Hello my dear people! How're you all? Fine, I hope. As for me, here I come with a new one-shot, featuring the next generation of Beyblade a bit. Actually, yesterday was International Fathers' Day. I started writing it yesterday but for an unknown reason, I couldn't complete it yesterday. So, I've been a bit late, pardon me. Anyways, belated happy fathers' day to all the fathers in this world. May God keep all fathers happy, safe and blessed always :)
Genre: Family, Hurt/Comfort, Angst (A bit), Drama, Friendship and a bit of romance :P
Rating: K+
Pairings: KaiHil, Tysew; along with hinted GouXRin and MakotoXNeena
Warning: A bloody scene.
So...let's start!
"AND…" The fierce, excited, loud voice of the commentator roared throughout the entire beystadium like that of a ferocious tiger, "IT HAS ENDED! Gou Hiwatari has beaten Makoto Granger after such a brain-wracking, breath-clogging, tiresome, unpredictable match and now, he is the new world-champion! People, let's have a big applause for him!"
The Jazzman didn't even need to say the last sentence. Already, the entire gallery was facing a fake earthquake due to the earsplitting cheers from the audience as their wild claps were exploding the environment. Colorful balloons blasted accompanied by the poppers, red, blue, golden and silver confettis were thrown on the victorious one which landed on him, floating in the air. Drums echoed, deafening everyone. Amidst all these things, the royal-blue Beyblade spinning proudly, vigorously at the center of the plain red beydish from which a little smoke was being emitted, returned to the hand of its master who was just the xerox copy of his own father. His navy-haired opponent was tired, covered all in sweats, defeated-but among all of them, a contented smile bloomed in his lips as he nodded, appreciating the new world-champion.
But what about the champion himself? Well, his big, ruby orbs were just widened, placed on the bit-chip where the image of the vermilion bird of the south was still glowing in utter satisfaction, proving the worth of her new master, her successor. From the VIP box of the gallery, his chocolate-haired mother was restively clapping as tears were cascading from her garnet pools continuously, without any break. Hugging her, his little sister was squealing in excitement. Enthusiasm could easily be witnessed in the expressions of his pink-haired tag-team partner who was jumping up and down, punching in the air and cheering all by his name in her lips and exploding her throat. Yet, he didn't pay any heed to them. He couldn't believe his own eyes and ears. He…really became the world-champion?
He was called to the stage as the new director of BBA himself lifted the shimmering golden championship trophy to his hand. It was very light; Gou had carried heavier things than that in his life but his fingers went numb as he raised it before everyone. He couldn't believe still that he won the championship. The flashes of the clicking cameras made his vision immobile. He was so dumbfounded that he couldn't even smile at them. Amidst all this light, all these cheers and words of congratulation, he felt as if darkness, accompanied by a bizarre silence had been surrounding him from four directions. Holding the trophy, somehow, he descended the stairs.
"Gou!" Rin rushed towards her partner and crushed him into a tight, surprising hug which knocked some senses into him, as well as turning him beetroot, "You've won it, my hero! You've proved that you're a real blader!"
Rotating to the gallery, she again punched in the air, "Who's the man? Who's the man? Gou's the man! Gou's the man!"
From her seat, hearing the thirteen-year-old girl jubilating by the name of her son, the brunette lady blushed a bit, recalling a similar event from the past and getting nostalgic immediately. Wiping his forehead, Makoto approached his opponent and friend, stretching a hand "Congratulations, buddy! You've rocked it!"
"Uhh…thanks…" Gou scratched his head, sharing the handshake with Makoto. Tyson and Dew reached there too, along with their little daughter. The former world-champ patted the head of the current champion with a candid smile of pride and pleasure on his face, "Congratulations, Gou. You've proved that you aren't only my true and rightful successor, but also you're the best son in this world," He heaved a sigh, "If your dad were here, he would be very happy, you know."
Gou bent his head down, hearing the last words of the ex-blader. The blunette kid turned to his parents. Sighing, he lowered his head too, "Sorry dad, sorry mom, I've disappointed you. I've failed to win the championship."
"Don't apologize to us, my son," The ex-world champion stroked his lowered head affectionately, lifting it up, "Trust me, you don't need to do it at all. You've made us proud of you today with your attitude not to give up easily. You've given your best and that's what matters the most. Don't worry, there will be chances for you in future. Be prepared for them. I know you can utilize them, Mako, we have full faith on you."
Makoto's face glowed with a huge grin as he threw his arms around the torso of his father, "Thank you so much, dad! Really, you're the best dad in this world!"
Unknowingly, seeing this scene, the eyes of the world-champion welled when he discovered his friend hugging his father. He wished he could have given the championship trophy to Makoto which he'd won just then and hugged his own dad like this in return. The purple-haired lady, holding the petite index finger of her miniature version in her hands as the three- and half-year old baby doll was speechlessly staring at her mom with her big, round auburn pools with astonishment, gave a sorrowful look at the dual-haired half-Russian, her own nephew. However, Gou looked behind, discovering his mother and sister approaching him. Seeing them, a small smile crept in his lips like a beam of satisfaction in the murk of his disappointment.
He quickly rushed towards his mother and hugged her, hiding his head in her torso like a little kid. Hilary pulled Gou closer and bound him into her arms, her tears speeded on her cheeks. Gou could easily feel the silent sobs and convulsion of his mom but didn't protest. Mixed emotion those waterworks had; belonging to both pride and disappointment, to both glee and anguish. Stroking the silver-blue bangs for her son which he inherited from his father, with a trembling voice, Hilary spoke, "I wish…I wish your dad could be here today to witness this memorable moment, my son."
Gou's heart felt heavy, tears were about to sting his eyes. But no, he was a tough teenager, courageous, strong-just like his father and weeping before his mother, sister, uncle, aunt, friends was the least thing that he wanted to do. Neena bit her lips as her face stopped glowing from pride, substituted by grief. Tyson and Dew tried to smile sympathetically as the latter put a hand on the shoulder of her elder sister to comfort her. Rin squeezed the shoulders of her partner from behind, consoling him. All of a sudden, the joyful environment became very weighty. Fans were still cheering for Gou but they couldn't reach his heart anymore. The person whom he needed the most at that time wasn't there by his side. How would he feel happy?
"See?" The 12-year-old brunette squealed at the successor of Dragoon, putting her hands on her hips only in order to lighten the mood of everyone, "My brother has won it! I told ya, none but my ni-san would be the world-champion, not you, Makoto! Got it?"
"Hmph!" Makoto seethed, "You're acting as if you yourself won the championship, not Gou, Neena!"
"Yep!" Neena hopped, "My brother's victory means my victory, Mako! But…"
Coughing, she turned her head away from the flustered blunette. With a sheepish and reluctant voice, she pronounced the rest of the words, "If I don't say that you've played very well and given your best in today's match, it will be very unfair of me, Mako. I don't want to say this…but well-done, Makoto!"
Makoto again smiled, scratching his head bashfully, "Hehehe…thanks, Romika."
Neena's heart shuddered a bit. This name of her had been given by her dad, the first man of her life and whom she loved to no end. Whenever Makoto had used to call her that in their childhood, she had wasted no more time to turn into a fireball and charge herself at him, screaming loud enough to blast his tympanic membranes, "No one except dad is allowed to call me that!" But today, hearing the same name from Makoto's voice sent another jolt to her heart. That's why, she didn't protest that day. Smiling, she threw her stares at the sky through the open sky-window of the beystadium. After all, at least someone was bearing the memories of her father.
Four years! Four years passed since someone had called her Romika. With the pronunciation of this name in her ear from the voice of her favorite person in this world, her restlessness, her cheerfulness, her short-temper, her bossy nature-everything got suppressed. She wanted to throw her arms around Makoto and cry, she yearned to hold his hands and beg to him for calling her Romika again and again-until her ears which were suffering from a drought for the last 48 months could feel satisfied finally but she couldn't, she didn't know why. She sighed and grimaced, 'When will this wait come to an end? When will dad call me Romika again? Will I have to wait till the eternity?'
"Gou," Hilary freed her son from the hug, "Today's such an auspicious day. Don't waste it by crying. Let's meet dad, okay? He'll be very happy and proud of you when he'll get to know about your glorious achievement."
"You're right, mom," Gou wiped his eyes and beamed, "Let's meet him. I cannot wait to show him what I have attained today!"
With the soft click on the knob, the door of the large bedroom got opened, divulging the sight of a man in his late thirties, lying on his king-sized bed and covered with a blanket up to his chest. The gentle breeze of the airconditioner was making his slate bangs lying on his forehead flutter. His left wrist wore an IV; fresh saline droplets trickled down from the transparent packet hanging from the stand. The oxygen mask was laid on his face under his closed amethysts. The screen of the monitor of the machine to which he was hooked was showing the state of his calm heartbeats. His breath rate was normal as if he'd been sleeping, very peacefully. Seeing him, who could say it that he was in a coma?
The brunette, along with her prince and princess, gently entered the chamber. She couldn't take off her eyes of her asleep husband that day. He was ethereally glowing, getting all his charms back from the days of his youth. His lifeless, pale, limp figurine was looking so vigorous today. She felt that soon he would wake up and smile at her, from his usual sleep. With slow footsteps, she neared him, somehow sitting on the chair and lifting his right hand into her palms. Neena was standing far, not daring come closer. Gou kept the trophy beside his lying body and sat by the side of his mother, smiling faintly at his father.
"Dad…" He softly spoke, "Look, I've won Beyblade championship today. You know…it's been possible only because of your teachings."
Sighing, he remembered the words of the senior phoenix-prince, showering ambrosia to his ears once upon a time when he had only learnt how to launch a Beyblade properly.
Flashback:
"Dad!" The four-year old toddler squealed, throwing his tiny arms in the air after the successful launch, the first launch of Beyblade in his life, "I want to be a world-champion, you know! See, I'll win every match when I'll participate in a tournament and I'll be the very best!"
Kai smiled, gesturing the little boy to come closer. As he spread his arms and ran towards his dad, the ex-blader held his xerox copy and made him sit on his lap. His fingers ruffled his hair as he asked, "Do you know what you should do to be the best?"
"To win every match!" He cheered confidently.
"Nope," Kai shook his head, "For being the best, wins and losses don't matter at all. All you have to do is to give your best."
"Really?" His ruby orbs sparkled but got dimmed at the next second as he felt a bit confused. Scratching his head, he asked, "But dad…how'll I understand that I've given my best?"
"Hmm…" The slate-haired man stopped for a while but widely smiled again when he answered to the question of his son, "When you yourself will have no guilty feeling, no regret, no objection against your performance, then you'll understand that you have given your best."
While speaking these words to his son, Kai returned to a battle stadium, several years back. There, he was lying on the surface, battered and tattered. He'd lost the battle, everyone was openly congratulating his opponent who was the world-champion for the third time, running only towards him. Nobody was even looking back at him, to have a check on him whether he was okay or not. Yet, he didn't feel a bit bad. When he stood up on his own feet, without the help of anyone, there was a smile all over his face. The reason? He knew that he'd given his best, he was contented with that. Because of this loss, there was no guilt, no regret in him.
That night, the brunette secretly came to meet him to check whether he was okay or not. A bit late, but he was contented with her. When asked, he replied, "I have no regret."
"Why?" Hilary frowned.
"Leaving the thoughts of wins and losses, one must concentrate on what to do," Kai smirked, turning to the brunette, "Guilty feelings and frustration will be eliminated within no moment."
The brunette had a small smile on her face. Nodding and agreeing with him on whatever he'd just said, she left from the place. Did Kai know that only that day, she fully fell for him?
Flash forward:
"Dad…." Gou captured the right hand of the lying man, "I've always carried the lessons taught by you in my heart. Today, in the match, when I was battling against Makoto, I didn't care for win or loss. I just gave my best, showing no empty space in my dedication and determination. Even if I didn't win this match, believe me, dad, I would have no regret because I know that I'm the best! But…"
Bringing the shimmering golden trophy closer to the hand of his father, Gou kept it on the championship cup, his voice was quivering, "This is only for you, dad. I've brought it, I've achieved it for you. I know…I know that in your life, never did you have the good fortune to touch it. I know…your fate became harsh, very harsh and unfair to you but how could I let it go so easily? I-I'm your son, your own xerox copy, bearing the teachings of my father in my heart forever! When my blade was spinning at the center of the beydish, only your image was set in my brain. I knew…I knew what to do. These things have been possible only for you, dad."
"Kai…" Hilary sniffed, biting her wobbling lips hard, "Look what our son has brought for you today! The best gift of your life! Why can you be still so silent? Open your eyes for a while, see the achievement of our Gou, our first child, whom we have raised together with all our heart, love and teachings. Your silence hurts us, cannot you understand? Why, Kai…why? When we all became accustomed to your silence, for…hurting us…you adopted another variant of muteness? Don't you know how unfair it is?"
"Mom…" Neena sobbed, clutching her favorite teddy-bear which had been brought to her by her dad on her fourth birthday, "Don't…chide dad. Chide me…it…it happened only for me…"
Flashback:
"Oh my god!" The eight-year-old brunette squealed, jumping and pointing at the peak of the hill, "Look! How beautiful the flower is!"
Kai and Hilary, with their children, came to a family trip. The spot was not only very beautiful, but also quite rare and silent. To be honest, both the slate-haired ex-blader and his wife loved to roam in this kind of places. The knoll was a bit high, around eight or nine feet from the ground. It was grey but here and there on its surface, the signs of fresh greenness were evident, zealously saying that the mound wasn't as heartless as they were thinking it to be. At a side, a narrow cascade was flowing down rhythmically, creating a slim and shallow brook. The caves were a bit dark but sunlight was seeping outside, on them, streaming through the greeneries and floral vines hugging the solid, hard body of the hillock.
At the excitement of their daughter, both Kai and Hilary raised their head, covering their eyes from the sunshine with hands near their foreheads. Yeah, a flower it was-not that much special but of course, very rare. Everyone knew it as Juliet rose. The petals were quite condensed, tinted in peach and white. Soft the shades were, favorite of the little girl. Stars were appearing in her round amethyst orbs as she was jumping in excitement, seeing the flower clearly though it was quite far away from them, only one in number, blossoming in the green plant. Its sepals were dancing in the air which shot the tempo right at the heart of Neena Hiwatari too. Gou simply rolled his eyes and sighed at the antiques of his younger sister. Hilary didn't care, she knew that her daughter would forget it soon.
"Romika-chan," However, the slate-haired elder guy put a hand on the shoulder of her daughter, "Do you want it?"
"I wish…" Neena gave a nervous stare at her mother and brother, "I could get it…"
"Don't worry," Kai patted her head, "I'm bringing it for you."
"Hey!" Hilary gasped, quickly approaching her husband, "Are you crazy, Kai? Have you seen how steep the hill is? It's very dangerous to climb now!"
Kai stared at the younger version of her wife who was lowering her head, biting her lips in confusion and fear. She knew it too that climbing the hill was very risky but deep inside, she was craving for the Juliet rose too. Breathing, Kai spoke to his wife, "Don't worry, Hilary. I'll have no problem to pluck that."
Putting off his jacket, he handed it to the elder brunette and clutched the niches of the stony wall of the hill in his knuckles. Very carefully, he climbed the hill and reached the top in front of the horrified eyes of his wife and children whose breaths were already stopped. Plucking the flower, when he showed it to the little brunette, she clapped and hopped, squeaking, "Yay! Dad, you're a real hero! Thank you, thank you so much!"
Smiling, Kai held the flower tightly for his daughter and was about to climb down. But the dangerous accident occurred only at that time. Ascending and descending such a steep hill weren't the same thing. The surface was a bit drenched, making the expert feet of the dual-haired man slip a bit. When he noticed it, did it become too late? Yes, it became as he received a fatal fall only because of the gap of an inch, rolling down on the ground from the peak like a pebble, not able to maintain his balance anymore. The three pairs of eyes waiting for him below the mound went widened immediately, in utter shock and horror.
"KAI!"
"DAD!"
The fall was harsh as Kai's back landed on the pebble-littered ground. His forehead had a gash, fresh crimson blood dripping from it, along with his nostrils. Cheeks and jaw possessed a couple of deep cuts. Left arm broke along with a fractured right leg. He shivered, sensing the sudden, harsh coldness against his pale skin which was getting whiter for losing such a large amount of blood. Yet, his right hand didn't let the Juliet rose go. Struggling to keep his crushing amethyst eyes open, he fixed them at the appearance of his daughter who was rushing right towards him, with her mother and brother. Hilary huffed and sat down beside him, lifting his head on her lap as it soaked her cloths with blood too though she hardly cared.
"Kai!" Her voice trembled in fear, "Are you…are you okay?"
His lips shook a bit as though he'd wanted to say something. The pain was evident throughout his whole body but it was numbness which was affecting him badly, springing from his spinal cord. In that condition, he raised his hand, occupying the white-apricot rose to his daughter. Neena shivered and gulped, seeing the state of her dad. Right then, the hand of the wounded man thudded on the ground, yet, not releasing the flower at all. His eyelids collapsed on his amethyst pupils. Gou yelled at the top of his lungs, quickly taking out the phone of his father and searching for any local ambulance service nearby. The younger brunette knelt down beside her mother, covering her face and bursting into tears. Only the mother was shocked, speechless. Biting her lips, she clutched the head of her unconscious husband near her chest.
"Kai…" Silent tears trickled down on her cheeks, "Why…"
Flash forward:
Hilary sighed, getting up and patting the back of her mourning daughter, consoling her. After the event, Kai had been immediately rushed to the hospital. All other injuries had been treated and healed eventually but the concussion of his head was so grave that it had led him into a coma. In these four years, Hilary had tolerated a lot. Doing the job, raising two children of her own, taking care of Kai-these things weren't easy for her at all. The possibility of recovering from the coma for the senior phoenix-prince was quite low. Often, others advised her to apply euthanasia, only to end all the pain of the dual-haired Russian as well as the anguish of the brunette but Hilary never agreed with them.
She had been bearing all the expenses of him, along with hers own and the children for the last four years. Everyday, she would change the saline and glucose with the help of the doctors, wipe his body with warm water and change his cloths. She would gossip with him, holding his hand and telling him how her entire day went. Gou's improvement in blading, Neena's fondness for her studies, the mischief of the pets, the meeting with her friends-nothing was out of the list. Though Kai didn't respond, she felt as if he'd been listening to her very attentively, he'd been hearing everything. Yet, he wasn't getting tired at all. But…how long would she have to wait for him? How long?
"Mom!" Gou cried, jolting up, "Look! Dad…dad is responding!"
Quickly, both the mother and the daughter turned to the bed. Kai's fingers were moving on the bed, trying to hold the championship trophy feebly. Once again, their eyes went widened in utter surprise, they exchanged confused, yet, awestruck stares with one another. Hilary ordered her son loudly, "Gou, go and call the doctor! Now!"
"Yes!" Furiously nodding, the dual-haired teenager ran out of the room, making the floor shake with her footsteps. Hilary's fingers captured the reposed hand of her husband, she leaned forward, shaking him gently, "Kai? Can…can you hear me? Look…it's me, Hilary!"
Like a miracle, Kai's numb fingers intertwined around the palm of his wife, his chest rose a bit high, breath became a little unsteady. Very slowly, after solid four years, his aventurine pools were exposed in front of the world. Right at the first sight, they discovered the same chocolate-haired woman, seeing whom he'd closed his eyes 48 months ago, whose voice had been chiming in his ears and brain always during this time. His heart trembled a bit. Raising a feeble hand, he laid it against her right cheek as her waterworks showered on him, drenching his eyes and face too. His silent tears, her non-stop, relentless, loud rheum got dissolved in one another, they didn't realize. They stared at the faces of each other, like a prince and princess-meeting each other after one hundred years, breaking the spell of any evil sorcerer finally.
After doctors had checked him and reported that everything was okay, Gou, Neena and Hilary came in his chamber again to meet him. The glorious golden trophy laughed brightly, smirking at the lying patient with utmost pride and pleasure, held in the hand of the dual-haired teenager. Kai's eyes sparkled with tears of joy, seeing the award in the hands of his own son which he could never have achieved when he'd been a blader like his son. Gou kept it near his feet, making him feel overwhelmed. Smiling at his father, he cleared his throat so that it couldn't sound tear-choked anymore, "Dad, you're the real owner of this trophy. Look, I've brought it only for you. Please, accept it."
Leaning a bit forward with the support of his wife, Kai picked the trophy in his hands which were still trembling in excitement, in an unknown level of happiness and blisses. The championship trophy…was held in his fingers…his eyes struggled hard to believe. Though he'd hardly cared for any championship, there had always been a small amount of dissatisfaction inside his heart, regarding this one and only non-attainment of his blading life. He'd been incomplete but now, his own son had completed him.
Gou beamed, "You know, dad, I've achieved it-following only your teachings. Whenever I fought a match, your words, your lessons were in my brain. I applied them always, not caring of the outcome. That's why, you deserve this trophy-more than I, dad! I don't know who you are in the eyes of this world, but in my eyes, you're my hero, you're my champion!"
Hilary snickered, seeing the signs of pure bliss all over the face of her husband. The euphoria, the pureness of satisfaction dancing in her heart of the coma survivor reached hers too. Really, Kai's hard work, his passion, his determination, his courage-they never went in vain. Kai was never unfortunate, just he had to have patience for a long time. They returned their fruit to him eventually- a bit late, but it was alright. All the regret, the guilty feelings, the disappointments of the slate-haired guy turned into vapor within no moment when he found the trophy in his hands-achieved by his own child, as per his directions and guidance.
"Dad!" Neena squealed, holding something in her hand, "I have something for you too! Won't you see?"
Kai gave a silent, assuring nod at his daughter as the little brunette presented it before him. A Juliet rose it was, having the same apricot-white petals which he'd plucked from the hill for her, risking his own life as his attempt had resulted in the destruction of four solid years. Surprise filled his amethyst orbs; he gave a questioning look at Neena.
"Dad," She breathed, trying her best not to burst into tears, "I know that this flower is very rare. That's why, I've grown it only for you in my garden. When…when only because of me, you lost 48 months from your life, that day, I understood that rare things cannot be achieved easily. For attaining them, one must work hard. Through your sacrifice, you taught me it. Bearing your teaching in my heart, I collected the seeds from the flower that you gave me, grew saplings from them and planted them in our garden. Dad, it's the Juliet rose from one of those plants. I know…it's the least thing that I can do for you but please…accept it. Maybe, it will…lessen my guilty feelings a bit?"
Kai was touched, overwhelmed with his daughter and her deed. No word could escape from his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he extended his arms, calling Neena near as the latter hurried there, jumping in his arms like a two-year old. Hilary smiled, placing a hand on the shoulder of her husband, a perfect father-who had remained awake in the hearts of his children even though he'd been in a coma for the last 48 months, through his words and lessons. Tears ran down from her eyes. Wiping them quickly, she made her voice normal and spoke, "See, what have your children brought for you? And there am I who have really nothing to give you on this day. Silly me, how careless can I be sometimes?"
"Hey…" Kai pulled Hilary's wrist gently, "You've given the best gifts to me, Hil."
"Huh?" Hilary frowned, confusedly.
"They," Hiwatari senior pointed at his children, "Only because you conveyed my teachings to them and guided them, they've been able to present their best before me today. During all this time, you've fulfilled the responsibilities of both of a mother and a father, Hilary. I'm proud to have you as my life-partner."
Again, Hilary's ruby orbs brimmed with tears along with a faint shade of crimson reddening her cheeks. Pressing her lips inside, she placed her head on his chest, listening to the beats of his awakened heart after 48 months again, not caring the presence of their children. On two shoulders of their dad, Gou and Neena rested their heads, bound in both of his arms protectively. Leaning his head against the pillow on the headboard of the bed, Kai closed his eyes in peace and sighed in relief with a contented smirk in his lips. Euphoria bubbled in his heart as the warm touches of his wife, his children completed him to the final extent.
'48 months…' He mused, 'Not a big deal at all. Not at all.'
That's it! So dear people, tell me how it has been. Good? Or bad? Be honest and frank: Who were thinking that I've killed Kai here again? :P
Do read and review. Fav and follow if this one-shot has really touched your heart and was worth reading. Pardon the grammatical and spelling errors. Take care and stay safe. If fate permits, this Thursday, I'll publish a Kai-centered novel, "The G.O.A.T" which will be an AU, portraying Kai and other bladers as footballers! On Friday, I'll hopefully post another KaiHil and TalaJul fanfic for someone very precious :')
Till then, stay tuned and don't forget me! Byeee!
-Misty ^_^ ^_^