One quick thing before I start:

I'm dedicating this chappie to my friend Laurie, because it was she who finally forced me to get off my lazy ass and write the next part. ^.^ So you have her to thank (or blame) for the new chapter.

Enjoy!

Growling under her breath, Annex tried in vain to fit a new attack ring onto her beyblade. She had spent a good part of the night working out new strategies for the upcoming battles, but had come up short on how to approach the Bladebreakers. And of course, Kai refused to give her any hints on how to defeat them.

With that thought in mind, she rolled over from her position on the carpeted floor of their hotel room and glared at the boy in question, who was seated on the bed and quite calmly working on Dranzer. "Won't give me any information, huh?" she asked, not really expecting a response.

Kai shook his head and didn't bother looking at her. "You got along fine before I showed up, just do what ever you used to do."

"Ok, fair enough." She returned her attention to Illuser, not willing to get into an argument with him. They had already been through that the night before, when Kai had snooped into her private life. It wasn't worth it now. Glancing at the stoic teen from the corner of her eye, she wondered how to approach the other delicate issue.

She had been dying to learn more about Kai's relationship with Rei ever since the beginning of the tournament, but had never had a good opportunity to ask. There had either been too many people around, or when they were alone, they were fighting. In truth, Annex regretted being an asshole to Kai, but she honestly couldn't help herself. She wanted to apologize for insisting that he battle Rei, but it was too late for apologizes now.

Turning to face Kai completely, she hesitated, not sure how to phrase what she wanted to say. "Kai…you know…"

Kai stopped working with Dranzer and looked at her; his crimson eyes meet her slightly sad gaze. "What?"

Annex sat up, leaving Illuser on the floor. "If you don't want to fight Rei, I will. And everyone will understand…"

This comment made Kai slightly angry, thinking that Annex was starting to doubt him again. "I'll fight him." He said, slight irritation in his voice. "It doesn't matter that he's my boyfriend. In the dish, he's just an opponent." He lowered his head, trying to occupy himself with Dranzer again, as his slate colored bangs fell over his eyes.

"He's not just an opponent, he's someone that you love."

Kai's grip on Dranzer tightened until his knuckles were white. "Shut up." he growled. "I'll fight him, understand?" Not willing to continue the conversation, he got up, shoving Dranzer into his pocket as he headed towards the door.

Annex blinked at his retreating form. "Where are you going?" she asked as he pushed open the door.

"I'm going to see Rei."

The door closed, leaving Annex alone, wondering if she had said something wrong..

* * *

Kai wandered the streets aimlessly, not knowing or caring where he was going; he just wanted to get away from Annex and her sentimentalities. Of course he would battle Rei, why shouldn't he? Of all the Bladebreakers, Rei was the one most capable of defeating him, the one most worthy to battle. He would battle Rei, and he would win. He would win the third round victory for his team.

He paused on that thought, slowly his walking pace as he pondered it. Staring down at the sidewalk under his feet, he wondered who he really considered to be his team. The Bladebreakers had been his team the longest, but he had left them behind and joined with the Phoenix Tribe. It had been a sudden choice; he hadn't had a long time to muse over with team he wanted to be with when the choice had arisen, and suddenly he began to wonder who he would have picked if he had more time to think on it.

The Bladebreakers had never been particularly close to him, but there were times he had found himself amused by them. Even when they were being annoying and immature, it was somehow…nice to be around them. He definitely did miss them sometimes.

The Phoenix Tribe, on the other hand… He wasn't very close to any of them except for Annex Bastet, and he wasn't sure how to feel about her new personality. She switched between angry and cold and quiet and caring much too quickly. Sometimes he wondered who he was really talking to; the Annex he had just met, or the Bastet he had befriended in Phoen city.

"The same Bastet who helped get Rei and I together." He mumbled under his breath as his feet carried him towards the river. "If it hadn't been for her…would we be together?"

Sitting down on the grassy bank of the river, Kai stared out over the water. There were too many thoughts running through his mind right then, he needed a break. He couldn't think about this anymore.

He closed his eyes, blocking out thoughts of her former and current teams, and his worry about his match with Rei. How would he feel if he beat him? How would he feel if he lost? Kai had always prided himself on being the best, how would he deal with losing to Rei? But then, there wasn't any way to get out of the battle. He had sworn to Annex he would fight Rei.

Sighing to himself, he lay back on the grass and stared up at the sky. He did have one other option, but it wasn't the best one. He wasn't sure if he would be able to do it. How many people would be hurt if he chose the third option? His team would be. His former and current teams would be hurt, Rei would be disappointed, or would he be? That one was a toss up. Bastet would be upset too.

"It's my choice." He whispered. "But I won't do it if Rei doesn't want me to."

* * *

A broad smile crossed Rei's face as he approached the door to Kai and Bastet's hotel room. He had been looking forward to seeing the stoic blue haired teen all morning, but it had taken a while for him to escape the overly excited Max and Tyson. They had been desperate to explore the city, and been trying to get Rei to come with them, but the dark haired teen had managed to escape.

He stepped up to the door and knocked, anxious to see Kai. They had seen each other last night, but it seemed like ages ago to him.

After several seconds that seemed like hours to Rei, the door slowly opened, revealing a slightly beaten down looking Annex.

"Hey Bastet. Is Kai around?" Rei chirped happily.

Slowly, Annex shook her head. "No, I don't really know where he is."

"Oh." Slightly disappointed, Rei tried not too look too down. "Do…you know where he is?"

A shake of the head. "No, but…." She hesitated, biting her lip. "If you see him, tell him I'm sorry…"

A short and crappy chapter, but the next one will be better. ^.^ Please review!