Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of it's characters… I am not making any money on this
Author's Notes: Not really much Kai-pining in this chapter, sorry about that, but I'm gonna try and focus on Tyson more! Ok, now uh, I didn't expect such a response to Naomi!! 0_0, I actually tried to make her non-hateable! She won't be falling in love with anyone else though… and hey Vialana- you got it in one!
Impossible
"Come on guys! Put your backs into it!!" Tyson yelled happily. A series of pained groans from his guests were his response, and the world champion rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. We were doing a lot harder stuff when we were fourteen!"
"Tyson," Ray turned to the other man, an arm reaching up to wipe his forehead. "There's a big difference in those years."
As planned, everyone had come over dressed casually while the sun was still cool in the morning to start getting the dojo ready. Ray had arrived and they all gathered into the dojo to survey the situation.
It hadn't sounded like a lot of work at first- all they had to do was clean it and re-paint, then bring in furniture and maybe make some repairs. All in all, with the four old Bladebreakers working on it none stop, they could have luckily been done within two weeks, maybe less. But Max hadn't accounted for the other factor… Grandpa Granger had a lot of stuff lying around the dojo. Old chairs and tables were lined up along the walls, and Max wondered why he hadn't noticed it all the last time he had been in there. The small adjoining rooms also needed to be cleaned out, and they were packed to the brim with dusty cardboard boxes that weighed a little too much.
"I'm starting to think I should've told everyone to come six months before the wedding…" Max groaned and picked up another box.
Ray was standing next to an especially heavy-looking box, rubbing his lower back. Kai was leaning against a stack of boxes drinking some water from a bottle he had found in the Granger's fridge.
"Geeze." Tyson shook his head at the scattered display.
"Ugh… when I got into Japan, I didn't expect to be put to work!" Ray joked stumbling slightly as Max heaved another heavy cardboard box into his arms. The Chinese blader laughed, "Some reunion!"
Tyson wheeled a cart over and helped Ray place the box down on it, to be carried outside. "This is really sad if I'm the fittest one in the group!" Tyson mock punched Ray in the side.
"Hey, Mr. Fitness! Come lift this one if you're so strong." Max pointed to a box solidly planted on the floor.
Tyson raised his eyebrows. "What's so great about that one?"
The blond kicked the box. It didn't even budge.
Sweat trickled down Ray's temple, and he eyed the box with anxiety. He came over and tapped it with the toe of his shoe. "What's in this thing? Bricks?"
"Probably." Tyson answered.
Ray stared at him incredulously.
"Hey, this is a dojo!! Martial arts, remember?" The longhaired young man rubbed his hands together and bent his knees. "Ok watch the master!" Tyson gripped at the box, trying to get his fingers underneath to start lifting it. "It's...ugh...all about… come on… technique!"
The box was lifted a few centimeters from the ground before it slipped from Tyson's grasp and fell back to the floor with a loud thud.
"You really mastered that box, Tyson." Ray said snickering.
"Oh, zip it!!" Tyson squinted an eye evilly at the other.
"None of us can lift it." Max pointed out.
Tyson eyed the offensive box, stepping around it a couple times and sizing it up. The world champion beyblader grinned. "I bet Kai could lift it easily…" He looked over at the owner of Biovolt. "Right Kai?"
The man in question looked up from placing his own burden down on the cart. He walked over and soon the four of them were standing on each side of the box.
Kai crossed his arms. "What is this, a contest?"
"Nah… not at all…" Tyson replied casually. "I just wanna see if I'm the only one who could even get this baby off the ground!"
Max rolled his eyes. "In other words- it is." Shaking his head, the blond shrugged and continued. "Tyson you know you're gonna lose."
"I dunno Max," Ray slapped a hand on the other blader's shoulder. "Tyson's looking pretty stoked!"
"Ooooh yeeeah!" Tyson made a fist and posed.
"Well Kai's the heavy hitter in this match Ray," Max held his hand up to his mouth grasping an imaginary microphone. "He's had a lifetime of training behind him and I'm betting he'll get that box up and outta here!"
Kai smirked slightly, closing his eyes and taking off the black fingerless gloves he had been wearing. He tossed them aside and ignored the catcalls from Max and Ray about him 'getting serious'.
To say he had a lifetime of training was inaccurate. His work and business had slowly taken precedence over what he had once valued most, and later dwindled into the bare amount of exercise his full schedule would allow him. And when he bladed… Tyson… Kai thought as his eyes opened to look into the young adult's in front of him, grown but still so young at heart… Whenever I tried to train, I thought of you. I could never stop thinking of you or battling you one last time. I could never stop picturing your face. Now here we are… having this kiddie contest… and I never thought I'd enjoy something so crazy, but I do.
Max and Ray took deep breaths and began the count down. "THREE…TWO…ONE, PICK IT UUUU-"
"WAAAIT!" Tyson shouted at the top of his voice waved his arms, cutting the yells off. Once he had the other three guy's attention, Tyson adjusted his cap sheepishly. "Which one of us goes first?"
"I will." Kai spoke up. "Let's just get this over with. The box has to get moved sometime." He stated and bent down to pick up the box.
The first thing that ran through the former team captain's head when he got a firm grasp on the box was that, it was heavy. Kai hadn't lifted this kind of weight in what must have been years… As it was, he had gotten it up about a foot before he felt his arms give, and he had no choice but to let the box hit the floor with a deafening bang.
"Whooo…" Ray whistled. "Did that damage the floor?"
"Let's hope not!" Tyson laughed a bit, kneeling down along with the others.
"I don't think it did." Max said.
"Why don't we just work around this one; it'll make everything go easier." Ray compromised.
For some reason, Kai felt an odd pang at the Chinese blader's statement, but it was quickly forgotten when the four guys heard the doorbell chime. Kai, Max and Ray all looked at Tyson, who stood up and stretched.
"I'll be back in a sec!" Tyson said and then headed out of the dojo.
****
"Who would be coming over at this time??" Tyson grumbled to himself while stealing a quick look at the clock on the wall. It was still before noon. As he approached the front entrance, through the window the longhaired young man caught a glimpse of who was visiting. Glasses…a laptop…
"Kenny!!" Tyson yelled as he opened the door, looking down at the bespectacled young man. "What's up? I thought you had to be up at the university right now."
"Change of plans, the project has been pushed back another week! Which means I got some free time." The Chief explained, following Tyson into the house and into the dojo where everyone else was still working.
Kenny had gotten taller, but it didn't really seem like much. By the time he had reached a reasonably average height, everyone else had gotten taller too, so the difference was hard to tell when he was surrounded by his old teammates.
"Chief!" Max yelled as he spotted him, putting down a box full of coat hangers and jogging over. Ray quickly followed suit, relieved to get a break from the strenuous work.
"Hey Chief! Long time no see, huh? Wow! You've grown or something?" Max exclaimed suddenly noticing that Kenny reached around his chin.
Tyson grinned and held his hands up around his mouth in stage whisper to Max and Ray. "After a couple years with him not growing, I was starting to think Kenny was a robot that was being controlled by Dizzi in his laptop. See, that's why he always carries it!!" Tyson said in a hushed tone.
"TYSON!! I heard that!"
"Ahahah, calm down Chief!"
Kenny shook his head and turned to Max. "It's been a while. Your team doesn't miss you?" Kenny asked referring to the blond's position as coach on the American Beyblade team. He set his laptop down on a small table.
"Nope, those kids can use the vacation just as much as me." Max replied.
"Hey Kenny, how'd you know Max was a coach?" Tyson asked confused.
"Unlike some people Tyson, I've been in correspondence with Max via e-mail. It's a new invention…y'know along with that little thing called the internet?"
"Sheesh, Chief. There's no need to get on my case about it."
"Yeah Chief," Ray slapped the bespectacled young man on the back. "Tyson's an 'out of sight, out of mind' type of person." The Chinese man smiled. "It's good to see you. How're things at the university?"
"Oh just fine- the new system isn't up though, and that's a real set back. But it's not problem for me since I'm technically not getting paid, even if I'm in the apprentice program…" Kenny went on explaining what was wrong with the school's computer network, while Max and Ray tried to understand all the high tech jargon.
Kai had joined the little grouping too, and from the looks of things, he understood what Kenny was talking about a whole lot better than the other bladers.
Tyson had to take a step back for a moment and watch. Tyson looked at all of them, the Bladebreakers, all together after how many years apart… It was so wonderful for him to see, and he couldn't control himself from moving forward with his arms spread wide open, almost knocking Kenny over in his haste, and capturing Ray and Max together in a hug.
"Woah!" Ray exclaimed at Tyson's sudden burst of affection. He and Max were getting the life squeezed out of them, and they both glanced at each other before hugging Tyson back.
"It's so great to have you guys here..." The young man with the cap said, his voice muffled from his face being planted between Ray and Max's shoulders. Giving them one last squeeze, Tyson let go and then promptly turned around taking Kai by the shoulders, pulling him in for a hug too.
The former team captain was pressed against Tyson's chest, his eyes opened wide, for the second time in under twenty-four hours, and everything else in the world seemed to stop. His heart skipped one beat…two… and a couple more after that. Kai could feel Tyson's ear and cheek against his own. I've died, and this is heaven… Kai thought, his eyes blurring slightly at the emotions threatening to spill forth.
Tyson's arms were wrapped around his torso, trapping his own arms against the shorter man's body. Tyson's hands were gripping the black t-shirt he wore at his lower back causing the fabric to bunch up uncomfortably. But he didn't mind at all.
"And you too Kai…" Tyson spoke lowly into his ear, a certain something in his voice making Kai's heart beat faster.
Taking a breath, Kai managed to get his arms free and he let them encircle Tyson's middle loosely. "Yeah well," He replied just as quietly so only Tyson could hear, abruptly conscious that they weren't alone. "I'll be around for a while longer…"
Kenny and Ray were watching the two with bewildered expressions.
"Kai hugs people now?" Ray's eyebrows shot up past his hairline and he turned his head to share a look with Max.
"Kai hugs Tyson." Max grinned mysteriously.
The Chief just shook his head and put his hands into the pockets of his shorts, a funny smile on his face. "Things have changed so much."
Ray looked at Tyson and Kai, then at Max before opening his mouth to ask something, but a sudden ring cut through the dojo. The doorbell had rung.
"The door again!?" Tyson complained, his arms slipping from around Kai, not noticing that Kai had yet to let go of him.
"I'll get it Tyson, you keep at it." Kenny said already on his way.
"Awesome, thanks Chief!" Tyson grinned and his arms were around Kai again, picking the taller man up slightly, his unruly hair sticking into the former team captain's face.
"I think he meant the cleaning, not the hugging." Max drawled, a smug look on his face.
I'm not complaining… Kai thought hazily. To the owner of Biovolt, Max's words could have been light-years away, because he'd lost all focus once the feel of that soft hair touched his skin. His own arms wound around Tyson's waist, tighter than before.
A clatter and the chink of glass against the wooden floor sounded, and the Bladebreakers all turned towards the source of the noise, Tyson letting Kai go, a worried expression painted on his features.
"Oh careful Naomi!" Kenny's voice was concerned as he knelt down and started picking up some of the sandwiches and juice bottles, which were thankfully not broken, from the floor.
Naomi was staring at Kai with something unreadable on her face, until she broke eye contact sharply and stooped down, shakily placing the food back into the tote bag that had fallen. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I dropped it…" She took the sandwiches from Kenny's hands and replaced them into the bag too. "Oh… I'm so sorry!" Her voice was slightly sad.
"Hey," Tyson had his arm around his fiancée's shoulders in an instant. "It's alright." He smiled gently at Naomi. "It didn't break."
Naomi looked down at the glass juice bottle in her hand, then back up at her fiancé. Tyson's gorgeous eyes sparkled and the girl flushed, knowing that she had been worried over nothing… She glanced over at Kai then took Tyson's hand as he helped her up. Yes, it was nothing…
"I just stopped by with some lunch." Naomi gave a slight smile at Kenny then looked at Tyson. "I… thought you might be hungry with all the work you've been doing."
"You brought food? I can see why you're marrying her Tyson." Ray said, coming over to the couple, amused.
"She brought dinner last night too." Max called out, going back to moving some old furniture.
"Did she?" The Chinese blader smiled and took Naomi's hand, shaking it. "It's good to meet you. I'm Ray Kon."
"I'm Naomi."
"So what do you think!?" Tyson swept his arms out, and Ray moved to the side so they were no longer blocking Naomi's view of the whole dojo.
It was a mess.
"Wow um… it looks…it looks…" She struggled to find something good to say about the chaotic disarray the dojo had become. "It's getting there." She finished.
"Oookay! Chop chop you guys!" Tyson clapped his hands loudly, "Lots of work to do!! You guys finish this up while I eat some lunch!!"
"TYSON!!"
"Woah!!" Tyson exclaimed as Ray forcefully pulled him back among the old furniture and boxes.
****
Kenny and Naomi sat on the porch outside, looking on through the sliding door, which opened into the dojo. They listened to the yells and laughter inside as the reunited Bladebreakers continued to try and clear the place out, even though it was obvious they wouldn't finish today.
"It's like he's come to life…" Naomi said watching her fiancé with the other former world champions.
Kenny nodded from beside her. "Yeah, Tyson's always been kinda different when we all get together. It's truly amazing how after all these years we can still be the best of friends."
"Just friends?" Naomi asked the Chief, her eyes not straying from a certain former team captain.
Kenny noticed who she was looking at and chuckled. "We were hardly enemies!" He sweatdropped. "Well… most of the time."
Naomi nodded slowly. "Tyson's told me a lot of things about the adventure you guys had, but I don't remember him ever telling me that Kai was…" She tried to find the right word. "Nice."
The Chief paused in his typing on his laptop. "People change, I guess." His fingers pressed at the keys once again. "Tyson has a way of changing people."
Naomi played with the simple engagement ring on her finger. Her voice was soft. "I know."
****
After all the others had left that evening to rest up and do their own thing, Tyson had found himself wandering back into the dojo just after dinner with Naomi and his grandpa.
The moon was a distant sliver in the sky, shining brightly through the high windows and casting wide beams of moonlight against the floor. Shadows stretched throughout the room outlining all the junk that hadn't been cleared out yet. His eyes travelled over the floor until he caught sight of what he had been looking for.
The box.
The longhaired young man walked over and Tyson braced his leg on top of it, leaning his arm against his thigh.
At the time, I didn't even think about moving it together. Tyson thought, remember Kai's shocked look when he had dropped it. But it's probably what we should of done all along, even if that half-baked contest was pretty fun.
A soft knocking brought him out of his thoughts, and the world champion looked over to the doorway. Naomi stood there, the starlight illuminating her.
"Something wrong Tyson?"
"Nah," He shook his head and stepped off of the box. "Just checking out this one that was way too heavy to move."
"Hmm," she smiled. "Silly, why didn't you use the trolley?" She walked over to the far wall where the metal structure was lined up neatly with the cart they had used earlier that day. Wheeling it over, the metal plate rested against the floor so it was a simple matter of pushing the box onto it, then clearing it out.
"Now why didn't I think of that!" Tyson laughed then the two of them proceeded to use their legs and push the box onto the trolley. Tyson wheeled the trolley to the courtyard outside, leaving it with the other junk that was going to be placed in a storage garage in a few days.
"That was fast." Tyson dusted off his hands on the legs of his jeans, walking with Naomi to the front door of the house.
His fiancée slipped on her shoes, and got out her car keys. "Alright, I might be around tomorrow, but I've got to go take care of something with the dressmaker." She said.
"All day!?"
"Maybe…" Naomi giggled and put a hand on his cheek. "Work on the dojo, or take a break. I'll call you before I'm finished… just don't forget me!"
"Forget you? Naomi, that'd be impossible." He smiled and kissed her cheek goodnight, watching as she left, getting into her car and driving home.
But Tyson felt guilty at what he had said about forgetting her…
Because earlier that day, he had.
****
Want me to continue soon? review please!