Wingzero: In an article I read, it said that interaction between 'muses'
and the author was a detriment to the fic.
Tyson: I don't get it.
Kai: Why does that not surprise me?
Tyson: HEY!!!
Wingzero: It's what we're doing now.
Tyson: Oh.......
Ray: whispers to Max And tell me again why you love him?
Max: whispers back to Rei Because he's my loveable idiot.
Ray: Good point.
Standard Disclaimer: Wingzero doesn't own this anime, so you can't sue her.
Rei's POV
The past few days we pretty much spent training with an occasional break from our slave driver. Honestly, does Kai think we'll improve drastically in the next few days? I don't think so. Of course, we were going to try our hardest to improve, but that doesn't mean we would necessarily meet Kai's expectations. Of course, I could stop holding back my powers, but that meant other people will find out who I really was, including those who were searching for powerful bit beast.
During one of our few breaks, I wandered onto the deck, taking in the sights before me. Well, I wouldn't exactly say it was spectacular, but it was a calming one compared to our previous training. Our team captain grilled us literally! Considering the four of us, I would say Kenny was the most out of shape. Tyson and Max were too close to call. I don't know where Kai and I stood either, but we were in better shape than the others.
I allowed the ocean breeze to spray me with the salty water. Right now I could care less if it was salty. If it was cool, then who was I to complain? With the smell of salt heavily concentrated, I couldn't smell anyone if he or she approached me. I leaned against the rail only to almost jump over it when a hand touched my shoulder.
My golden eyes scanned over my shoulder to see who owned the hand. I was relieved when it was only Kai. He seemed to have a serious look on his face. "Is there anything wrong?" I had this sinking feeling. Something was not right.
"Promise me you'll look after the others," he whispered in a deadly voice. His gaze never left the ocean waves and his grip became tighter. I felt a sense of loss in his emotions as well as anger, hurt, frustration, and ....... Guilt? What could have to be guilty about?
Frowning, I considered what he said and his body expression. He was being too grave and serious for my liking. I knew something was definitely wrong. "What do you mean Kai?" I paused for a second to gather my thoughts. "Aren't you part of the team or have you quit?" This earned me a grunt from him.
"There will be a time when I won't be here for you," Kai said as if he was predicting the future or something. "Knowing the others, they wouldn't last long without........... Let's just say they do not know the harsh reality of this world. I want you to take care of them when that time comes. Promise me you will." His crimson eyes turned away from the ocean and directly to my golden orbs.
"Kai," I managed to mumble after some time. Suddenly the floor became interesting; I mean very interesting. "I think they're old enough to take care of themselves."
"That is where you are wrong," Kai stated. A hand tilted my head so that we were now staring into each other's eyes. Squirming around a little, I wanted to look away, but he held our position. "Out of the lot of them, Kenny is the most likely to have an idea what to do. Tyson is too dense to notice anything. Max is in his own world. You're the only one who seems to understand our current situation."
I opened my mouth to say something; however nothing came out. I was at a loss of words. What should I do or say?
"You're the only one I can trust," Kai stated a rather personal statement. From the look in his eyes, I knew he told me the truth.
Nodding my head, I answered yes. I was willing to look after the others in his absence, though it didn't make much sense. Wait a second, now that I thought of it.... Kai sometimes often went on solo trips without warning and at any time. Could that be what he was referring to? Would he even quit the team? Would he leave me?
Suddenly I felt myself being pulled towards him. A muscular arm wrapped itself around my waist and held me close. The other hand gently stroked my back as I leaned into the embrace. My head was on his shoulder. I don't know why, but this felt so natural. Before I knew it, I was completely relaxed and calm despite my worries a few minutes ago. Kai must have sensed it, because he gently pushed me away from him.
The others happened to choose the worse timing to barge in on us. We immediately stepped away from each other and acted as if nothing happened. Dang them!
Later on in the morning, we had stopped our training, because we were coming to the English port. I wanted to see what London was like while we were there and maybe visit my uncle. I haven't seen him for a long time. What was up to these days? I noticed Dralcian was talking to that Robert character. Something told me that my friend didn't like where the conversation was heading or something about their discussion.
Tyson and Max were playing around on deck. Kenny was as usual going over our data and stats as well as trying to find out how much he could from the Demolitions Boys. I was hanging out with Kenny, looking over the stats and trying to help where I can. We didn't find much information on the Russian team. I wondered why we couldn't as they were the world champions. There should be at least some information on them. Kai was off somewhere brooding. I guessed it was inside, because practically everyone was on deck.
Kai, I wondered why my thoughts constantly go back to him. Like me, we were both enigmas wrapped within several layers. I already knew my secrets, but his were a complete mystery to me. Why wouldn't it be? It only made me more curious as to see what he was hiding. Then again, if I start poking my nose where it doesn't belong, then I risked exposing myself to him. He was the only person who knows I wasn't human.
Would he even bother to keep it a secret? I hoped he would as I have nothing on him. Sure, I could tell them how he trains and some of his weaknesses, but he no doubt would concentrate on them until he felt they were no longer his weaknesses. Now that I thought about it, he was involved with this secret organization, but I don't know how involved he was. Would he betray us? Nah, I doubt it, but there was this little voice in my head that said no.
"Hey Rei, what are you thinking about?" Kenny asked me out of the blue. He glanced over and leaned on his arm.
"Oh, I was thinking about the Russian tournament," I said partially telling the truth. No, I wasn't going to tell him about the secret organization collecting bit beasts and Kai's apparent involvement. "You think we'll be able to take them? I mean they're the world champions."
"That's why we're doing research," Kenny assured me and squeezed my shoulder. "We should not take this tournament lightly, but at the same time, we should not be extremely nervous about it either. It would only lead to mistakes and opening, making it easier for the Demolition Boys to win. I don't know about you, but we've worked so hard to come here. It would be a shame to waste all the training."
"I know," I sighed sheepishly. Though it was part of the reason as to why I was worried, it wasn't completely the reason. Kai had specifically asked me to look out for them, because there would be a time when he couldn't be there for the team. Out of the lot of us, he trusted me the most. I guessed that made me special, which made me feel special.
"Something tells me it's more than that," Kenny said, going back to his typing. "Don't worry, I'm not going to pry into your personal life and I won't tell the others."
I nearly fell over in shock. He knew something was up, but he wasn't going to snoop around, which I felt grateful for. Kai was right. The Chief would sense something was wrong before the others. I guessed it involved his observational skills. He and Dizzi teamed up to analyze our beyblading. Why couldn't he apply it to life then?
"That means a lot to me," I managed a smile. I glanced over to ocean. It reminded me of Kai. 'On the surface, you think you have it figured out, but there is more to it. There is a different world underneath it, a complex one. A few times, Kai has let down his barrier and shown me glimpses of it, but I wanted more, though I will wait until he's ready. I guess the same could be said about me. Kai must be waiting for me to tell him.'
"No problem," Kenny assured me.
Two hours later
We had gone off the ship, thinking we had a few hours to kill. When Robert departed the ship, we asked an elderly gentleman with a long beard how long the ship was going to stay. He informed us a few hours so we decided to check out the shops. In Tyson's case, it was any place that sold food.
On the way down, we ran into Dralcian, but he said he wanted to stay aboard. He mentioned meeting someone but didn't offer us any clues as to the mysterious person. Eh, I wanted to ask him, but two of my team mates were already dragging me toward the ramp. I'll have to ask him later. Right now, I wanted my appendages to stay right where they were.
The first place we went to was a local beyblade shop. Kai insisted we check out the latest in beyblade technology before we waste our time going to the grocery store or restaurants. Tyson was going to protest, but it was cut short as our team captain was willing to accompany us instead of wander off on his own.
"Hey Kenny, check this out," I said, eyeing a particular attack ring. It seemed to be heavy enough to counter light weight blades, but at the same time, it required more power to keep the blade rotating.
"Ah that," Kenny said, checking out the attacking ring. He inquired if he could see it.
"Certainly," the employee said before opening up the case and handing it over to our team technician. "It's the latest development from the BBA. I have a few of them left. They're selling out quickly; I have a hard time keeping the shelves stocked."
Kenny balanced the weight in the palm of his hand, inspected it up close, and performed a couple of minor tests on it. "It's not that bad. The balance is off by a few nanograms. It could use a few channels here to prevent it from dragging."
"Are you an expert?" The employee said in awe.
Grinning sheepishly and scratching the back of his head, Kenny replied, "I wish, but I'm still learning." Too modest for his own good. "I do know a thing or two about them."
"Come on, Chief," I teased him. "You know you're good. Besides, I don't know anyone who can do a complete beyblade overhaul in one night."
"Say, aren't you Rei and Kenny from the Bladebreakers?" the employee inquired. He had been handed the attack ring and placed it back in the counter.
"Yes, we are," I replied with my usual smile. I wondered how the others were fairing and if Tyson was still in one piece. Knowing Kai, it wouldn't last for long. "The others should be wandering around the aisles somewhere." I waved my hand towards the rest of the store.
"Totally cool, could I get your autograph?" the employee inquired hopefully. He pulled a picture of the team and a permanent marker.
"No prob," I said, taking the marker and signing my name on it. Then I handed it over to Kenny, who did the same. "I'll go take this to the others."
"Thank you," the employee seemed to be on the edge of bursting.
Nervously, I made my way around the store with the picture and marker in hand. It wasn't too hard to locate the 'children' of the group. They were in the launcher section, checking out the rip cords. Max seemed to be glad we had fans even in Europe. Tyson had a huge ego, which was quickly deflated by a rude comment from our team captain.
I don't know how, but I somehow managed to convince our team captain to sign the piece of paper, though he was hesitant on. It wasn't like the picture would come to life and bite him. Once I finished getting the autographs, I returned the items back to their owner, who hugged me enthusiastically.
Oh crap. Kai seemed to be pissed off. He was glaring in my direction and wasn't returning my greeting. Not good, not good at all for me.
"You're not mad at me for asking your autograph?" It was worth a shot. That was when I noticed he wasn't glaring at me. He was glaring past me. I turned around to find the store employee, taking extra care not to dirty or damage the picture as the ink dried. "It's just your signature, nothing to be angry about."
"I don't like him," Kai snorted as he turned to leave the store. I ran to catch up with him. Well, it was more like fast walking, but you get the point.
"What about the others?" I inquired once we were out of the store. Who didn't he like and why?
"They'll figure it out sooner or later," Kai stated as if I should know it already. He sat down on one of those benches underneath the shade.
Raising my brow, I chuckled, catching his attention. "This is Tyson and Max we're talking about. I doubt they have enough sense to know you're gone."
"True."
"Besides, I think Kenny would figure it and drag them out," I replied casually as I took a seat next to him but not too close. "However, I don't know if he has the strength to drag them out unless he gives them a good motive."
My companion was unresponsive. He appeared to be expecting someone to jump out and attack him, but that was silly or at least I thought it to be. I wonder if it had to do anything with the people Dralcian warned us about. He informed me some time before that Kai left the hotel to meet up with this strange person. This Voltaire person wanted to attain powerful bit beast, but the silver falcon had no clue if they were in league with this organization.
Moments later, an enthusiastic Tyson came bursting through the door. I was surprised the hinges didn't fall off as he literally exploded with energy. He immediately made his way over to us, which wasn't hard considering we stick out like sore thumbs. Trailing behind him were Max and Kenny.
Kai shook his head and stood up, before leaving. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that our team captain wanted us to follow him. Yeah, we all knew he took off without telling the team where he was going. This time he was actually waiting for the rest of the team, before he walked to wherever he wanted to head.
"You coming or what?"
It brought me out of my contemplation. With my feline agility, I bounded over to where he was. The others weren't far behind. Both Tyson and Max slowed down, because Kenny couldn't run as fast as we can. Well, Tyson can't run fast unless really motivated like an all you can eat buffet. Max was a bundle of energy, waiting to explode.
"Kai, the others are falling behind," I spoke, rushing to walk next to him. "They'll get lost and we'll have to search for them."
Upon hearing this, Kai suddenly stopped, causing me to nearly run into him as I slowed down while I looked back to where the others were. Knowing him, he didn't want to waste his time, searching for the 'children' of the group when he could spend a few minutes waiting for them to catch up. At least, that was what I figured he was thinking.
Minutes later, the three of them arrived. We decided to stop by a restaurant. Of course, we made sure they didn't have an all you can eat buffet, which Tyson whined about it until he was promptly shut up by one untouchable team captain. Kai drastically limited how much Tyson could eat, causing him to whine even more. Max seemed to take his limit of sugar products rather well.
After eating, we then headed to a grocery store or supermarket or whatever you called it. It was the same, a place that sold food. Anyways, we picked up several food products we liked. For Tyson, it was heaven. Well, it would have been heaven if someone hadn't nearly choked him several times. He tended to run off whenever he saw something he liked or wanted to try. Kai made sure Tyson didn't buy too many things as we still needed the ship to stay floating above water. Besides, I don't think Tyson had enough money to purchase all of this, meaning he was going to borrow from the rest of us.
When we went back to where the ship was docked, we found it had already left. The old man was wrong. The ship didn't leave in a few hours. It left in an hour or two. Now here we were stuck in London with no way of reaching Russia unless we walked or politely asked someone to give us a lift. Hey, we weren't exactly rich, you know?
Then I figured we should visit the BBA here. The others gave me strange looks. I informed them there was about one BBA location in every nation. After all, it was a very popular sport and world wide too. So off we went.
While we were at the BBA, we discovered package, waiting for Tyson. Someone KNEW we were going to be stuck here and asking for help. That could only be the reason. From the looks on Kai, I can only guess he was thinking the same thing too. This must have been planned from the very beginning. Why didn't Dralcian inform me about this?
/Hey DEE!!!/
/........................................./
Crap! The silver falcon wasn't responding to any of my calls. Oh great, now the others were giving me strange looks. I must have been zoning out or something, because Kenny was checking my vital signs. Hey, I wasn't going to drop dead at any second. Kai didn't appear to be worried as he knew the truth, okay the partial truth.
"Kenny, I'm fine," I assured our team technician while keeping his hands and other medical equipment away from me. Don't ask, because I have no clue where he keeps all that stuff. "I was just thinking and I kinda,' I sheepishly laughed, "zoned out."
"That's Tyson's job," Kai remarked, causing the said person to lunge at him if it weren't for Max holding him back.
Deciding it would be best if I changed the conversation, I hastily spoke, "I'm curious as to what's on the tape. Maybe we can go to our room and watch it?" Please don't let anyone be mad. Actually, I was really curious as to what the tape held. Maybe Dee was wrong and there were still unsealed bit beasts, but one can only hope.
"Yeah, I wonder what dad left me," Tyson beamed as he held the tape in front of his face. He could be inspecting it for something, but knowing him, I doubt it.
"What are we waiting for?" Max chirped and practically dragged Tyson out of there, almost making him drop the video. Now the person being dragged sported a light blush on his chubby cheeks. Awwww, wasn't that cute?
"Max!! You're going to pull my arm off!!"
"I have the bandages and know first aid!!!" Kenny screamed in hot pursuit of those two.
In any case, they forgot who was holding the keys to our temporary shelter. No, it wasn't me if that was what you were thinking. That person was now wearing a scowl and a fierce glare. Did I forget to mention he was extremely pissed off?
Shrugging helplessly, I trudged off after our team mates. It wasn't hard to find them or keep up with them as they were pretty loud. I can even hear them above the regular traffic noise. Okay, a normal human can't hear them.
Minutes later, we sat around the TV, watching the video Tyson's father sent him, even our team captain. His father discovered writings about four bit beasts. All clues pointed towards our very own bit beasts and then he mentioned dark bit beasts. There was no way I would allow Driger to become dark and corrupted. I knew the others felt the same way about their bit beasts. We liked them the way they were, thank you very much.
Disappointingly, he never mentioned anything about unsealed bit beasts. That was a good thing, right? Yet somehow deep down in my heart, I was truly upset and saddened. I didn't want to be one of the few unsealed ones left. I wished there were a few more or something, because it was going to be lonely.
The others didn't notice my sudden sadness as they were caught up in the dark bit beast thing. However, Driger was an exception. He must have noticed a change in my emotions, because he was suddenly concerned about me.
/Rei, why are you sad?/
/It's nothing really./
/.... I'm not a mind reader like Dee and I know something is bothering you. More to the point, I don't feel like having that bird brain in this conversation./
/He's not a bird brain./ I retorted while Driger was laughing at his own joke. /I just thought there were others like me out there. You know unsealed bit beasts. I hoped Dee was incorrect and somehow overlooked someone./
/Ah. Perhaps, there are more, but we will never know. Do you honestly think they will be easy to find? Even with Dee's talents, I'm sure he or she could have missed a few. After all, the world is large and the human population is growing every day./
/Thanks for the support./
Coming back to reality, I found a hand waving in front of my face. Snapping my hand, I grabbed the offending hand. The owner of that hand yelped with surprise and nearly fell over. If I didn't have a good grip on him, he would have ended up face first on the floor.
"Smart move, Tyson," a cold voice taunted the embarrassed.
"Shut up," Tyson growled at our team captain. I then helped him back into an upright position. "Rei, are you okay? I mean you spaced out twice."
"I'm thinking about things," I replied, not wanting to reveal myself or what I was actually thinking about. It would give away my secret. The others however weren't exactly convinced by my answer. Fine, I'll let them know only what they needed to know. "I was thinking about our bit beasts."
The others accepted my answer, except for Kai. He doubted I was telling the entire truth. Well, I only told them what they needed to know. They didn't have to know I was an unsealed bit beast and that there was another one out there.
"Now that we have spare time, what do you propose we do?" Kenny inquired, breaking the silence. He squeaked something incoherent even by my sensitive hearing when all of us suddenly turned towards him.
"Training," Kai replied. I knew he wanted us to be prepared for those bit beasts. Still, it would help if we relaxed and allowed our muscles time to recover.
"But Kai," Tyson wailed like a little child.
Coughing, I addressed the issue to our esteemed team captain. "We all need to rest, even if you don't. I'll look after them while you train. Don't worry, we won't be going far."
Kai just growled, but he didn't storm off like usual. Instead, he was the one who suggested visiting a small café not far from here. Needless to say, we all were in shock. Who would have ever thought Kai to be that type of person? Oh well, there was this saying. You never truly know someone. As a matter of fact, you truly would never know yourself.
So we were sitting outside, discussing our recent events when suddenly a mysterious blader steals Tyson's beyblade. He then took off with us, forcing us to follow him. It could be one of those evil bit beasts. We wound up in an alley.
The mysterious blader then informed us about his plan to turn all bit beasts into dark ones. Not going to happen while we were still around. Max and I launched our beyblade in attempt to get Tyson's bit beast back. Unfortunately, we severely underestimated him. This mysterious blader had a mummy bit beast, perfectly complementing his personality.
Things were going from worse to worst when he wrapped our bit beasts in his mummy's wrappings. Not good, not good at all. I was worried I had to transform to my beast form and take out this mummy bit beast. Hey, I have razor sharp claws, and I wasn't afraid to use them.
Luckily for me, it was avoided when Dranzer entered the picture. Needless to say, I was more than happy Kai decided to fight this mummy. He had been observing our failures and devised a plan on how to defeat this person. GO KAI!!!
Okay, that was random. What is Kai doing? Dranzer was weaving in and out of the railings as well as other objects. It appeared the phoenix was running away from his opponent. Just then it dawned on me. Kai used the railings, stairs, and ladder to tie up the mummy. Clever of him, really it was. Why didn't I think of that?
Oh yeah, I blindly rushed in to save Dragoon without coming up with a plan or a strategy.
By the way, don't ever bring it up again!
Yeah, Draciel and Driger were freed. That cloth didn't stand a chance against Dranzer's fire. Both of our bit beasts gave Dragoon a good push toward his owner, who caught his beyblade. Then they returned back to us with the mummy in a foul mood. He promised he would be back for out bit beasts.
Once finished, Kai literally shoved us all the way back to our room. The others thought he was being a grouch, though I knew in his own way he cared about us. Even if it appeared to be cruel, Kai had our best interest in his heart or whatever was left of one. I had to convince the others he had a point. One of our bit beasts was nearly stolen and the mummy was still out there.
The others reluctantly agreed. So now we were back in our rooms with an even more pissed off Kai. Oh joy and look here, I get the job of calming him down, since the others were too terrified or had a big mouth. At least Tyson knew when he was walking on thin ice. He didn't bother our less than hospitable team captain while we were cooped up in the room. Instead, he gave the blonde one of our group his full attention.
Kenny was typing away on his laptop, going over our stats from today. As if it couldn't get any worse, he recorded the entire thing! That was utterly embarrassing. Okay, it wasn't the most embarrassing thing he recorded on his laptop. Tyson had an entire folder, dedicated to his stupidity.
Yeah, yeah, I knew what you were thinking. Why was good little Rei ragging on Tyson? Since he was the one who started it in the first place and now I have to put up with an equally pissed off Kai, I deserved to vent my frustration on him.
I sighed in exasperation. Calming Kai down wasn't the easiest job in the world. It might as well be ranked up there with falling off the Empire State Building and landing safely without a parachute. Or how about climbing Mount Everest WITHOUT a rope? Okay, I was completely exaggerating, but you get the picture.
While the others were occupied, I made my way over to our team captain. He was brooding over something or another. I wasn't a mind reader, though I knew he was in a dark mood, three guesses as to what caused this. It wasn't hard to figure out.
Crimson eyes glared hard at me. "You disappoint me." What???? "You should have known better than to rush recklessly in. I thought you were the responsible type."
I glared right back at him. "I am responsible."
"Then you should have thought of a plan, but no, you were too emotional and look where it has gotten you. If I wasn't there covering your backs, you all would have lost your bit beasts. You are a hopeless cause."
"Why you!! You have no idea what you're talking about. I can look after the others!"
"Then prove me wrong."
"Gladly."
End of Chapter
Wingzero: Man, that was a long chapter to type. Aw man, I only managed to do one episode in this one. Oh well, I'll try to do two in the next one.
Kurai: And the plot thickens. I wonder what Kai is up to and why he is becoming harsher on Rei.
Ray: That's what I would like to know.
Wingzero: Erm. Bye.
Tyson: I don't get it.
Kai: Why does that not surprise me?
Tyson: HEY!!!
Wingzero: It's what we're doing now.
Tyson: Oh.......
Ray: whispers to Max And tell me again why you love him?
Max: whispers back to Rei Because he's my loveable idiot.
Ray: Good point.
Standard Disclaimer: Wingzero doesn't own this anime, so you can't sue her.
Rei's POV
The past few days we pretty much spent training with an occasional break from our slave driver. Honestly, does Kai think we'll improve drastically in the next few days? I don't think so. Of course, we were going to try our hardest to improve, but that doesn't mean we would necessarily meet Kai's expectations. Of course, I could stop holding back my powers, but that meant other people will find out who I really was, including those who were searching for powerful bit beast.
During one of our few breaks, I wandered onto the deck, taking in the sights before me. Well, I wouldn't exactly say it was spectacular, but it was a calming one compared to our previous training. Our team captain grilled us literally! Considering the four of us, I would say Kenny was the most out of shape. Tyson and Max were too close to call. I don't know where Kai and I stood either, but we were in better shape than the others.
I allowed the ocean breeze to spray me with the salty water. Right now I could care less if it was salty. If it was cool, then who was I to complain? With the smell of salt heavily concentrated, I couldn't smell anyone if he or she approached me. I leaned against the rail only to almost jump over it when a hand touched my shoulder.
My golden eyes scanned over my shoulder to see who owned the hand. I was relieved when it was only Kai. He seemed to have a serious look on his face. "Is there anything wrong?" I had this sinking feeling. Something was not right.
"Promise me you'll look after the others," he whispered in a deadly voice. His gaze never left the ocean waves and his grip became tighter. I felt a sense of loss in his emotions as well as anger, hurt, frustration, and ....... Guilt? What could have to be guilty about?
Frowning, I considered what he said and his body expression. He was being too grave and serious for my liking. I knew something was definitely wrong. "What do you mean Kai?" I paused for a second to gather my thoughts. "Aren't you part of the team or have you quit?" This earned me a grunt from him.
"There will be a time when I won't be here for you," Kai said as if he was predicting the future or something. "Knowing the others, they wouldn't last long without........... Let's just say they do not know the harsh reality of this world. I want you to take care of them when that time comes. Promise me you will." His crimson eyes turned away from the ocean and directly to my golden orbs.
"Kai," I managed to mumble after some time. Suddenly the floor became interesting; I mean very interesting. "I think they're old enough to take care of themselves."
"That is where you are wrong," Kai stated. A hand tilted my head so that we were now staring into each other's eyes. Squirming around a little, I wanted to look away, but he held our position. "Out of the lot of them, Kenny is the most likely to have an idea what to do. Tyson is too dense to notice anything. Max is in his own world. You're the only one who seems to understand our current situation."
I opened my mouth to say something; however nothing came out. I was at a loss of words. What should I do or say?
"You're the only one I can trust," Kai stated a rather personal statement. From the look in his eyes, I knew he told me the truth.
Nodding my head, I answered yes. I was willing to look after the others in his absence, though it didn't make much sense. Wait a second, now that I thought of it.... Kai sometimes often went on solo trips without warning and at any time. Could that be what he was referring to? Would he even quit the team? Would he leave me?
Suddenly I felt myself being pulled towards him. A muscular arm wrapped itself around my waist and held me close. The other hand gently stroked my back as I leaned into the embrace. My head was on his shoulder. I don't know why, but this felt so natural. Before I knew it, I was completely relaxed and calm despite my worries a few minutes ago. Kai must have sensed it, because he gently pushed me away from him.
The others happened to choose the worse timing to barge in on us. We immediately stepped away from each other and acted as if nothing happened. Dang them!
Later on in the morning, we had stopped our training, because we were coming to the English port. I wanted to see what London was like while we were there and maybe visit my uncle. I haven't seen him for a long time. What was up to these days? I noticed Dralcian was talking to that Robert character. Something told me that my friend didn't like where the conversation was heading or something about their discussion.
Tyson and Max were playing around on deck. Kenny was as usual going over our data and stats as well as trying to find out how much he could from the Demolitions Boys. I was hanging out with Kenny, looking over the stats and trying to help where I can. We didn't find much information on the Russian team. I wondered why we couldn't as they were the world champions. There should be at least some information on them. Kai was off somewhere brooding. I guessed it was inside, because practically everyone was on deck.
Kai, I wondered why my thoughts constantly go back to him. Like me, we were both enigmas wrapped within several layers. I already knew my secrets, but his were a complete mystery to me. Why wouldn't it be? It only made me more curious as to see what he was hiding. Then again, if I start poking my nose where it doesn't belong, then I risked exposing myself to him. He was the only person who knows I wasn't human.
Would he even bother to keep it a secret? I hoped he would as I have nothing on him. Sure, I could tell them how he trains and some of his weaknesses, but he no doubt would concentrate on them until he felt they were no longer his weaknesses. Now that I thought about it, he was involved with this secret organization, but I don't know how involved he was. Would he betray us? Nah, I doubt it, but there was this little voice in my head that said no.
"Hey Rei, what are you thinking about?" Kenny asked me out of the blue. He glanced over and leaned on his arm.
"Oh, I was thinking about the Russian tournament," I said partially telling the truth. No, I wasn't going to tell him about the secret organization collecting bit beasts and Kai's apparent involvement. "You think we'll be able to take them? I mean they're the world champions."
"That's why we're doing research," Kenny assured me and squeezed my shoulder. "We should not take this tournament lightly, but at the same time, we should not be extremely nervous about it either. It would only lead to mistakes and opening, making it easier for the Demolition Boys to win. I don't know about you, but we've worked so hard to come here. It would be a shame to waste all the training."
"I know," I sighed sheepishly. Though it was part of the reason as to why I was worried, it wasn't completely the reason. Kai had specifically asked me to look out for them, because there would be a time when he couldn't be there for the team. Out of the lot of us, he trusted me the most. I guessed that made me special, which made me feel special.
"Something tells me it's more than that," Kenny said, going back to his typing. "Don't worry, I'm not going to pry into your personal life and I won't tell the others."
I nearly fell over in shock. He knew something was up, but he wasn't going to snoop around, which I felt grateful for. Kai was right. The Chief would sense something was wrong before the others. I guessed it involved his observational skills. He and Dizzi teamed up to analyze our beyblading. Why couldn't he apply it to life then?
"That means a lot to me," I managed a smile. I glanced over to ocean. It reminded me of Kai. 'On the surface, you think you have it figured out, but there is more to it. There is a different world underneath it, a complex one. A few times, Kai has let down his barrier and shown me glimpses of it, but I wanted more, though I will wait until he's ready. I guess the same could be said about me. Kai must be waiting for me to tell him.'
"No problem," Kenny assured me.
Two hours later
We had gone off the ship, thinking we had a few hours to kill. When Robert departed the ship, we asked an elderly gentleman with a long beard how long the ship was going to stay. He informed us a few hours so we decided to check out the shops. In Tyson's case, it was any place that sold food.
On the way down, we ran into Dralcian, but he said he wanted to stay aboard. He mentioned meeting someone but didn't offer us any clues as to the mysterious person. Eh, I wanted to ask him, but two of my team mates were already dragging me toward the ramp. I'll have to ask him later. Right now, I wanted my appendages to stay right where they were.
The first place we went to was a local beyblade shop. Kai insisted we check out the latest in beyblade technology before we waste our time going to the grocery store or restaurants. Tyson was going to protest, but it was cut short as our team captain was willing to accompany us instead of wander off on his own.
"Hey Kenny, check this out," I said, eyeing a particular attack ring. It seemed to be heavy enough to counter light weight blades, but at the same time, it required more power to keep the blade rotating.
"Ah that," Kenny said, checking out the attacking ring. He inquired if he could see it.
"Certainly," the employee said before opening up the case and handing it over to our team technician. "It's the latest development from the BBA. I have a few of them left. They're selling out quickly; I have a hard time keeping the shelves stocked."
Kenny balanced the weight in the palm of his hand, inspected it up close, and performed a couple of minor tests on it. "It's not that bad. The balance is off by a few nanograms. It could use a few channels here to prevent it from dragging."
"Are you an expert?" The employee said in awe.
Grinning sheepishly and scratching the back of his head, Kenny replied, "I wish, but I'm still learning." Too modest for his own good. "I do know a thing or two about them."
"Come on, Chief," I teased him. "You know you're good. Besides, I don't know anyone who can do a complete beyblade overhaul in one night."
"Say, aren't you Rei and Kenny from the Bladebreakers?" the employee inquired. He had been handed the attack ring and placed it back in the counter.
"Yes, we are," I replied with my usual smile. I wondered how the others were fairing and if Tyson was still in one piece. Knowing Kai, it wouldn't last for long. "The others should be wandering around the aisles somewhere." I waved my hand towards the rest of the store.
"Totally cool, could I get your autograph?" the employee inquired hopefully. He pulled a picture of the team and a permanent marker.
"No prob," I said, taking the marker and signing my name on it. Then I handed it over to Kenny, who did the same. "I'll go take this to the others."
"Thank you," the employee seemed to be on the edge of bursting.
Nervously, I made my way around the store with the picture and marker in hand. It wasn't too hard to locate the 'children' of the group. They were in the launcher section, checking out the rip cords. Max seemed to be glad we had fans even in Europe. Tyson had a huge ego, which was quickly deflated by a rude comment from our team captain.
I don't know how, but I somehow managed to convince our team captain to sign the piece of paper, though he was hesitant on. It wasn't like the picture would come to life and bite him. Once I finished getting the autographs, I returned the items back to their owner, who hugged me enthusiastically.
Oh crap. Kai seemed to be pissed off. He was glaring in my direction and wasn't returning my greeting. Not good, not good at all for me.
"You're not mad at me for asking your autograph?" It was worth a shot. That was when I noticed he wasn't glaring at me. He was glaring past me. I turned around to find the store employee, taking extra care not to dirty or damage the picture as the ink dried. "It's just your signature, nothing to be angry about."
"I don't like him," Kai snorted as he turned to leave the store. I ran to catch up with him. Well, it was more like fast walking, but you get the point.
"What about the others?" I inquired once we were out of the store. Who didn't he like and why?
"They'll figure it out sooner or later," Kai stated as if I should know it already. He sat down on one of those benches underneath the shade.
Raising my brow, I chuckled, catching his attention. "This is Tyson and Max we're talking about. I doubt they have enough sense to know you're gone."
"True."
"Besides, I think Kenny would figure it and drag them out," I replied casually as I took a seat next to him but not too close. "However, I don't know if he has the strength to drag them out unless he gives them a good motive."
My companion was unresponsive. He appeared to be expecting someone to jump out and attack him, but that was silly or at least I thought it to be. I wonder if it had to do anything with the people Dralcian warned us about. He informed me some time before that Kai left the hotel to meet up with this strange person. This Voltaire person wanted to attain powerful bit beast, but the silver falcon had no clue if they were in league with this organization.
Moments later, an enthusiastic Tyson came bursting through the door. I was surprised the hinges didn't fall off as he literally exploded with energy. He immediately made his way over to us, which wasn't hard considering we stick out like sore thumbs. Trailing behind him were Max and Kenny.
Kai shook his head and stood up, before leaving. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that our team captain wanted us to follow him. Yeah, we all knew he took off without telling the team where he was going. This time he was actually waiting for the rest of the team, before he walked to wherever he wanted to head.
"You coming or what?"
It brought me out of my contemplation. With my feline agility, I bounded over to where he was. The others weren't far behind. Both Tyson and Max slowed down, because Kenny couldn't run as fast as we can. Well, Tyson can't run fast unless really motivated like an all you can eat buffet. Max was a bundle of energy, waiting to explode.
"Kai, the others are falling behind," I spoke, rushing to walk next to him. "They'll get lost and we'll have to search for them."
Upon hearing this, Kai suddenly stopped, causing me to nearly run into him as I slowed down while I looked back to where the others were. Knowing him, he didn't want to waste his time, searching for the 'children' of the group when he could spend a few minutes waiting for them to catch up. At least, that was what I figured he was thinking.
Minutes later, the three of them arrived. We decided to stop by a restaurant. Of course, we made sure they didn't have an all you can eat buffet, which Tyson whined about it until he was promptly shut up by one untouchable team captain. Kai drastically limited how much Tyson could eat, causing him to whine even more. Max seemed to take his limit of sugar products rather well.
After eating, we then headed to a grocery store or supermarket or whatever you called it. It was the same, a place that sold food. Anyways, we picked up several food products we liked. For Tyson, it was heaven. Well, it would have been heaven if someone hadn't nearly choked him several times. He tended to run off whenever he saw something he liked or wanted to try. Kai made sure Tyson didn't buy too many things as we still needed the ship to stay floating above water. Besides, I don't think Tyson had enough money to purchase all of this, meaning he was going to borrow from the rest of us.
When we went back to where the ship was docked, we found it had already left. The old man was wrong. The ship didn't leave in a few hours. It left in an hour or two. Now here we were stuck in London with no way of reaching Russia unless we walked or politely asked someone to give us a lift. Hey, we weren't exactly rich, you know?
Then I figured we should visit the BBA here. The others gave me strange looks. I informed them there was about one BBA location in every nation. After all, it was a very popular sport and world wide too. So off we went.
While we were at the BBA, we discovered package, waiting for Tyson. Someone KNEW we were going to be stuck here and asking for help. That could only be the reason. From the looks on Kai, I can only guess he was thinking the same thing too. This must have been planned from the very beginning. Why didn't Dralcian inform me about this?
/Hey DEE!!!/
/........................................./
Crap! The silver falcon wasn't responding to any of my calls. Oh great, now the others were giving me strange looks. I must have been zoning out or something, because Kenny was checking my vital signs. Hey, I wasn't going to drop dead at any second. Kai didn't appear to be worried as he knew the truth, okay the partial truth.
"Kenny, I'm fine," I assured our team technician while keeping his hands and other medical equipment away from me. Don't ask, because I have no clue where he keeps all that stuff. "I was just thinking and I kinda,' I sheepishly laughed, "zoned out."
"That's Tyson's job," Kai remarked, causing the said person to lunge at him if it weren't for Max holding him back.
Deciding it would be best if I changed the conversation, I hastily spoke, "I'm curious as to what's on the tape. Maybe we can go to our room and watch it?" Please don't let anyone be mad. Actually, I was really curious as to what the tape held. Maybe Dee was wrong and there were still unsealed bit beasts, but one can only hope.
"Yeah, I wonder what dad left me," Tyson beamed as he held the tape in front of his face. He could be inspecting it for something, but knowing him, I doubt it.
"What are we waiting for?" Max chirped and practically dragged Tyson out of there, almost making him drop the video. Now the person being dragged sported a light blush on his chubby cheeks. Awwww, wasn't that cute?
"Max!! You're going to pull my arm off!!"
"I have the bandages and know first aid!!!" Kenny screamed in hot pursuit of those two.
In any case, they forgot who was holding the keys to our temporary shelter. No, it wasn't me if that was what you were thinking. That person was now wearing a scowl and a fierce glare. Did I forget to mention he was extremely pissed off?
Shrugging helplessly, I trudged off after our team mates. It wasn't hard to find them or keep up with them as they were pretty loud. I can even hear them above the regular traffic noise. Okay, a normal human can't hear them.
Minutes later, we sat around the TV, watching the video Tyson's father sent him, even our team captain. His father discovered writings about four bit beasts. All clues pointed towards our very own bit beasts and then he mentioned dark bit beasts. There was no way I would allow Driger to become dark and corrupted. I knew the others felt the same way about their bit beasts. We liked them the way they were, thank you very much.
Disappointingly, he never mentioned anything about unsealed bit beasts. That was a good thing, right? Yet somehow deep down in my heart, I was truly upset and saddened. I didn't want to be one of the few unsealed ones left. I wished there were a few more or something, because it was going to be lonely.
The others didn't notice my sudden sadness as they were caught up in the dark bit beast thing. However, Driger was an exception. He must have noticed a change in my emotions, because he was suddenly concerned about me.
/Rei, why are you sad?/
/It's nothing really./
/.... I'm not a mind reader like Dee and I know something is bothering you. More to the point, I don't feel like having that bird brain in this conversation./
/He's not a bird brain./ I retorted while Driger was laughing at his own joke. /I just thought there were others like me out there. You know unsealed bit beasts. I hoped Dee was incorrect and somehow overlooked someone./
/Ah. Perhaps, there are more, but we will never know. Do you honestly think they will be easy to find? Even with Dee's talents, I'm sure he or she could have missed a few. After all, the world is large and the human population is growing every day./
/Thanks for the support./
Coming back to reality, I found a hand waving in front of my face. Snapping my hand, I grabbed the offending hand. The owner of that hand yelped with surprise and nearly fell over. If I didn't have a good grip on him, he would have ended up face first on the floor.
"Smart move, Tyson," a cold voice taunted the embarrassed.
"Shut up," Tyson growled at our team captain. I then helped him back into an upright position. "Rei, are you okay? I mean you spaced out twice."
"I'm thinking about things," I replied, not wanting to reveal myself or what I was actually thinking about. It would give away my secret. The others however weren't exactly convinced by my answer. Fine, I'll let them know only what they needed to know. "I was thinking about our bit beasts."
The others accepted my answer, except for Kai. He doubted I was telling the entire truth. Well, I only told them what they needed to know. They didn't have to know I was an unsealed bit beast and that there was another one out there.
"Now that we have spare time, what do you propose we do?" Kenny inquired, breaking the silence. He squeaked something incoherent even by my sensitive hearing when all of us suddenly turned towards him.
"Training," Kai replied. I knew he wanted us to be prepared for those bit beasts. Still, it would help if we relaxed and allowed our muscles time to recover.
"But Kai," Tyson wailed like a little child.
Coughing, I addressed the issue to our esteemed team captain. "We all need to rest, even if you don't. I'll look after them while you train. Don't worry, we won't be going far."
Kai just growled, but he didn't storm off like usual. Instead, he was the one who suggested visiting a small café not far from here. Needless to say, we all were in shock. Who would have ever thought Kai to be that type of person? Oh well, there was this saying. You never truly know someone. As a matter of fact, you truly would never know yourself.
So we were sitting outside, discussing our recent events when suddenly a mysterious blader steals Tyson's beyblade. He then took off with us, forcing us to follow him. It could be one of those evil bit beasts. We wound up in an alley.
The mysterious blader then informed us about his plan to turn all bit beasts into dark ones. Not going to happen while we were still around. Max and I launched our beyblade in attempt to get Tyson's bit beast back. Unfortunately, we severely underestimated him. This mysterious blader had a mummy bit beast, perfectly complementing his personality.
Things were going from worse to worst when he wrapped our bit beasts in his mummy's wrappings. Not good, not good at all. I was worried I had to transform to my beast form and take out this mummy bit beast. Hey, I have razor sharp claws, and I wasn't afraid to use them.
Luckily for me, it was avoided when Dranzer entered the picture. Needless to say, I was more than happy Kai decided to fight this mummy. He had been observing our failures and devised a plan on how to defeat this person. GO KAI!!!
Okay, that was random. What is Kai doing? Dranzer was weaving in and out of the railings as well as other objects. It appeared the phoenix was running away from his opponent. Just then it dawned on me. Kai used the railings, stairs, and ladder to tie up the mummy. Clever of him, really it was. Why didn't I think of that?
Oh yeah, I blindly rushed in to save Dragoon without coming up with a plan or a strategy.
By the way, don't ever bring it up again!
Yeah, Draciel and Driger were freed. That cloth didn't stand a chance against Dranzer's fire. Both of our bit beasts gave Dragoon a good push toward his owner, who caught his beyblade. Then they returned back to us with the mummy in a foul mood. He promised he would be back for out bit beasts.
Once finished, Kai literally shoved us all the way back to our room. The others thought he was being a grouch, though I knew in his own way he cared about us. Even if it appeared to be cruel, Kai had our best interest in his heart or whatever was left of one. I had to convince the others he had a point. One of our bit beasts was nearly stolen and the mummy was still out there.
The others reluctantly agreed. So now we were back in our rooms with an even more pissed off Kai. Oh joy and look here, I get the job of calming him down, since the others were too terrified or had a big mouth. At least Tyson knew when he was walking on thin ice. He didn't bother our less than hospitable team captain while we were cooped up in the room. Instead, he gave the blonde one of our group his full attention.
Kenny was typing away on his laptop, going over our stats from today. As if it couldn't get any worse, he recorded the entire thing! That was utterly embarrassing. Okay, it wasn't the most embarrassing thing he recorded on his laptop. Tyson had an entire folder, dedicated to his stupidity.
Yeah, yeah, I knew what you were thinking. Why was good little Rei ragging on Tyson? Since he was the one who started it in the first place and now I have to put up with an equally pissed off Kai, I deserved to vent my frustration on him.
I sighed in exasperation. Calming Kai down wasn't the easiest job in the world. It might as well be ranked up there with falling off the Empire State Building and landing safely without a parachute. Or how about climbing Mount Everest WITHOUT a rope? Okay, I was completely exaggerating, but you get the picture.
While the others were occupied, I made my way over to our team captain. He was brooding over something or another. I wasn't a mind reader, though I knew he was in a dark mood, three guesses as to what caused this. It wasn't hard to figure out.
Crimson eyes glared hard at me. "You disappoint me." What???? "You should have known better than to rush recklessly in. I thought you were the responsible type."
I glared right back at him. "I am responsible."
"Then you should have thought of a plan, but no, you were too emotional and look where it has gotten you. If I wasn't there covering your backs, you all would have lost your bit beasts. You are a hopeless cause."
"Why you!! You have no idea what you're talking about. I can look after the others!"
"Then prove me wrong."
"Gladly."
End of Chapter
Wingzero: Man, that was a long chapter to type. Aw man, I only managed to do one episode in this one. Oh well, I'll try to do two in the next one.
Kurai: And the plot thickens. I wonder what Kai is up to and why he is becoming harsher on Rei.
Ray: That's what I would like to know.
Wingzero: Erm. Bye.