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[Chapter Five] The One Who Seemed To Have Wings

Paris – the city of love. Oh, how I believe it as I see the many hugging companions and kissing couples in the streets.

We had all been here once before. When the Bladebreakers first started out as a team, and everything was all so exciting and new. It had been unforgettable…

Like him.

Jealousy reigns among all my emotions as I witness people giving and returning embraces instead of trying to search them out.

Why do I love him?

I sit down on a bench watching as a beautiful angel fountain sprinkles water in sparkling rivulets. I sigh, my back melting against the bench with fatigue.

My eyes have bags underneath them and my legs are cramped.

Why do I even try?

Kai.

I briefly entertained the idea of visiting our old friends, the Majestics, before shoving it out of my mind. I'm so close to him I'm shivering – in anticipation or fright – I have no idea.

Why did he leave?

There is an answer that is in the back of my mind, not wanting to be acknowledged so much that a feeling in my gut tells me that it must be true. My secret that had burst open so freely in the past two months must have pushed him away.

Surely, Kai knows.

Everyone told me that I had been obvious. That even if my heart did not even whisper a name, it yelled out in triumph to all those around me that I, Tyson Kinomiya, was in love.

I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love.

It was so apparent that my friends had started asking me questions about who "the lucky one" was. It was so hard to contain. I didn't want to hold it in – Grandpa and Hilary already knew who. Kenny found out a little after. Max, Ray, and a few others around my town could tell by my smile in the blink of an eye.

I'm in love!

Had Kai seen it too?

I roll my head back so that I can stare into the clouds of the Parisian sky. A church bell rings and a million birds seem to fly out of no where, their small wings beating in tandem as they swoop in a large beautiful white formation across the blue sky.

Errant white feathers began to float down.

Leaning my cheek against my shoulder I smile.

If love was a bird, then Kai was surely mine.

The way that he was so free and moved so smoothly – It was if the wind was always caressing him, revealed only when Kai's scarf would glide on an invisible presence and his soft slate bangs wafted in the gentle brush of air.

"Kai…"

****

If Tyson had looked behind him when he sat on that bench, his heart would have froze. Kai stood on the other end of the little park. His love-coloured eyes wide in surprise and his long white scarf flying out behind him, making it seem as though he had wings.

A feather floated past Kai' vision and he turned, leaving the square shaking his head. He was seeing things. Tyson wouldn't be in France…

****

Four Months Ago

Ray and Max were back in Japan again as it was about time for them to have their usual meetings with BBA officials. The old Bladebreakers all decided to get together at Tyson's dojo since it was tradition to do something once they were all in town.

The blond American immediately knew something was up when Tyson opened the front door of his home.

"Okay, Tyson, who is it?"

"W-What?" The midnight haired teen sweatdropped, allowing Max and Ray to enter his home. He placed a hand behind his head. "What do you mean?"

"He means," Ray said grinning and nudging Tyson in the side. "Who's this person you've been seeing?"

"Seeing?" Tyson asked, flabbergasted. "As in, d-dating?"

Hilary and Kenny, who had arrived before, looked at each other in amusement. They knew who Tyson was head over heels for all too well.

The group of teens piled into the Tyson's bedroom, lounging around. Max's slightly freckled face grinned. "You've been in such a good mood in all those e-mails you sent me. Either you won another tournament – which I know hasn't happened-"

"Or," Ray cut in. "You've got someone special making your day a little sweeter…!" He laughed. "C'mon, you even used heart icons in that last message you sent me."

Tyson blanched when Hilary threw him a surprised look. "That was an accident!"

Max chuckled, leaning into the cushions of the chair by the wall. "Don't tell me you won't spill it? You're not exactly denying it, y'know."

The Chinese blader nodded in agreement. "It's not every day our main man gets a girlfriend!"

The world champ froze for a second and Hilary immediately spoke up.

"Oooor a boyfriend~!" She sang.

Tyson blushed heavily and looked away. "Aw, man…"

Ray's mouth fell open. "No way!"

Max nearly jumped over Ray in his haste to lean into Tyson's face. "Seriously?!"

"N-No!! And I'm not dating anyone!"

The chief looked up from sorting the group's folders and smirked. "That's not what I keep hearing."

Max and Ray turned to pay attention to Kenny. "Go on!" Ray urged.

"Chieeeef…" Tyson said uneasily.

Just then, the doorbell rang and Tyson immediately jumped up. "I'll get that!"

"Oh my god, look at your face!" Max said ecstatically. "You're practically a tomato!! Is he at the door?!"

"Ye-I MEAN NO!" Tyson blurted out. He ran madly away from the group, weaving through the house towards the front door. Ray, Max, Hilary, and Kenny hot on his heels.

Huffing, Tyson slammed into the front door as the others piled on top of him, unable to stop quickly enough. Hilary had swirly eyes and Kenny was rubbing his head.

The doorbell rang again and a muffled, "Hello?" came through the door.

"That's gotta be him!!!" Max shouted excitedly.

"Just open the door!!" Ray yelled.

Tyson protested incoherently as Ray held him to the floor by sitting on top of him and Max jumped off to throw open the door.

And they were greeted with the sight of Kai.

Ray's jaw nearly hit the floor and Max's light blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as they stared at their former team captain in awe. Slowly, Max looked back and forth from Kai to Tyson's heavily blushing face.

"…" Kai looked at the group blankly, his arms coming up to cross tightly as he noticed Tyson and Ray's position on the floor. "Did I miss much?"

"N-No…" Tyson said anxiously as he pushed on Ray's chest to let him up. They got off the ground and Tyson adjusted his baseball cap, sweeping his messy bangs from his eyes. "Glad you could make it, Kai!"

The others echoed greetings as well.

"Yeah." Kai answered gruffly, stepping into the home.

They all walked in relative silence back to Tyson's room. Hilary and Kenny slipped in but Max stopped outside the doorway and Ray caught Tyson's shoulder. "One sec."

Kai roughly brushed past the three into the room, sliding the screen door closed behind him.

The Chinese blader's face immediately smirked. "Him?"

Max grabbed Tyson's arm in excitement. "How come you never told us?!"

"Sshhhssshhh!!!" Tyson whispered frantically. "Don't say anything you guys." His hand rose to cover his mouth in embarrassment. "He doesn't know."

"But Kenny said you've been dating?"

Sighing, Tyson's shoulders drooped. "We've been spending more time together, alone… I… I like to think of them as dates."

The blond smiled. "Hey no prob, buddy, I'm sure Kai wouldn't mind."

"Yeah," Ray tilted his head, his smile widening. He slipped his arm around Tyson's shoulders in assurance. "Ask him out on a real date. All you gotta say is 'Do you wanna go out with me?'"

Max gave a thumb's up. "Yeah, say it with me! 'Do you wanna go on a date?'"

Tyson smiled embarrassedly pushing the two away. "Yeah, yeah." Laughing off his humiliation, the world champ opened the screen door, his two friends following him in.

Max and Ray took up seats on the chair and floor while Hilary and Kenny were sitting at the desk.

Kai was lying on his bed. The sight sent something streaking through Tyson's body like lightning. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he shuffled over and sat next to Kai. He was breathing a bit heavily from the abrupt outing with Ray and Max, but also because he was on his bed. With Kai.

Woah, okay, Kai was on my bed that day.

You don't know how high my hormone levels rose because of that.

I mean, he was lying there, his eyebrows sorta narrowed over those wine-coloured eyes and his long thick bangs were slightly falling in the way. His scarf was kinda fanned out behind him in two streams of white – his head was cushioned on my pillow.

Okay, I admit it… I never washed the pillow.

My bed is relatively small, I only just fit, so Kai's feet were hanging off the end of it, a reminder of how much taller he is than me.

I liked it.

Before I start drooling, let's keep going.

Kenny adjusted his glasses as he packed away their folders. "I'm done with this, so I just have to get these to the BBA office within the week."

"So then," Tyson's voice was nervous. "What's on the schedule?"

"I don't have any new names this time." Ray replied. "I'm here for the next few days."

Max nodded in agreement. "I'm on summer vacation right now! Since I'm out for a couple months, I figured I'd spend it with my dad here in Japan."

Hilary jumped up from her seat. "Do you know what this means!? There's a carnival in two days from now – we can all go as a group!"

"Hey, that's a great idea Hilary!!" Max cheered, eyes sparkling at the idea of rides and cotton candy.

Pink tinges came to Tyson's cheeks as he looked down at Kai's lounging form into that handsome face.

"You wanna go?"

Instantly, a full flush spread across Tyson's features as he realized he'd almost uttered the phrase Max and Ray had been telling him to say.

You wanna go on a date with me?

Sensing that something might happen between Tyson and his crush, Kenny shoved everyone out of the room. "H-Hey guys, let's go grab some snacks!!" He said in a rush, shutting the door behind them.

Tyson sent a grateful glance at the door and turned back to Kai, his gaze still questioning.

Kai looked up into the deep blue eyes of the teen leaning over him and he abruptly sat up, making their faces come within inches of each other.

"I…" His voice was low. "I thought… we were going together?"

Startled, Tyson moved back, finding that his damp hand landed on one end of Kai's scarf. His fingers curled into the smooth fabric – it felt almost like he was touching Kai like that.

The slate haired teen sat up the rest of the way, his head tilted downwards so that he could keep his eyes trained on Tyson's slightly round face. Briefly, Kai's thigh brushed against Tyson's knee as he spoke.

"You wanna go… with me?"