Far From Here

A/N: Eep! Exams start next week! O.O

DISCLAIMER: You know whom I own.

Chapter 8: Tokyo For A Day

            "I just don't understand it, Dak!" Laili said late one night, about a month later.

            "What don't you understand, dearest?" Dak yawned, rolling over to face his wife.

            "Kai!"

            "Oh, not this again..." Dak groaned. "Laili, we've discussed this already. It's been ten years of brainwashing, you shouldn't have expected him to be exactly the same."

            "I don't!" Laili protested. "It's just... he's so quiet. It's like he's an empty shell and... and..."

            "I know, I know," Dak said, sitting up. "We'll just have to give him some time to adjust."

            "But he doesn't talk to us!" Laili persisted.

            "Now that's normal." Dak answered. "I didn't talk to my parents when I was 15 either."

            "I still don't believe they're making me go," Kai said to Alec a few days later as the two boarded the bus headed for Sunsrest High.

            "Did you tell them you already have your diploma?" Alec asked.

            "I tried," Kai admitted. "They refused to believe me. Which I'm not surprised at."

            "Considering you're 15, yeah." Alec agreed.

            "Not that," Kai corrected. "Because they would gladly get rid of me, if they legally could."

            Alec sighed. He hated it when their conversation turned this direction. He was hoping after Kai went through his de-brainwashing next week, the truth would return. "Kai..."

            "Oh, fine," Kai sighed. "Guess I'm going to have to wander around Sunsrest on my own then for today."

            "I'll go!" Alec immediately offered. "I went through ten years of my life with random education, I don't see the point in it."

            "All right," Kai grinned, which would've scared the bejeebers out of the Bladebreakers, but just slightly unnerved Alec. Every time Kai had grinned like that, it usually could be spelled in seven letters: T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

            Then again, Alec was usually the one trying to talk Kai into it.

*Two months later*

            "Kai, come on!" Dak called. "We need to go now if we're going to make it to Tokyo in time."

            "I'm coming," Kai grumbled, coming out of the house, followed by Laili, carrying her overnight bag. The three were heading to Tokyo for Laili's inducement, and to see whether Julien would be able to find anything for Kai's headaches, which seemed to have gone on longer than Alec had thought they would.

            The only good thing, as far as Dak was concerned, about this whole fiasco was that they knew Kai was alive. He refused to speak a word to them if it wasn't required; he was constantly disappearing, far more often than any other teen in Dawnfaith, including Alec. They still didn't have a clue what he did in those long hours.

            Laili, on the other hand, appeared to be in seventh heaven. She was certain that once the brain-tamperings were worn off, he would be the charming and chatty little boy he had been when he disappeared. Since it had been worry and shock and upset that had made her lose the last three babies, Dak didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize this one. That included telling her the compromise he and Kai had made yesterday.

            "Kai!" Max shrieked as the door opened to the Beyblade dish in his basement.

            "Kai?" Tyson and Chief said as one, whirling around.

            "Kai." Rei affirmed.

            "Yes, I know I'm Kai." Kai grumbled good-naturedly, even as his teammates dropped Beyblades and surrounded him.

            "You're back you're back you're back you're back you're back you're back…" Max kept saying over and over again, fairly jumping with excitement.

            "Did someone give him sugar this morning?" Kai asked.

            "Nooo…" Max answered brightly.

            "Are you back for good, Kai?" Tyson asked. "'Cause—"

            "We suck," Rei interrupted. "We need you here."

            "Well," Kai sighed. "I'm not sure whether or not I'll be coming back yet. I'll be in town for a couple of days, I think."

            "You think." Chief repeated disbelievingly.

            Kai shrugged. "Whatever, I'll explain later. Now, while I'm here, let me see how badly you've gone off-track."

            "You have such confidence in us," Rei muttered.

            "Pick up your launchers now." Kai repeated.

            "Yessir, Captain Grumpy-Pants." Tyson grinned and ducked as Kai swung a good-natured right hook at his head.

            It took nearly an entire two hours to get Kai to fix the bad habits his teammates had fallen into. When he was convinced their performance was satisfactory and deserved lunch, he allowed them to drag him off to the pizza parlour across the street.

            "We always go here for lunch, 'cause Dad knows the owner and he always gets us GREAT discounts." Max informed the captain.

            Kai shuddered. "I hate pizza."

            "It's not all pizza," Rei assured him. "Trust me, even I get tired of pizza after a while."

            "I hate pizza." Kai repeated.

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A/N: Yay! Exams are over! Hee hee hee… ^______________________^