of cleavage. Her black hair was in a low bun with messy braids throughout the length, with the blonde pieces of her hair wavy and framing her face.
Johnny was standing off to the side of her next to the other Majestics. Ray pushed his way through the crowd and then stood off to where she could see him if she looked in the right direction. Kira's manager saw him and waved walking over to him.
"I'm glad you could make it. She's going to be so happy when she sees you." Ray smiled at her manager and then looked over to where Kira was doing the interview and realized she had definitely seen him. Kira was staring wide eyed at him, and before he knew it, she had launched herself into his chest and was hugging him tightly.
"You came..." She whispered and he smiled, hugging her back. "You didn't have to but..." Kira looked up at him, a few tears hanging in the corner of her eyes. Ray smiled and lifted her chin, leaning down to kiss her.
Of course, the photographers were all over this opportunity.
"You look beautiful." He whispered in her ear, and of course they had to pose for some photos. Kira's eyes sparkled as she stared up at him with a small smile on her face. She hadn't expected him to fly all the way from Japan just to come to the awards show with her.
After they finished on the red carpet, she lightly smacked him on the shoulder and put her hands on her hips. "What the heck are you doing here?" He chuckled.
Back in Japan, Luna called them over to the TV seeing the scene of Kira running and jumping into Ray's arms.
"Wow... he actually did it. I thought he was gonna chicken out." Max said, watching in awe but couldn't help but laugh. Tyson snickered as the camera moved to show the faces of the rest of the Majestics.
"Hahaha! Look how pissed Johnny is." The camera had panned over to where Kira had been doing an interview, and Johnny was staring dead eyed at the two. Then Kira and Ray kissed and you could see photographers just lighting up photos of them.
"I'm not surprised at all.." Kai murmured. "He's determined to prove himself to her.. he knows he doesn't have a lot of chances, and going to this when he specifically wasn't invited, shows her he's willing to go above and beyond."
"Wow, she looks so pretty. I can't wait to see her performance." Hilary smiled, leaning into Tyson.
"I have a feeling her performance is going to rip Ray apart even more than yesterday." Tyson snickered.
"I mean, she did write a bunch of songs when she was pissed at him..." Luna shrugged and then giggled.
"Hopefully she doesn't perform too late." Kenny yawned, stretching. "I'm so tired."
"You can go to sleep if you want, I'm recording this." Hilary told him. "I won't tell if you don't." She smiled at Kenny. Kenny nodded and yawned.
"Thanks Hil."
(Back in America)
"I just... felt like I had something to prove. You said you weren't ready for people to know, but I felt like that was partially because of me-"
"Hey Kira, we need you over here!" A PA called out to her and she nodded, Ray held her hand helping her walk since her dress was so long.
"But I don't care who knows. I love you, Kira. And I'm done hiding it." She looked over at him and smiled,
"I love you too, Ray.." She was momentarily pulled away from him as she posed for some photos with other artists who were performing.
"I have to say..." Johnny walked up to the two and looked at Ray. "I certainly didn't expect you to show up here."
"I don't think any of us did!" Enrique chimed in. Kira's manager hurried over to them, huffing from how much she had been running around.
"Okay, I somehow managed to get you a seat next to Kira. I'm going to be selling my soul for... probably the rest of my life, but the publicity will be worth it. People are tweeting about you two like crazy," She looked at Ray, "and your display of love." Johnny glared over at Ray and huffed.
"I mean, can you blame them?" Lucy giggled. "They look amazing together. Your guys' outfits even go well together. I'm impressed."
"Well that was all me, darling." Kira's manager winked, leading the Majestics' into the building where the awards ceremony was being held. Kira walked back over and held Ray's hand and stopped him from going in. He turned and looked at her.
"Thank you again... for coming. I told you no, I don't know how many times. But... I was secretly so sad you weren't here."
"I kind of figured you wanted me to come. Your look when you said 'no' didn't really convince me." He smiled.
"I can't believe you're here though! I feel like I'm in a dream!" She linked her fingers with his, and walked in. "And you get to see me perform." Kira shook her head. "It's so surreal!"
He let out a short sigh before wrapping his arms around her waist. "It really is. Thank you for not turning me away. To say I was nervous is putting it lightly."
Kira smiled up at him and kissed his nose before grabbing his hand again. "If I was still pissed at you, I might have. But I'm excited for you to be here. Let's get inside and enjoy the party!"
Ray was absolutely blown away by the inside of the awards show. It was completely decked out with decor, and there were servers walking around with top-shelf liquor drinks. He and Kira grabbed one before finding their seats, which were near the front, but still a few rows back. They were absolutely surrounded by celebrities. He sat back and watched as Kira was in her element, forming relationships, creating bonds. He couldn't help but smile to himself, watching her. So many had their eyes on her... but she was all his.
"I'm sure you know already, but this is Ray." She turned and held her hand out, smiling in his direction. He stood and held his hand out to the latest person.
"Oh, we heard you weren't coming. Good to have you here, man." The guy smiled and then he and Kira continued to talk about music industry biz, so Ray tuned them out.
"Kind of surreal, huh?" He heard Lucy from next to him, and sat back down.
"Errr.. yeah. I mean, kind of."
"I'm proud of you, for showing up." She smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "I know it's scary, but she deserves this. To show you off. To feel happy for once." Ray nodded in agreeance.
"You're right... she does." Kira had walked back over to them and squeezed Ray's shoulder as she sat down. He still found it hard to peel his eyes away from her.
"Here we go." She smiled at him, as the lights dimmed and the room quieted.
Kira was called up to present an award about a third of the way into the show, with a member of the band BTS. Ray was noticeably a bit jealous when it happened as it was known to the BladeBreakers that Kira had a crush on a few of the members, but she also couldn't stop looking at Ray as she presented the award, so that made him feel a bit better.
Finally, it was her turn to perform. She had left the seating area about twenty minutes prior, and the entire Majestics team, plus Ray could all feel their nerves on edge for Kira.
The music for her first song started playing, "Yoru ni Kakeru" (Racing Into the Night - Yoasobi). It was a more upbeat version of the song than was usually played on the radio, and the Majestics and Ray could hear the crowd around them singing along. It was a hugely popular song in Japan, but this just showed how popular her music was in America too.
"Shizumu yo ni tokete yuku yo ni..." Kira's voice rang out as she walked onto the stage. Her hair was down and curled, with waves flowing down her back. She donned a white sleeveless jumpsuit that shimmered with all of the lights that shone down on her. There was a white cape attached to the shoulders of her pantsuit, and she had on silver pointed high heels. "Futaridake no sora ga hirogaru yoru ni.."
"Sayonara dakedatta.." Ray was absolutely mesmerized by her performance. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen her perform before, because he had.. but this song she wrote for him. It wasn't exactly a happy song... but he had the chance to end up making it a happy ending.
"kimi wa hajimete waratta..." Kira paused as the guitar kept playing, and she walked down to the row where he was sitting, and held her hand out to him. Ray held her hand and she sang the next lyrics directly to him, making his face light up with a visible blush.
"Sawagashii hibi ni waraenakunatteita
boku no me ni utsuru kimi wa kirei da
akenai yoru ni koboreta namida mo
kimi no egao ni toketeiku..." She let go of his hand and dance walked over to the set of stairs that led up to the stage and sat on the second to last stair, her fans scrambling to get a spot on the stairs next to her. She continued to sing, and it was easy to hear the people around her joining in on the song.
"Kawaranai hibi ni naiteita boku
kimi wa yasashiku owari e to sasou
shizumu you ni tokete yuku you ni
shimitsuita kiri ga hareru
wasurete shimaitakute tojikometa hibi ni
sashinobete kureta kimi no te wo toru
suzushii kaze ga sora wo oyogu you ni ima fukinuketeiku
tsunaida te wo hanasanaide yo
futari ima, yoru ni kakedashiteiku."
Immediately as the song stopped, the lights went black and a back tracking played. Kira hurried up to the middle of the stage, and the lights were brought back up with a spotlight shining down on her.
"Hate me hate me, still tryna replace me.
Chase me, chase me, tell me how you hate me
Erase me, 'rase me, wish you never dated me.."
Kira brought the mic to her lips and started to sing with the back tracking, "Lies, tell me lies, baby, tell me how you hate me-"
She had two dancers next to her, "I bet you don't kiss her with your eyes closed. I bet you're still walkin' on a tightrope. Miss me so much, you've been goin' psycho. You ain't gotta say it, baby, I know..." Johnny smirked and lightly elbowed Ray.
"It's a thin line between all this love and hate (okay), And if you switch sides, you're gon' have to claim your place. So baby, this time you're gon' have to seal your fate. Yeah, baby, this time you're gon' have to seal your fate." Kira's eyes rested on Ray as she and the dancers dropped into a squatted position and she repeated the chorus. They bounced lightly to the music as she sang, until a man unknown to Ray came out and sang his part. He held his hand out to Kira and she stood. Once the man stopped singing, the lights went dark again. In the next instant, Kira was standing infront of a lone mic. Someone was sitting at a piano not too far behind her, and they started playing. More lights were brought up on the sides of the stage, and you could see members of a chorus.
"One last time... I need to be... the one who takes you home..." Kira's latest hit in America. Ray only knew because he heard her singing it practically nonstop the past few days. When they weren't practicing, she was singing.
"I was a liar, I gave into the fire. I know I should've fought it, at least I'm bein' honest..."
"She wrote this after you left to go back to China." Lucy whispered to Ray over Kira's seat.
"Feel like a failure, 'cause I know that I failed you. I should've done you better, 'cause you don't want a liar..."
"And I know, and I know, and I know she gives you everything, but boy, I couldn't give it to you...
And I know, and I know, and I know that you got everything, but I got nothin' here without you..."
She sang through the verses a few times until the music slowed to a stop.
"One last time... I need to be the one who takes you home..." Kira bowed her head and closed her eyes and let out a short sigh, and the crowd erupted. She smiled and gave a small wave before bowing and going off stage.
"Go greet her!" Lucy elbowed him and he nodded, looking around nervously.
"Er... right!" Ray nodded and looked around to figure out how to get backstage. After asking around a bit he finally found someone to help him and saw her getting unmic'ed. She smiled, seeing him and ran over. "That was amazing and beautiful. I'm so proud of you." Kira blushed through her makeup.
"Thank you." She grabbed his hand and pulled him backstage to where all the food was hiding. "I don't have anymore performances or presentations to do tonight so... let's pig out before all the drinking starts." She opened the door and Ray's eyes widened.
"No haggis or fish sperm sushi, right?" Kira's face turned beet red and she shook her head.
"No no! Oh my gosh, you saw that interview already? I'm so embarrassed." Ray chucked and walked into the room with her before they dug in.
After numerous amounts of parties and alcohol, Ray and Kira headed back to her hotel. It was a nice, five-star accommodation, and Los Angeles didn't disappoint.
"You know, after all the traveling we've done, I think this may be the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at." Ray said, looking around the room, taking his jacket off. Kira smiled at him from where she was changing and winked.
"You're welcome." She giggled and reached to her back. He hurried over to her reached his hand out.
"Oh, let me help you with that." She moved her hair out of the way and Ray slowly pulled down the zipper to her dress. He softly kissed the back of her neck as the zipper reached her lower back, and she turned to look at him.
"Thank you." She looked up at him, a small smile still on her face. Ray put his finger under her chin and kissed her. He could feel his desire for her flowing through him, as the kiss lit a fire in his stomach. He put both hands on the sides of her face and Kira groaned, leaning into him. "Ray..." He slid her dress off of her the rest of the way and led her back to the bed behind them. Kira let herself fall back and Ray climbed on top of her, not taking his eyes off of her for a second. Kira could feel her heart pounding in her chest, she leaned up on her hands as Ray continued to kiss her, taking his own shirt off. She let her hand softly trail down his chiseled chest, leaving goosebumps in the wake of her fingers.
"I wish we had more time alone together..." She whispered as he peppered kisses down her neck. She heard him mumble some words in agreement. He kissed his way down to her cleavage and then back up to her face.
"I love you, Kira..." He spoke quietly, still leaning over her. She stared up into his golden eyes, still mesmerized by their color. "After this season is over, let's get away. I don't care for how long."
"Just you and me..?" She asked with a slight smile to her lips. Ray gave her a slight smirk in return and kissed her softly.
"Just you..." He kissed her again, "and me."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, and Ray reached behind her, unhooking her bra with ease.
"I think we've been hooking up too much if it's that easy for you now." She laughed, pulling the garment off.
"I wouldn't say too much."
!Explicit Warning!
She pressed her chest against his, savoring in the warmth of his skin against hers. Ray trailed his hand down the side of her waist to her hips, and slid his hand in between her thighs. "I also... know exactly how to make you-"
Kira's eyes widened as he traced his finger right over her most sensitive area, and applied pressure, sending a wave of pleasure through her. She turned her head away and let out the softest of moans, and Ray turned her face to look at him.
"Uh-uh, I wanna see this." He put more pressure on her clit, making her bite her lip, trying to suppress her moans. He took his hand and pressed two fingers inside of her, and smirked feeling how wet she was. He curled his fingers up and pumped his hand in and out of her. "Let me hear you, Kira."
Kira's hands grasped the blanket beneath her as she felt her climax building inside of her. Ray hiked her leg up on his shoulder, pushed her panties aside and buried his face in her pussy.
"Fuh-" Kira called out as he lightly flicked his tongue over and sucked on her clit, all while still fingering her g-spot. "Don't stop, please."
Kira ran her hands through his hair, grabbing a nice fistful, sending another pang of lust right to his groin. Not just that, but the intoxicating smell and taste of her just sent him over the edge.
He continued to please her until he could feel her squeeze around his fingers and he lapped up the cum that she released. He smirked and wiped his mouth. He stood on the side of the bed and pulled off his slacks and stood bare in front of her, while Kira removed her soaked underwear and tossed them off the bed. Ray crawled back on the bed and sat down, and Kira sat up next to him.
"Mind sitting up against the bed for me?" Ray did as she asked, and she climbed onto his lap, lowering herself onto him. Painfully slowly it seemed to him, he hissed in pleasure as he filled her to the brim. He placed his hand on the side of her face, using his thumb to slowly drag down her lower lip. She kissed his finger and took it into her mouth, sucking on it lightly as she teased him and raised herself back up and lower herself onto him again.
"Fuck..." She whispered, moaning, as she picked up the pace. Ray pulled her into another deep kiss, their tongues dancing together, as they both felt the heat building at the pit of their stomachs and electricity flying through them. He pulled away and leaned down while she rode him, taking one of her pert nipples into his mouth and sucked, while pinching the other one.
Ray grit his teeth as he could feel himself getting close, and grabbed Kira's waist, pulling her off of him. He flipped them over so he was on top of her again, and without hesitation thrust into her.
"Ray!" Kira cried out, flexing her stomach as her walls squeezed his length tightly.
"Shit, I'm close, Ki..." Ray brought her leg up onto his shoulder and sat up, and pounded into her, the sound of their thighs and bum slapping against each other, pleasing his ears. With one last pounding he came and Kira felt herself climax one more time before he fell, laying next to her. He let his hand caress the side of her face and she turned to look at him. Her cheeks and nose were completely flushed red, and she had her hand over her chest, trying to catch her breath.
"That was the perfect ending to tonight, I believe." Kira leaned over and kissed him softly, her eyes getting heavy. "I love you..." She whispered, and her eyes fluttered shut, the world going silent around her.
The next morning, the two were up bright and early to head to the airport.
"I feel bad, you flew all the way out here just for a day."
"It was definitely worth it." Ray smiled at her, his arm resting on her shoulder. They walked through the airport to the ticket counter, which is where their day turned from great... to not so much.
"What do you mean there's no room? His ticket was booked-"
"I'm sorry ma'am, the plane was overbooked and because his ticket was booked last, we had to cancel it." The flight attendant had a look of empathy on her face, but Kira sighed.
"I mean... I guess I can cancel my flight too. Just switch to whenever you can fly out next-"
"Don't worry about it, Ki. I'll be okay for the next few hours. Gives me some time to explore this huge airport."
"I'm not leaving you here by yourself for however long..."
"You need to rest before practice starts up again. You know Kai is going to want to jump back in, full throttle. Especially after you being gone so much." Kira sighed, looking out the window. Ray was right, but she felt the guilt eating at her at the thought of leaving him behind.
"When's the next open flight?" Kira looked at the flight attendant who typed a few things in her computer.
"10:30 PM. But it's direct to Tokyo." Kira's eyes widened and she looked at Ray.
"That's over twelve hours, Ray!" He shook his head.
"Yeah and you'll be home, able to get some rest. I'll be fine, just go get on your flight and I'll see you when I get there." Kira sighed and shook her head in return, then looked at the flight attendant, sighing again. She looked into her wallet and pulled out a card.
"Fine, but upgrade him to first class, please." She slid her card to the flight attendant and made a sour face at Ray. They made their way through security with their tickets and Ray walked Kira to her gate.
"You're the best." He smiled and kissed her forehead. She walked off to the side with him, and hugged him.
"If anything happens to you-"
"It's a normal plane ride like any other time." He chuckled. "Don't worry about me."
"I love you..." She whispered, squeezing him tighter. "Enjoy first class." She gave him a small smile and waved as she walked to board the plane.
Back in Japan
"You guys won't believe what I found!" Hilary came bounding into the training room where Luna and Kai were running on the track together, and Max and Tyson were battling it out in a rink.
"Hm? What did you find, Hilary?" Kenny adjusted his glasses nervously and Hilary handed him a memory chip. "Guys, come here!"
"Hil? What're you doin' here?" Tyson asked as he grabbed his blade and ran over to where Kenny was sitting. Kai and Luna joined after seeing everyone gathering around Kenny.
"What's going on?" Luna asked, taking a long sip of water.
"Sssh! Just watch!" Hilary waved at them. It was security camera footage, Salima and Kane meeting up with someone in a familiar looking uniform.
"No... way!" Max murmured and then gasped. "That's-!"
"Yep!" Hilary clasped her hands together. "We got 'em!"
"Someone needs to tell Ray." Max shook his head.
"Let's not ruin their trip! We can tell them when they come back. I think they're gonna wanna see this video." Tyson put his hand to his head.
"How did you get this video?" Kai looked at Hilary.
"Something has just felt off about her to me. So... when I could I may have tried following her around. Well, I saw her meeting up with that guy! And I remembered him from the island!" She looked around at the others. "I asked around for some video footage from the businesses that had security cameras, and BAM!"
"..." Kai looked from Hilary back to the video and nodded to her. "Good job."
Hilary blushed in response and cleared her throat.
"Wait... if she knows the guy from the island..." Max's eyes widened,
"You don't think she had something to do with us getting kidnapped, do you?" Kenny asked him.
"There's no way to really tell. And if we bombard her too early, we may never get answers. Let's just... put this info to the back of our minds, and once Kira and Ray return, we'll let them know." Kai pulled out his phone and took a photo, just for safe keeping.
The others walked back to what they were doing, but Luna lingered, looking at the stillframe of the video. Kai started to walk back to the track, but noticed Luna still staring at the laptop.
"Lune?" Kai asked her, placing his hand on her back. "What's wrong?"
"I-...if she's friends with them... or even on the same team... what if they're the ones who have been targeting Kira? She did have a lethal dose of that drug on the island and-"
"Hey," Kai turned her to look at him and lifted her chin. "I don't think these are the same people. Kira and Salima were in the same house for how long? If she wanted to kill her she had... plenty of chances. We're all gonna be okay. Don't worry." Luna looked down and frowned and Kai sighed. He looked around... everyone seemed to be busy. He pulled Luna into a hug. "It's gonna be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to Kira-"
"Or you...? You were poisoned too..."
"Or me.." Kai pulled back from the hug and kissed her reassuringly.
"Awwww, love birds!" Tyson called out and whooped from the beyrink. Kai opened his eyes and glared at him. "What?! There are plenty of rooms, go find one!"
"Tyson..." Kai growled and Luna giggled, patting Kai's chest.
"Betcha can't catch me!" She ran back towards the track, and Kai sighed, chasing after her.
Okieee! Finally updated this chapter. I'm so sorry y'all! The songs used are Moment I Knew- T Swift, Good 4 U- Olivia Rodrigo, (music awards) Yoasobi -Into the Night (Japanese ver. obviously), that's one of my favorite songs right now. It's sooo beautiful and upbeat. Then Hate Me - Ellie Goulding, and then One Last Time - Ariana Grande (slow/sad version) Next chapter has some heavy stuff happen, just giving y'all a forewarning :') more beyblade action is coming soon, I promise!
I hope this chapter wasn't too boring, but this was all stuff necessary to the story.
Let me know your thoughts, I love hearing them!
XO
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