I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters, otherwise I'd be rich…if only…

This is the chapter that was originally part of the last one, so I apologize for the excruciatingly annoying shortness. But this is Rei's conversation with Spencer, and it just seemed to fit in a separate chapter because of the changes in character focus, scenery, and topic. Enjoy!

Last Chapter:

That was probably the most he'd said...well, ever. Tala let this sink in, and he knew Bryan was right. He had been angry at Rei because he'd had a relatively easy life and didn't have to work to get what he wanted, be it Kai or now Bryan...or so he had thought...and he disguised it as dislike for the other blader's naivete and inexperience in life, which truthfully didn't exist.

Bryan watched Tala process his words. He's still computer-like even if he isn't wired up anymore, he thought, as Tala gained a look of understanding. The redhead was a quick and logical thinker, so Bryan wasn't surprised when Tala smiled slightly and said "Thanks".

Bryan shook his head. "Don't worry about it", he said. "So why haven't you and Rei gotten together lately?", asked Tala, over his jealousy and now curious. "I have no idea. Something's been bothering him lately, and I don't know what", said Bryan, now sounding worried. "He avoids me and he always seems to be pensive. It was after we went cloud-watching, he just started thinking, and he was like that all the way back".

Tala smirked slightly. "You went cloud-watching?", he asked. Bryan glowered at him. "Not the point, Tala". "Right...well, he'll have to come to you", said Tala thoughtfully. "I mean, if you don't know what's wrong, you can't fix it, so you'll have to have patience".

Bryan frowned. "I don't like waiting", he said. Tala laughed. "Same old you", he said, getting up. "In any case, I've got to get back to training. Let me know when Rei sorts his head out. When he does, I get the feeling that I'll be able to talk to Kai about us". He walked out, leaving Bryan gazing at his ceiling.

Unexpected

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Little did they know that Spencer had overheard most of their conversation–the last part, at least, from behind the doors. He had been coming up to ask Tala and Bryan to eat, but had heard them talking. He stayed to listen despite his conscience. I should go talk to Rei, he decided, grabbing a coat. If Rei won't talk to Bryan, maybe he'll talk to me.

He was lucky, as Rei was outside watching the stars when he walked over. "Hey", greeted Rei, not looking away from the sky. "What brings you here?". "I want to talk to you", said Spencer, sitting on the ground next to Rei. "Why have you been avoiding Bryan?".

Rei sighed. "I don't know", he said, glancing over at Spencer. "Or do you just not want to tell?", prodded Spencer. "I'm probably the least biased person you'll get to listen right now. I swear I won't tell Bryan a thing unless you want me to".

Rei nodded, turning the vow over in his head. "I don't know...", he began hesitantly, "I don't know whether I'm really attracted to Bryan".

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "You seemed fairly happy with him in the past weeks", he pointed out. "Yeah, but then I wondered if maybe I was trying to replace Kai with Bryan. They are similar", said Rei, finally confessing his problem.

Spencer tilted his head in thought. So this is what's bothering him. He suddenly felt very secure in the knowledge that Rei didn't want to hurt Bryan. It made him feel comfortable with his friend dating their one-time enemy.

"They are similar", he agreed. "And it's possible that you're mixing up your feelings". Rei's eyes dimmed slightly. "There's a 'but', though, right?", he asked hopefully.

Spencer nodded. "But", continued the blond, "They aren't the same person. There are a lot of differences between them too, and maybe your mind is just focusing on the similarities". "But why would I...", trailed off Rei.

"You're afraid", said Spencer bluntly. "Of another relationship. Despite the fact that Bryan was hurt in the same way you were, you're afraid that he'll up and dump you like Kai did. So you're subconsciously trying to come up with excuses to avoid getting closer to Bryan in fear of getting hurt again".

Rei absorbed this information and processed it, still thinking. "So I really am attracted to Bryan?", he asked. Spencer shook his head. "I never said that. I don't know how you feel, Rei. Personally, I think that you are attracted to him, and that this would've happened eventually even if Kai hadn't dumped you, or if Tala hadn't dumped Bryan. But I also think that you need to sort things out with Kai. You two are acting really off lately, and it's affecting Tala and Bryan both. I won't blame you for it, though...unless you don't do something to remedy the situation".

"Sounds like a plan. I think I just needed someone else to put things in perspective for me", said Rei. "You mean give you a kick in the ass to get started", replied Spencer dryly. "Pretty much", agreed Rei, standing. "I think that's the most I've ever heard you speak", he commented, extending a hand to help Spencer up.

Spencer blinked, but took it, hoisting himself up. "Nah. You should hear me lecture Ian", he said, chuckling slightly. Rei smiled in response. "Thanks, Spencer", he said sincerely. "No big deal. Just get this sorted out. I don't like melodrama", said Spencer, heading back to the Demolition Boys' place. "Night". "Night", replied Rei. Well, I guess the next thing on my list is to talk to Kai. Spencer's right, I can't keep avoiding him. He walked inside, resolve clear in his expression. Tomorrow he would talk to Kai.

The next chapters will be of normal length, I promise! But there's a lot of heavy-duty conversation going on, so I wanted to divide it all. Anyways, please review and let me know what you thought! I'll update as soon as I can!