Sandra: I'm sorry I'm rushing, but well, bare with it!

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Chapter 4: Ian or Rei?

*Rei's P.O.V.*

I yawned and turned to my side, I opened my eyes expecting to see a little red head chibi sleeping next to me, it was like a routine, I turn over, open my eyes and stare at the chibi sleeping, and it felt right.

But this time, it wasn't, Tala wasn't beside me, I turned again and looked at my clock, it was only 7:30 in the morning, Tala doesn't wake up until 9:00 or when I get out of bed, hmm….I threw the blankets off me ad smiled, Tala was under the blankets clinging to my shirt, at least he was here.

I pulled the chibi up to the pillows and lied back down, looked at the chibi as he slept, I pulled the blankets over us, he was so cute, as he scrunched up his nose and mumbled out, "Stupid Fatness monkster, eat this then!" I chuckled, even in his dreams, he's torturing Tyson.

Just then I saw him moan a bit and stretch out his little arms, I pulled him close and whispered soothing words into his ears as he started to calm down again, then I heard him mumble, "Rei the best…" Aww…….he's gonna make me melt in a moment, he was sooooooo cute!

I closed my eyes and kept stroking the wing shaped hair and soon fell asleep again.

Yawn, second time this morning, I open my eyes and looked towards my side, Tala's not there, I look under the blankets, he wasn't there, I lied on my back and felt something crawl onto my chest, I look and see Tala smiling at me, "Well, well, well, someone's up early ain't they?" I say to him, he beamed at me and said, "Tala wakey up and Rei still sleeping, so Tala watch Rei sleeping! Rei really pretty sleeping!"

I smiled and sat up, Tala slid down my chest and onto my lap, I picked him up and took him to the bathroom to get ready.

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We were eating breakfast, and for once, it was peaceful, Tala didn't annoy Tyson, so Tyson didn't retaliate, and Max didn't smuggle anything else into the house ever since a little incident….it was quite funny…

*Flashback*

I cooked dinner and Tala was building things out of the kitchen objects, I laugh, when I finished, I set out the food, as usual, Tyson got here first, I helped Tala put away the kitchenware and we both washed our hands, then Max came in and sat down next to me, yet again, I was the one to notice the lump under his shirt, I think I'm the only one who does notice, "Max! I told you once, and I told you twice, no more smuggling in any pets! And now, no smuggling in children either, I don't think Tyson can stand it."

Max's bottom lip trembled, why do they like doing this to me, "What is it first?" I say, Max grinned and pulled out a small puppy from under his shirt, it was cute, but not as cute as Tala was! I admit it, Tala is really cute! I've grown so attached to him!

But back to the point, I looked back at Max and noticed he wasn't holding onto the puppy, but Tala had it, Tala was hugging it, I awed and said, "Alright Max, you can keep him, under one condition, you feed and clean it? Got it?" Max nodded and started to play with it.

It was night time, and well, since dinner, I haven't been playing with Tala at all,

'I think you're jealous.' I hear Drigger say to me through telepathy,

'Am not! I'm just used to having Tala with me.' I say in defence, why would I be jealous, Tala can play with who he wants!

'Whatever Rei, but well, you know you jealous!' Drigger said before closing the linkage, damn bit beasts who can read your minds and enter it anytime they want!

Next morning, I woke up and turned, Tala wasn't next to me, I look around, looks like he didn't come back to my room last night, sigh…

I got changed and went down the stairs and to the back garden only to find Max dressed in a black suit and Tala just sitting there poking the floor with a stick, I walked over and looked at what Max was staring at, I was a little tombstone, which said, 'To Mr. Smuggled Puppy, A Great Friend, A great pooper, and the greatest horse wannabe! We'll never forget you.'

I'm surprised I didn't drop, then I looked at Tala and picked him up, he looked at me with big watery eyes and I asked, "What happened?"

Chibi Tala's bottom lip trembled and he said, "Well, it like this…."

*Flashback's Chibi Tala's Flashback*

Me is riding horsey around Maxie room! Whee!!! Tala pull on ears, make horsey ney! But ney sound like argh! No worry! Me pull ear harder and horsey run and me accident let go, Horsey run and run and then BANG!!!! Horsey on floor next to open door, me see Maxie come in, and Maxie ask, "What's Mr. Smuggled doing?"

"Tala think Horsey sleeping." Me saying, Maxie poke horsey and gasp, me blink, Maxie crying, "Mr. Smuggled is dead!!!" Horsey dead??!? Maxie pick Tala up and then put horsey in box, then take Tala and horsey to back garden.

*End Flashback's Chibi Tala's Flashback*

*Also End Flashback*

"Rei." I hear Chibi Tala call me, I turn to him and smile, "Yes?" Chibi Tala smiles at me and said, "Tala no bug Tyson today, you take Tala to park?"

I smiled and looked at the guys, "Wanna come?"

Mac started to jump about and squeal, Tyson just yamed down his food, Kai just replied with a "hn" which I took as "Of course Rei, if you want to." hehe.

I look at the chibi and said, "Sure thing, but you promise not to run away ok?" Tala started to become mini Max, the two of them kept jumping and squealing.

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*Normal P.O.V.*

The Bladebreakers and Tala walked into the park and sat under the tree shade, Max and Tala started to play had, Tyson went to the Beyblade bowl with Kenny who came along too, Kai and Rei sat in the shade and started to talk.

"Your really attached to Tala aren't you Rei?" Kai said, Rei smiled and looked at the chibi who was running after Max.

"Yeah, I dunno, but he seems like a part of me, I think if he got into anything or left me for some reason, I would take it rather hard." Rei said, his smile turned serious as he said the part about Tala leaving him.

"You do realise that he's a chibi now, and that eventually, he will be back to normal, and might forget all that happened between you." Kai said, he wanted Rei to understand that he shouldn't get close because he will lose it.

"I know, and I don't think I'll take it well either." Rei said looking Kai in the eye, just then they heard a cry, and they're attention turned to Max and Tala, Tala sat on the floor holding his knee and Max was trying to comfort him, Rei ran over to them and picked up Chibi Tala, "Shhhh…..it's ok Tala….Shhhh….where does it hurt?" Rei said bouncing Tala up and down, Tala pointed at his knee, Rei looked at it, the knee was a little grazed, but no big harm, Rei took Tala to the taps and ran Tala's knee under some cold water, then he took out some tissue from his pocket and dried off Tala's knee, and gave it a kiss and said, "All better!" Rei said, Tala stopped crying and sobbed, then he smiled and kissed Rei's cheek, "Thankies Rei!"

Meanwhile, Tyson watched a battle between some bully kid and a little kid, the little kid lost and the bully said, "Ha, you are no match against me, no one is! Who wants to try and beat me? Unlikely it will happen!" Tyson glared at the boy and stepped up, "I will challenge you!"

The kid looked at Tyson and then his eyes went big and he said, "I'm sorry Mr. World Champion, please, Tyson, I'll go." Tyson blinked a bit and watched the bully scurry off.

"Tyson, you scared him, you're a champion, who would want to go up against the world champion?" Kenny said, Tyson laughed and scratched the back of his head, just then he heard someone say, "I'll challenge you!"

Tyson turned and looked at his opponent, "Well, look who it is!" Tyson said, opposite him stood Ian, "Long time no see Ian!"

"Hn, just shut up and blade." Ian said impatiently.

"3.…2.….1.….LET IT RIP!" Kenny yelled, and the two bladers launched their blades.

"I thought we were supposed to be looking for Tala?" Bryan asked Ian, Ian growled and said, "I want to take revenge for Tala first!"

"Hey, heard there's this wild battle between the world champion blader and some other person." Some kids said as they ran past the other Bladebreakers and Tala.

"World Champion? Don't they mean Tyson?" Max said, the others just got to their feet and ran to the battle.

Rei picked up Tala and squeezed through the crowd, when they got in, they saw Tyson scream Phantom Hurricane to Dragoon, then the match soon ended, Rei looked at Tyson's opponent, it was Ian.

"Ian…" Rei said out, just then Ian looked over at Rei, then he looked at the chibi, "Tala?" Ian asked, they just stood there, soon the crowd began to scatter, Ian walked over to Rei and Tala and said, "What did you do to him?" Rei blinked and then looked at Tala who was wriggling in his arms.

"Ian!" The chibi said as he got onto the floor and hugged Ian's waist, proves how short he is!

"Tala? What have they done to you?!" Ian asked the chibi.

"Tala no know, but Ian back for Tala, yes?" The Chibi said.

"Tala?" Rei said, then Tala turned and ran to Rei and hugged his leg, "Rei come with Tala and Ian?"

Rei looked down at the chibi and shook his head.

"Tala, come over here now." Ian said, Chibi Tala ran back over to Ian, then Rei called out to Tala, and Tala cam running back to Rei.

"Tala!" Ian and Rei said at the same time, Tala stood in the middle and looked at both.

"Tala! Remember what we shared before all this?" Ian said, just then Tala froze and images of him and Ian together ran through his mind.

"Tala, don't leave me, please?" Rei asked, he chibi looked at Rei and walked over to him, he hugged Rei around the neck, and just as Rei was about to hug the chibi back, Tala let go and walked over to Ian, "Sorry Rei." Tala said, Ian smirked at Rei and took Tala's hand and walked off.

Rei blinked a few times, taking things in, till he fell onto his butt and realisation has finally sunk in, "Tala left me." He said, one ear trickled down his cheek, then the other Bladebreakers walked over to him, Tyson watched Tala and Ian disappear off into the distance, "Good ridden! About time he left!" Tyson said and put a hand on Rei's shoulder, "Now you won't have the brat clinging to you 24/7!" Rei shrugged off Tyson's hand and got up, he walked off, out of the park, and back to Tyson's house.

"What did I say?" Tyson said questioning, Max just shook his head and just told Tyson to go back, it was getting late. Kai, Max and Tyson went back, and Kenny made his way home.

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*Rei's P.O.V.*

Tala chose Ian over me? After all we've been through, and……………I don't know if I can take this. This room feels kind of cold now, it hasn't got the presence of that little chibi that is always by my side.

I felt one tear slide down my cheek again, then another, then another, I lie down on my bed and closed my eyes, one by one, the tears fell from my face, I breathed in hard, I can still smell the scent of fresh grass after rain smell. Tala's smell. It was faint, but still there, and I wish I can hold onto that smell. I opened my eyes and looked at the framed picture on my table, heh, it's very cute…

*Flashback*

"la, la, la, la." Tala started to sing, I walked into my room and saw Tala drawing on a piece of paper, I peeped over his shoulder, then Tala turned to look at me.

"Rei like?" He asked shoving the picture in my face, I moved it a bit further to get a good look.

"Can you tell me what it is?" I ask, he pointed at the stick person with cat ears and a tail and said, "That's you!" Then he pointed at the stick person holding 'his' hand and said, "This is me!" Then he pointed at the house and said, "This is the Big, big, BIG house Tala and Rei live in!" He said, I smiled and kissed his forehead.

*End Flashback*

My eyes got heavier as the tears came down, then I fell into a dreamless slumber…

TBC ------------------------------------------

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Sandra: *Hides behind her table* Don't hurt me! I know it's a bit rushed, but hey, you want to see something, don't you? Anyway, REVIEW FOR UPDATES!!!!!!!!!

DON'T WORRY, THIS IS A REI/TALA FIC, AND IT WILL STAY A REI/TALA FIC!!!!