Chapter Six: Thoughts and feelings (thoughts are in ~)
After ten minutes, the two groups met in the Jacuzzi room. It was huge after all, with a very high ceiling and little air vents that could be opened if necessary. The Jacuzzi itself was large and steamy, as was the air around them. In fact it was so steamy they could barely see. There was no one else in there - apparently they were the only ones with the idea of a relaxing trip to the hot tub. The hot tub was oddly divided - there was a very shallow part where one could wade in, and there was a deep part with a wall for relaxing on.
The Blade-Breakers were the first there, and they all got into the deliciously hot water together. After the first tingling sensation wore off, the heat spread up their bodies and they all relaxed.
Tyson half sat/half lay at the edge of the hot tub, his tanned arms spread over the side. Max and Kai did the same, leaning their arms on the edge behind them, both with their eyes closed and their hair flopping in their faces. Rei and the Chief sat on the floor in the shallow end, lying down if they got cold and letting the water swamp them for a moment before getting back up again. Then the girls entered.
Tyson's eyes nearly popped out of his head. They were all in little bikinis, and they laughed at the boy's stunned faces. Rio, looking good in a black bikini, seemed to be uninterested as usual. But the other three - Jenna in lilac, Tony in yellow and red and Leanne in pink - looked happy and giggled at the boys.
"No matter how good she looks in that bikini," thought Rei, amused, "she has still got to be the most annoying girl I've ever met!"
He laughed quietly to himself and lay down again, letting the hot water sweep over his sleek body. Strangely enough he had left his wristbands on. But otherwise he wore a pair of deep green swimming shorts, which, for once, revealed his elongated, slender legs. The hot water lapped over his toned chest and he smiled. Leanne's stomach whirred and she batted her eyelashes over-dramatically - even though, I'll have to be honest - Rei was lookin' mighty fine! Jenna waved at the Chief, who looked amusing in yellow swimming trunks. They almost looked too big for him he was so tiny! He looked just as small in trunks as he did in normal clothing. He couldn't see her wave as he didn't have his glasses on, and so Jenna contented herself with a "Hey Chief!" from the side of the Jacuzzi. Kenny cottoned on and grinned back at her - even though it kind of looked like he was smiling at the wall.
Leanne and Jenna waded in and lay next to Rei and the Chief, while Rio and Tony lowered themselves into the deeper end. Tyson, clad in red trunks, waved. "Hiya!"
Rio didn't respond, but Tony, who seemed like the most down to earth of the girls (in fact, she seemed a bit tomboyish), grinned. "Hey, Tyson. Lookin' good!"
"Don't tell him that," said Max good-naturedly, who, out of interest, wore blue-green trunks, "He'll get a swollen head! It's big enough as it is!"
Tony laughed. "Yeah, Tyson, I'm surprised that you can even fit your cap on over it sometimes!"
She noted that Tyson looked strange without his cap - with his long, dark grey bangs of hair hanging down loosely. He looked quite nice with his suntanned chest on show and all. Max, too, looked odd, without his trademark orange dungarees and green T-Shirt underneath. Not that she was complaining - both looked quite good actually. But Tony wasn't a girly-girl and soon she was talking about Beyblading and how hers got stuck up a tree once.
The door to the room shut, and the room was just getting steamy again when the door opened again and the air cleared. This time it was actually Janine who popped her head in through the heavy door.
"Hi . . . I had some free time, so . . . "
Her eyes immediately sought out Kai, who hadn't moved from resting at the deep end of the Jacuzzi. She could see that he was wearing a pair of white trunks (obviously the material that doesn't go transparent when it gets wet . . . and a good thing too, you sick minded girlie perverts!), and she could see his legs underneath the water. His head was back on the side of the hot tub, his hair was all floppy and his eyes were closed, his muscles were all on show, and Janine thought he looked positively marvelous - who wouldn't? She got that ludicrous song playing through her head; "Sex bomb, sex bomb, you're my sex bomb, and baby you can turn me-"
He suddenly looked up at her when he realized she was staring at him, (she was thankful she hadn't started dancing or anything really stupid like that) and then she made her way over to him.
Janine's jaw nearly fell off as she got closer to him and she saw his chest, which was slightly pulled upwards because of the drawn back position of his arms. However, she composed herself - looking lovely in a bronze colored swimming costume, which made her legs look even longer and smoother - and made sure any stupid songs were eradicated completely from her head. She was slightly older than the girls in the Comets and so she had a slightly fuller body. She stood above Kai, who looked up at her face.
She smiled. "Can I join you?"
"Ok."
She slid in, trying to be as graceful as she could (and narrowly avoiding slipping on a wet tile). Once the first heat and tingles had disappeared she sighed and put her arms back on the side too.
"So, Kai, looking forward to the ceremony this afternoon?"
"More interested in starting the Beyblading, but . . . I guess it's good to see who we're facing."
"You'll love the Dome. It's amazing."
Kai didn't respond. Meanwhile, Tyson and Max were conversing with Tony about roller-blading.
"I swear it, he fell right down the hill, didn't you, Tyson? Landed on his butt, too!"
"Yeah, well . . . it's not like I didn't mean to do it. I was try'na make you feel better about your bad skating abilities, Max!"
" . . . Yeah, right."
Tony laughed. "When I got my first pair of roller-blades, I attached my Beyblade to a string on the bottom of the skates, and pulled it along with me! Needless to say, the blade went to the repair shop that night!"
Tyson laughed. "I'm not surprised!"
Over in the shallow, Rei and Kenny were relaxing and listening to Jenna. Leanne was all googly-eyed and stared at Rei - who consequently tried his best to take no notice. The steam around them was rising and the air was misted. The room was hot, pleasant and relaxing, and both bladers and hotel worker felt they were getting a good and well deserved rest.
Janine laid back, her head resting on the side of the Jacuzzi, and closed her eyes blissfully. The steam and the hot air made her head clear, and her tense, busy muscles relaxed. The soft blanket of sleep began to envelop her - and then she unexpectedly felt the waters next to her rupture. She opened her eyes with a jolt and sat up, to find that Kai had stood up, and was out of the Jacuzzi and making his way towards the exit, a towel wrapped around his waist. She half turned.
"Kai?"
He stopped and looked around, water running slowly down the side of his face and his body. Little droplets splashed onto the tiled floor beneath him, some reflecting the light and flashing spectrums in her eyes. For a moment, Janine thought she almost saw a look of longing, of a want for company. But then it was gone as quickly as it came, and Kai turned around and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
Janine was confused. She had actually thought Kai was enjoying her company. Then suddenly he upped and left.
"And what was with that look he gave me?" she thought intently, chewing on her bottom lip as she often did when deep in thought. Rio, who had been silent since she came in, spoke.
"I don't know why you're bothering. He's not the type of guy that will be interested."
"Yes," mused Janine, still thoughtful, "but why?"
********
Kai stepped out of the shower; a towel wrapped around his body, and stood in the bathroom for a moment, water trickling off him. Slowly, he rubbed himself dry, moving the cloth over his naked skin softly, still in thought. He looked at his reflection in a nearby mirror, and then went back to his room once he was dry. His brow was furrowed - something played on his mind. As he rummaged around in his bag for his clothes, he realized he was confused. Then his thoughts flicked back to Janine, and in his mind he viewed the short times he had seen her. When their eyes had met at the desk, when he had given her his blade, when they had been at lunch and finally in the Jacuzzi. He couldn't actually take his mind off her. He had thought, when he had given away his Dranzer blade for a while, he wouldn't be able to take his mind off that. But he was preoccupied.
With a sigh, he pulled on his baggy combats, realising he was being silly. People like him had no time for feeling, no need for closeness and happiness - no need for love. He was a loner. He had no need of others, not on his solitary, forlorn road. To be alone, lost, was his destiny, and he had been perfectly happy with his destiny until she had appeared.
"No," he thought, "even before that it's different. Ever since I've known the Blade-Breakers. They've changed it all around."
His black top on, he pulled his metal wristbands around his forearms and began to clip them into place.
"If I'm a loner," he thought, "then why are people with me? Why am I with them? If it's my destiny to be alone - which I always thought - why do I feel so much better when I'm with others? With them . . . with her?"
The metal wristbands were attached, and Kai sat down heavily on the bed. He felt the desperate need to plunge his head into his hands, but he restrained from it. And with that restraint, his grandfather's words came flowing into his head:
~You are alone, Kai. You have a mission. They left you . . . they all left you. Live with that. Bear the pain as a reminder of your mission. Lonely you must be, for it is your path. No one wants you - they never did. That shows your destiny. Your true destiny. Remember this, Kai; you alone are the phoenix. You alone are the fighter. If you travel your lonely road you will be victorious. If not you will perish. Remember your mother, your father. Gone are they now - which is a constant reminder of your destiny. Never forget, Kai. Lonely you must be, and lonely you will be. Be close to no one else again. It is better to have never been found than to have been discovered and lost, Kai. Eliminate the pain of their feelings, and concentrate on your own. This way you are sure to succeed. And never forget your mission. You must complete it - alone. Alone in the dark.~
A flame flared inside Kai, an angry, fierce fire when he thought. His fists clenched and shook, his grandfather's words striking a new passion and vigor into his heart. He was about to stand, previous thoughts washed away by this flow of tyrannous onslaught - when Janine flashed into his mind again. Suddenly the fire was quenched, the anger was dust, and Kai was helpless again. Something - someone - inside him, deep, deep inside - whispered that he was not alone, that people wanted to be with him.
"If that's the case," he spoke softly, "where are my parents? Why am I alone if it's not meant to be? Why . . . am I lost?"
Nobody answered, not even himself, and he sighed again, and for some strange reason he longed for the company of a friend, a teammate, anyone who would help him to understand.
After ten minutes, the two groups met in the Jacuzzi room. It was huge after all, with a very high ceiling and little air vents that could be opened if necessary. The Jacuzzi itself was large and steamy, as was the air around them. In fact it was so steamy they could barely see. There was no one else in there - apparently they were the only ones with the idea of a relaxing trip to the hot tub. The hot tub was oddly divided - there was a very shallow part where one could wade in, and there was a deep part with a wall for relaxing on.
The Blade-Breakers were the first there, and they all got into the deliciously hot water together. After the first tingling sensation wore off, the heat spread up their bodies and they all relaxed.
Tyson half sat/half lay at the edge of the hot tub, his tanned arms spread over the side. Max and Kai did the same, leaning their arms on the edge behind them, both with their eyes closed and their hair flopping in their faces. Rei and the Chief sat on the floor in the shallow end, lying down if they got cold and letting the water swamp them for a moment before getting back up again. Then the girls entered.
Tyson's eyes nearly popped out of his head. They were all in little bikinis, and they laughed at the boy's stunned faces. Rio, looking good in a black bikini, seemed to be uninterested as usual. But the other three - Jenna in lilac, Tony in yellow and red and Leanne in pink - looked happy and giggled at the boys.
"No matter how good she looks in that bikini," thought Rei, amused, "she has still got to be the most annoying girl I've ever met!"
He laughed quietly to himself and lay down again, letting the hot water sweep over his sleek body. Strangely enough he had left his wristbands on. But otherwise he wore a pair of deep green swimming shorts, which, for once, revealed his elongated, slender legs. The hot water lapped over his toned chest and he smiled. Leanne's stomach whirred and she batted her eyelashes over-dramatically - even though, I'll have to be honest - Rei was lookin' mighty fine! Jenna waved at the Chief, who looked amusing in yellow swimming trunks. They almost looked too big for him he was so tiny! He looked just as small in trunks as he did in normal clothing. He couldn't see her wave as he didn't have his glasses on, and so Jenna contented herself with a "Hey Chief!" from the side of the Jacuzzi. Kenny cottoned on and grinned back at her - even though it kind of looked like he was smiling at the wall.
Leanne and Jenna waded in and lay next to Rei and the Chief, while Rio and Tony lowered themselves into the deeper end. Tyson, clad in red trunks, waved. "Hiya!"
Rio didn't respond, but Tony, who seemed like the most down to earth of the girls (in fact, she seemed a bit tomboyish), grinned. "Hey, Tyson. Lookin' good!"
"Don't tell him that," said Max good-naturedly, who, out of interest, wore blue-green trunks, "He'll get a swollen head! It's big enough as it is!"
Tony laughed. "Yeah, Tyson, I'm surprised that you can even fit your cap on over it sometimes!"
She noted that Tyson looked strange without his cap - with his long, dark grey bangs of hair hanging down loosely. He looked quite nice with his suntanned chest on show and all. Max, too, looked odd, without his trademark orange dungarees and green T-Shirt underneath. Not that she was complaining - both looked quite good actually. But Tony wasn't a girly-girl and soon she was talking about Beyblading and how hers got stuck up a tree once.
The door to the room shut, and the room was just getting steamy again when the door opened again and the air cleared. This time it was actually Janine who popped her head in through the heavy door.
"Hi . . . I had some free time, so . . . "
Her eyes immediately sought out Kai, who hadn't moved from resting at the deep end of the Jacuzzi. She could see that he was wearing a pair of white trunks (obviously the material that doesn't go transparent when it gets wet . . . and a good thing too, you sick minded girlie perverts!), and she could see his legs underneath the water. His head was back on the side of the hot tub, his hair was all floppy and his eyes were closed, his muscles were all on show, and Janine thought he looked positively marvelous - who wouldn't? She got that ludicrous song playing through her head; "Sex bomb, sex bomb, you're my sex bomb, and baby you can turn me-"
He suddenly looked up at her when he realized she was staring at him, (she was thankful she hadn't started dancing or anything really stupid like that) and then she made her way over to him.
Janine's jaw nearly fell off as she got closer to him and she saw his chest, which was slightly pulled upwards because of the drawn back position of his arms. However, she composed herself - looking lovely in a bronze colored swimming costume, which made her legs look even longer and smoother - and made sure any stupid songs were eradicated completely from her head. She was slightly older than the girls in the Comets and so she had a slightly fuller body. She stood above Kai, who looked up at her face.
She smiled. "Can I join you?"
"Ok."
She slid in, trying to be as graceful as she could (and narrowly avoiding slipping on a wet tile). Once the first heat and tingles had disappeared she sighed and put her arms back on the side too.
"So, Kai, looking forward to the ceremony this afternoon?"
"More interested in starting the Beyblading, but . . . I guess it's good to see who we're facing."
"You'll love the Dome. It's amazing."
Kai didn't respond. Meanwhile, Tyson and Max were conversing with Tony about roller-blading.
"I swear it, he fell right down the hill, didn't you, Tyson? Landed on his butt, too!"
"Yeah, well . . . it's not like I didn't mean to do it. I was try'na make you feel better about your bad skating abilities, Max!"
" . . . Yeah, right."
Tony laughed. "When I got my first pair of roller-blades, I attached my Beyblade to a string on the bottom of the skates, and pulled it along with me! Needless to say, the blade went to the repair shop that night!"
Tyson laughed. "I'm not surprised!"
Over in the shallow, Rei and Kenny were relaxing and listening to Jenna. Leanne was all googly-eyed and stared at Rei - who consequently tried his best to take no notice. The steam around them was rising and the air was misted. The room was hot, pleasant and relaxing, and both bladers and hotel worker felt they were getting a good and well deserved rest.
Janine laid back, her head resting on the side of the Jacuzzi, and closed her eyes blissfully. The steam and the hot air made her head clear, and her tense, busy muscles relaxed. The soft blanket of sleep began to envelop her - and then she unexpectedly felt the waters next to her rupture. She opened her eyes with a jolt and sat up, to find that Kai had stood up, and was out of the Jacuzzi and making his way towards the exit, a towel wrapped around his waist. She half turned.
"Kai?"
He stopped and looked around, water running slowly down the side of his face and his body. Little droplets splashed onto the tiled floor beneath him, some reflecting the light and flashing spectrums in her eyes. For a moment, Janine thought she almost saw a look of longing, of a want for company. But then it was gone as quickly as it came, and Kai turned around and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
Janine was confused. She had actually thought Kai was enjoying her company. Then suddenly he upped and left.
"And what was with that look he gave me?" she thought intently, chewing on her bottom lip as she often did when deep in thought. Rio, who had been silent since she came in, spoke.
"I don't know why you're bothering. He's not the type of guy that will be interested."
"Yes," mused Janine, still thoughtful, "but why?"
********
Kai stepped out of the shower; a towel wrapped around his body, and stood in the bathroom for a moment, water trickling off him. Slowly, he rubbed himself dry, moving the cloth over his naked skin softly, still in thought. He looked at his reflection in a nearby mirror, and then went back to his room once he was dry. His brow was furrowed - something played on his mind. As he rummaged around in his bag for his clothes, he realized he was confused. Then his thoughts flicked back to Janine, and in his mind he viewed the short times he had seen her. When their eyes had met at the desk, when he had given her his blade, when they had been at lunch and finally in the Jacuzzi. He couldn't actually take his mind off her. He had thought, when he had given away his Dranzer blade for a while, he wouldn't be able to take his mind off that. But he was preoccupied.
With a sigh, he pulled on his baggy combats, realising he was being silly. People like him had no time for feeling, no need for closeness and happiness - no need for love. He was a loner. He had no need of others, not on his solitary, forlorn road. To be alone, lost, was his destiny, and he had been perfectly happy with his destiny until she had appeared.
"No," he thought, "even before that it's different. Ever since I've known the Blade-Breakers. They've changed it all around."
His black top on, he pulled his metal wristbands around his forearms and began to clip them into place.
"If I'm a loner," he thought, "then why are people with me? Why am I with them? If it's my destiny to be alone - which I always thought - why do I feel so much better when I'm with others? With them . . . with her?"
The metal wristbands were attached, and Kai sat down heavily on the bed. He felt the desperate need to plunge his head into his hands, but he restrained from it. And with that restraint, his grandfather's words came flowing into his head:
~You are alone, Kai. You have a mission. They left you . . . they all left you. Live with that. Bear the pain as a reminder of your mission. Lonely you must be, for it is your path. No one wants you - they never did. That shows your destiny. Your true destiny. Remember this, Kai; you alone are the phoenix. You alone are the fighter. If you travel your lonely road you will be victorious. If not you will perish. Remember your mother, your father. Gone are they now - which is a constant reminder of your destiny. Never forget, Kai. Lonely you must be, and lonely you will be. Be close to no one else again. It is better to have never been found than to have been discovered and lost, Kai. Eliminate the pain of their feelings, and concentrate on your own. This way you are sure to succeed. And never forget your mission. You must complete it - alone. Alone in the dark.~
A flame flared inside Kai, an angry, fierce fire when he thought. His fists clenched and shook, his grandfather's words striking a new passion and vigor into his heart. He was about to stand, previous thoughts washed away by this flow of tyrannous onslaught - when Janine flashed into his mind again. Suddenly the fire was quenched, the anger was dust, and Kai was helpless again. Something - someone - inside him, deep, deep inside - whispered that he was not alone, that people wanted to be with him.
"If that's the case," he spoke softly, "where are my parents? Why am I alone if it's not meant to be? Why . . . am I lost?"
Nobody answered, not even himself, and he sighed again, and for some strange reason he longed for the company of a friend, a teammate, anyone who would help him to understand.
