K: Well, you guys did ask when I was posting chapter 4, and since there's nothing else to do at the moment… (Besides listening to Weird Al, which I'm doing as well) Here I am. Besides, I doubt you guys mind much, right? ^_~ *checks the folder in her e-mail marked 'fic reviews' and checks the folder properties* O_O; HOLY SHIT!!!! *in a shocked stupor* I have exactly 950 reviews right now…. In just 6 ½ months of having this account…. O_O; WOW. That's all I have to say- WOW. That, and thanks. ^_^; Guess this chapter's there as a celebration, ne? Enjoy! *snickers as the Furby Prank Call comes on* This guy's a genius…

Disclaimer: If I owned them, would my wallet be completely empty right now? I thought not…

Dedications:

- Darkspider (*Rei walks up* You called? ^_~ K: *grins* Well you did ask… I was planning for him to appear in this chapter, too! *laughs*)

- Anime the Fallen Angel (*dumps a bucket of ice water on your head to wake you* Aw, come on! Even you can wait a day or 2, ne? ^_~ Domo for the compliment about the underlying themes- I thought that was rather clever myself! *laughs* As for Kai being more pure, maybe. You'll just have to find out… ^_~ In Tala's case, I merely said that it was his only planned scene. He could very well end up playing a large role… XP)

- Asa-chan (They should be! I designed them to be based off their bit beasts! XP [And believe me- that isn't fun when all you have to work with is an arnise stick…])

- Jewel (Glad you like it! ^_^ Yes, let's all have a moment of silence for those poor branches… *kneels and bows before the tree*)

- Ran (Aa~ it seems so, doesn't it? Demo, demo- there's more to this than meets the eye! ^_~ As for what Biovolt wants w/Takao's sword, you'll just have to wait for chapter 6! ^_^)

- PinkDevil (Make that 4 in 3 days, thank you! ^_~ *gasps and glomps you* Yes!! You're the only one who noticed the connection!! *lets go and hands you a Tyka gummy sucker [a sucker made out of gummy bear stuff decorated with frosting to look like the characters] as a prize* ^_^ You are paying attention! You just didn't notice! *giggles*)

- Sapphire of Light (*laughs* Nah- he's not as bad as you think… In fact, it just helps him later on with the Tyka aspect of the story... ^_~)

Mujaki na Youkai Rune IV: Kon Rei

Rei Kon

            "Irrashaimase!" (Welcome to the store!) Max called, looking up from the beyblade he was working on as he heard the jingle of the shop door. "Ah! Takao-kun! What are you doing here?"

            The bluenette grinned, sidling up to the counter and leaning against it. "Hey there, Max! What's up?"

            The blonde blinked and held up the toy for the other to see. "I'm trying to fix this… Tou-sama sells these, but every once in a while a customer comes in asking for repairs- that's where I come in. Kyojyu-kun helps out too, using his laptop to collect data and come up with new ways to make them stronger, faster, and whatever else the client wants…"

            Takao stared at the trinket, nodding dumbly. "Yeah, I understand that, but… What is it?"

            Max gasped slightly in surprise. "Eh?! You mean you don't know?! I thought everyone knew what a beyblade was!"

            The keeper of the Masamune scowled and retorted, "Well excuse me if Ji-chan made me train so hard I never got a chance to see one…"

            The blonde gave him an apologetic look, and was about to reply, but Kyojyu chose that time to walk in, typing quickly with his right hand while holding his laptop in his left.

            "Naa~ Max, do you know where your dad put the attack ri-" He stopped, looking up and spotting the young Kinomiya. "Oh! Hi, Takao! What brings you here?"

            Grateful for the distraction, the blue-clad blonde echoed the question, and Takao had no choice but to change the subject and answer.

            "I dropped by to see if you guys wanted to come meet my new neighbor… He's pretty nice, and I'm sure you'll like him. He came all the way from China!"

            The brunette and blonde shared a look. "We'd really like to, Takao, demo…."

            Kyojyu finished for his companion. "We're completely swamped here. Maybe later?"

            Takao pouted slightly, but nodded in understanding. "I gotcha… Don't work yourselves to death, okei? Ja!"

            With that, he left, heading home. He hadn't been able to train today, like he usually would, since he and his grandpa had been helping the new neighbors get settled. Don't get him wrong- he was grateful for the break, but now that they were finished, he found himself bored to tears!

            //Maybe I'll go see what Rei's up to… I bet he's just as bored as I am! After all, we did manage to unpack all his stuff and get his room in order….//

            Brightening at the thought, he quickened his pace.

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(10 minutes later)

            "Konnichiwa! Is anybody here? Hello?!" the bluenette called, then frowned. "Where is everyone?"

            "Kinomiya-kun, is that you?"

            Takao whirled around, searching for whoever had called him. "Rei-kun? Where are you?"

            "Over here!" the other shouted, his voice coming from what sounded like the back yard.

            The heir to the Kinomiya name blinked, but entered the grassy area, smirking slightly when he found the Chinese boy settled in a horse stance. "Training, are we?"

            The raven-haired boy glanced up in surprise. "Eh?! You recognize my stance?"

            Takao smiled, walking over and sitting on a nearby stump where an Asian Pear tree had once been. "Kinda… My family has developed their own style of swordplay for years…" He then gestured to the other. "What about you? Do you know how to use weapons?"

            Sliding out of his stance, the fanged boy turned to him. "I know a few… Care to spar? I'm pretty familiar with kendo, myself…"

            The bluenette grinned at the challenge. "You sure you're up for it? I mean, I've focused on only the sword, while you've been off learning about other things…"

            Fangs glinted as Rei's lips parted slightly in a smirk. "I'm sure I'll manage…"

            "Alright, then! Don't say I didn't warn you…"

            The foreign boy walked over to a small metal rack of equipment he'd rolled out earlier, pulling out some sparring gear and 2 bokutou. He tossed one of the wooden swords to his zealous companion, then walked over and handed him the leg and chest protectors. When both were finished, they stood across from each other, both settled in their own familiar stances.

            They stared each other down, silently taunting the other to make the first move. After a full minute, Takao cracked. He lunged at the other boy, coming at him with lightning-fast slashes. Rei parried the blows and retaliated with an upward crescent. The other dodged nimbly, dancing out of the way before coming back with a vengeance.

            Block-parry-thrust. Counter-block-dodge. Roll-jump-slash. Block-slash-parry. A dance of death, both beautiful and dangerous…neither side backing down. One would charge while the other would counter- a never-ending clash of offense and defense. Both sides seemed evenly matched, but if you looked closely, you could see that Takao was holding back.

            Finally, they came to a deadlock- trying to overpower each other. That's when Rei brought it to attention.

            "Stop holding back."

            "Eh? What do you mean?"

            "Stop it. By holding back- you're insulting my skill. This isn't your true power, and you and I both know it, so cut the crap, Kinomiya."

            They broke apart, and to the bluenette's surprise, Rei made the first move. So, he wanted him to fight for real, did he? Alright, then… He feinted to the left, causing Rei to pull off in that direction, then darted to the right instead, catching the boy off guard. He then pointed his blade to the other's unguarded throat.

            It was extremely simple, but completely effective. Rei had been expecting something spectacular and complex, and had forgotten all about the basics in swordplay- a grave mistake. Realizing his carelessness, the Chinese boy cursed and lowered his bokuten, admitting his defeat. Takao smiled reassuringly, then stepped back, lowering his own sword and bowing at his sparring partner.

Rei bowed respectively in return and offered to put the equipment away again. The bluenette shook his head, stripping off the padding and walking over to the cart himself. The raven-haired boy raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and did the same. Once everything was in its place, he wheeled the cart into a small shed tucked away in a corner of the yard, Takao trailing after him.

            "Ne- Kinomiya-kun? Why doesn't your family open a school? I mean, you do have your own dojo on the side of your house right? Dakara…" (Therefore…)

            Takao frowned in thought, contemplating how to phrase his answer. "Well… Our form is more like a family thing. Techniques are passed down from generation to generation, along with the family sword, Masamune…"

            Rei suddenly went rigid, his eyes narrowed. "Masamune? The Masamune?"

            "You've heard of it? Isn't it a Japanese legend, though?"

            Golden eyes went from narrowed to wide in disbelief. "You mean you really have it?! Of course I've heard of it! People all over the world who are actually serious about swordplay know about it!!"

            Now it was Takao's turn to be surprised. "H-honto ni?! All over the world?! Sugei…." (R-really?! Wow…)

            Noting that his companion hadn't said a word in the past few seconds, he blinked and glanced at him, finding a serious expression on his face.

            "Na- nani?" (W-what?)

            "Show me. Please- I have to see it. I have to see if it really exists…"

            A bit put off by the intense look directed at him, the bluenette nodded slowly and gulped. "H- hai…. Follow me…"

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K: Rei!!! ^_^ Sorry if he seems a bit OOC, but that's how I pictured he would act in that scenario… Also, sorry I was a bit stingy with the details of the sparring match- I was being lazy, and I myself have never actually learned any sword techniques, so it would've been too hard. ^^; (Can't do that until Red belt, I think…. I'm only Purple….) I hope you managed to follow what I was saying… ;

Anyway, next chapter, Takao lets Rei see what he thinks is the Masamune, but will the Chinese boy be able to tell otherwise? You'll just have to find out! ^_~ And no- I'm not going to write up chapter 5 today just so you can find out. I've already done 2 today, so you'll just have to sit like good little fic-otakus and wait until tomorrow, k?

*sighs and stretches* Well, I'd better get ready for karate… UU; Haven't gone in a week…. I am soooo dead… --; *runs off to go warm up so she doesn't kill herself during class*