Warm Ice
Summary: Rei Kon and Max Mizuhara were the new up and coming Figure skating pair, but a freak accident is causing Rei to partner up with Kai Hiwatari. And neither are fond of each other. Warnings: Yaoi. Rei/Max Kai/Tala and eventually Kai/Rei Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, the characters or any references to the show in any way, nor will I admit to liking the show in anyway.
Chapter One: What One Fall Can Bring
Rei Kon knew there was nothing like it, and for that reason he relished in the feeling. His feet gliding over the ice, hair flowing behind him and body strong in posture was the best feeling in the world. Ice-skating had a feel all its own that Rei found not many people understood. To him it could take any bad day and force a feeling of freedom into his body.
His golden eyes searched the seats in the ice skating arena for his partner. Max had promised to be at every solo practice. When he couldn't find the familiar blonde his smile threatened to drop, but taking a corner and switching the lead foot, the feeling rushed at him and he kept his smile.
"Way to go Rei!" Surprise caught Rei in a split second and his feet crossed, almost taking him down to the hard ice. He regained his balance and looked towards the female voice.
"Hiromi?" Rei make a quick skate to the other side of the arena to peer questioningly at the girl. "What are you doing here?"
The brunette gave a quick shrug, crossed her legs and flicked her hair. "Rei, please call me Hillary, I hate Hiromi. I still haven't figured out what my parents were thinking."
"You never answered my question," Rei told her, leaning over the barrier wall. "Why are you here?" A guilty look came over her face and Rei's own fell. "He's not going to make it, now is he? He isn't hurt, right? Is he at the hospital again?" Worry washing over Rei he threw a leg over the barrier, prepared to get his skates off as fast as possible and rush to the hospital.
A soft hand pressed into his chest forcing him to stay on the ice. "No, Max isn't hurt," She tried to assure him. "He just asked me to come here and watch you while he's off talking to someone. He said he'd make it in time to watch you skate the last half an hour. So don't worry, he should be here very soon."
Rei nodded, letting out a quick breath of relief. He couldn't help but let worry consume him. Ever since his lover's terrible fall, he had worried for Max. He knew no matter what Max told him, the accident had been his own fault. He shouldn't have pushed so hard or twisted as much. It was his fault his lover and best friend had a broken ankle and couldn't compete anymore.
"Rei? Rei, you still with me here?"
Golden eyes blinked back into focus and Rei nodded, waving his hand and shaking the bad feeling off. "Yeah, I guess I'll go practice some more then. How long do you plan on staying?"
Hillary shrugged, "At least another half and hour or so, maybe until Max shows up."
Rei nodded, skating back to the middle of the ice. "I shouldn't even be practicing," He told himself. "We won't be ready in time." He set up for a simple Toe Loop. Gaining speed moving backwards, he turned slightly to balance on the outside edge of his right skate. He pointed his left toe in preparation for the left rotation. Then with a quick flash he froze. He tried to abort at the wrong moment and crashed down hard.
"Rei! Rei are you alright!?" In a daze he looked up to the ceiling lights. The ice he was laying on was beginning to wet his back, but the fall had taken all the air from his body. The world was spinning, his chest heaving frantically. "Rei, I'm coming! Hold still!"
There were a few screams and nervous laughs as Hillary tried her best to navigate the ice with soft shoes. Nonetheless how graceful, she reached Rei's side. "Rei, talk to me!"
"I'm fine," Rei groaned, slowly sitting up. "That hurt like hell." With Hillary's help he climbed to his feet and brushed a bit of ice off of him. "I think I'm going to take a quick rest." Hillary nodded, helping him off the ice.
Above the two figures on the ice stood another pair in the overlooking office. Max Mizuhara had his hands and face currently placed against the window, eyes tracking his fallen lover, worrying for his safety. Falls could be nasty, even if they didn't look it. Not many people understood the amount of danger they put themselves through every time they performed. He knew people who had broken unfixable parts of their body. He knew those that would never skate again.
"I told you, he will be fine," Came a strong and cold voice behind him. "It knocked a lot out of him, but he'll be back skating in half an hour."
Max managed a last glance to the now resting Rei before fully turning back to the blue haired teen. "Like I said, Rei has got more potential then I've ever seen before. I've grown up around the best at this company and I know Rei can be better than all of them. He just needs someone experienced to teach him. He and his partner could take gold at the North American National Figure Skating Championships later this year. Kai, I can't be that person anymore, and I need you to be that person instead."
Beside him Kai approached the glass, glancing down at the black haired teen. "Yes, he does have potential to be a great skater, but he also has the potential to hurt everyone he skates with. You are a good example of that. Just because he's got talent, doesn't mean I'm going to risk my life. He has hurt every partner he's skated with, hasn't he?"
Max crossed his arms. "He's only really hurt me, and it wasn't his fault. My feet weren't right when we went for the jump. I'm just thankful I didn't hurt him. He's the one who really stands the chance of getting hurt." Max's gaze hardened on Kai. "That's why I want someone to partner with him that I can trust. Someone I know is experienced enough to not let him get hurt."
Kai was silent, watching Rei slip off his skates and take a drink from his water bottle. "You're asking a lot. He hasn't had any training in doubles. He doesn't know the pattern, the jumps or the lifts. It would be very hard to teach him so much and make the competitions."
Max leaned on his crutches and ran a hand through his hair. "You don't know Rei, and you don't know how much he wants to prove himself. He hasn't had a good life, just like you. He wants to win, just like you. He's so much like you it's unbelievable. You can do it Kai, you can give him his dream."
"You love him?" Kai asked quietly.
"Yeah," Max smiled at the thought. "I love him a lot. I love him enough to give him his dream without me. That's why I want you here. You're the best."
Silver gray eyes narrowed on Max. "You understand that in order for me to teach him everything, I'll have to get close. We'll need to be with each other most of the time. You know that couple's skating isn't just about knowing your partner on the ice; it's about knowing everything about your partner in general. I'll need to spend time with him to know how he moves. I'll need to see how much he trusts me and I need to lean how to trust him. We will need to be very close."
"Yeah, I know," Max told him. "I trust Rei. I know what has to happen." There was another pause from Max before he placed his hands on his hips. "So, are you going to help him out or not?"
"For this season only. My partner will be back from Russia after this season and I will be teaming up with him. But for this season, I will do everything I can to teach him at least the basics."
A sad smile graced Max's face and he nodded, holding out his hand. After a quick shake, Max maneuvered his way to the door with the help of his crutches. "Well, lets go, I'll need to introduce him to you and then I'll find you guys a suitable complex apartment. You'll be living around the other guys going to the championships. We all live together so we can train together and master ourselves and each other."
Rei had just recently made his way back onto the ice and was doing simple laps when familiar blonde hair came into view. "Max!" Rei's eyes lit up as he spotted the boy he cared for dearly. "Max, you're back!"
Ignoring the male next to Max, Rei slid over the barrier and rushed up the steps the best his skate clad feet would allow. He threw his arms around Max and squeezed, feeling better. "I missed you," Rei told him, pulling back and taking a quick seat next to Max in order to remove his skates.
"I missed you too," Max answered. "Rei, I want you to meet Kai Hiwatari."
Rei raised an eyebrow at the stiff boy, but offered his hand to Kai. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rei Kon."
Kai shook his hand slowly, almost freezing from the immediate warmth that flooded his body like he had never felt before. He wrenched his hand away, not liking the warm, safe feeling one bit. This caused Rei to give him a skeptical look.
"So, who is he?" Rei asked Max. "Is he going to be in the competition?"
Max's face took on an uneven look as he balanced on one foot, refusing to wield to a seat and face Rei at eye level. He figured he needed all the leverage he could get. "Sort of . . . ." Max trailed off.
"I'm going to be your new partner," Kai told him bluntly. "You want to participate in the couples and I'm here to make sure you get that chance."
Rei was climbing to his feet immediately, after only removing one skate. He turned accusing eyes on his boyfriend. "Max, I thought we agreed that you were going to recover and then we were going to skate together. Or if you didn't get well enough, we'd wait another year. We decided it was us or nothing!"
"Rei, please try to understand," Max placed his hands on Rei's shoulders. "You want this really bad, don't you?" Rei nodded and Max smiled. "Then you have to know that Kai is the best. He's going to make sure you learn everything I was going to teach you. He's going to make you greater then I could. He's going to take you to the North American National Figure Skating Championships. I know it's what you want. So do this for me, because I just want you to be happy."
Rei was indecisive, now noticing Hillary by his side. He glanced between his soft lover and the cold teen standing next to him. He did want it. He wanted it so bad it hurt. He knew it would eat away at him if he didn't do something about it. He had to take the chance. He had to do what Max asked. "Alright. I'll give it a shot."
Max nodded happily, but Kai broke in between them. "This isn't a game. I'm doing this because I know you have potential. But I'm not going to waste my time on you if I don't see you working harder then you ever have. I'm not going to allow you to hurt yourself or me. You're going to put your everything into this or I'm not sticking around."
Anger filled Rei's vision and he balled his hands into fists. "I'm done practicing here. I'll meet you back home Max."
The uneasy look was back as Max halted Rei. "Another thing." Rei's face fell ever farther and he began to shake his head. "Yes, Rei," Max told him. "You have to move in with Kai. You two have to practice all the time, and you know it."
In fury Rei snapped back to Kai. "Aside from practicing you stay away from me." In a huff the Chinese born teen kicked off his skate, picked it up with the other one and marched away, Hillary trailing after him.
"It won't work if he won't trust me."
Max sighed and nodded. "I'll get him to cooperate." Tucking some hair back Max prepared to ascend up the stairs. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying."
Summary: Rei Kon and Max Mizuhara were the new up and coming Figure skating pair, but a freak accident is causing Rei to partner up with Kai Hiwatari. And neither are fond of each other. Warnings: Yaoi. Rei/Max Kai/Tala and eventually Kai/Rei Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, the characters or any references to the show in any way, nor will I admit to liking the show in anyway.
Chapter One: What One Fall Can Bring
Rei Kon knew there was nothing like it, and for that reason he relished in the feeling. His feet gliding over the ice, hair flowing behind him and body strong in posture was the best feeling in the world. Ice-skating had a feel all its own that Rei found not many people understood. To him it could take any bad day and force a feeling of freedom into his body.
His golden eyes searched the seats in the ice skating arena for his partner. Max had promised to be at every solo practice. When he couldn't find the familiar blonde his smile threatened to drop, but taking a corner and switching the lead foot, the feeling rushed at him and he kept his smile.
"Way to go Rei!" Surprise caught Rei in a split second and his feet crossed, almost taking him down to the hard ice. He regained his balance and looked towards the female voice.
"Hiromi?" Rei make a quick skate to the other side of the arena to peer questioningly at the girl. "What are you doing here?"
The brunette gave a quick shrug, crossed her legs and flicked her hair. "Rei, please call me Hillary, I hate Hiromi. I still haven't figured out what my parents were thinking."
"You never answered my question," Rei told her, leaning over the barrier wall. "Why are you here?" A guilty look came over her face and Rei's own fell. "He's not going to make it, now is he? He isn't hurt, right? Is he at the hospital again?" Worry washing over Rei he threw a leg over the barrier, prepared to get his skates off as fast as possible and rush to the hospital.
A soft hand pressed into his chest forcing him to stay on the ice. "No, Max isn't hurt," She tried to assure him. "He just asked me to come here and watch you while he's off talking to someone. He said he'd make it in time to watch you skate the last half an hour. So don't worry, he should be here very soon."
Rei nodded, letting out a quick breath of relief. He couldn't help but let worry consume him. Ever since his lover's terrible fall, he had worried for Max. He knew no matter what Max told him, the accident had been his own fault. He shouldn't have pushed so hard or twisted as much. It was his fault his lover and best friend had a broken ankle and couldn't compete anymore.
"Rei? Rei, you still with me here?"
Golden eyes blinked back into focus and Rei nodded, waving his hand and shaking the bad feeling off. "Yeah, I guess I'll go practice some more then. How long do you plan on staying?"
Hillary shrugged, "At least another half and hour or so, maybe until Max shows up."
Rei nodded, skating back to the middle of the ice. "I shouldn't even be practicing," He told himself. "We won't be ready in time." He set up for a simple Toe Loop. Gaining speed moving backwards, he turned slightly to balance on the outside edge of his right skate. He pointed his left toe in preparation for the left rotation. Then with a quick flash he froze. He tried to abort at the wrong moment and crashed down hard.
"Rei! Rei are you alright!?" In a daze he looked up to the ceiling lights. The ice he was laying on was beginning to wet his back, but the fall had taken all the air from his body. The world was spinning, his chest heaving frantically. "Rei, I'm coming! Hold still!"
There were a few screams and nervous laughs as Hillary tried her best to navigate the ice with soft shoes. Nonetheless how graceful, she reached Rei's side. "Rei, talk to me!"
"I'm fine," Rei groaned, slowly sitting up. "That hurt like hell." With Hillary's help he climbed to his feet and brushed a bit of ice off of him. "I think I'm going to take a quick rest." Hillary nodded, helping him off the ice.
Above the two figures on the ice stood another pair in the overlooking office. Max Mizuhara had his hands and face currently placed against the window, eyes tracking his fallen lover, worrying for his safety. Falls could be nasty, even if they didn't look it. Not many people understood the amount of danger they put themselves through every time they performed. He knew people who had broken unfixable parts of their body. He knew those that would never skate again.
"I told you, he will be fine," Came a strong and cold voice behind him. "It knocked a lot out of him, but he'll be back skating in half an hour."
Max managed a last glance to the now resting Rei before fully turning back to the blue haired teen. "Like I said, Rei has got more potential then I've ever seen before. I've grown up around the best at this company and I know Rei can be better than all of them. He just needs someone experienced to teach him. He and his partner could take gold at the North American National Figure Skating Championships later this year. Kai, I can't be that person anymore, and I need you to be that person instead."
Beside him Kai approached the glass, glancing down at the black haired teen. "Yes, he does have potential to be a great skater, but he also has the potential to hurt everyone he skates with. You are a good example of that. Just because he's got talent, doesn't mean I'm going to risk my life. He has hurt every partner he's skated with, hasn't he?"
Max crossed his arms. "He's only really hurt me, and it wasn't his fault. My feet weren't right when we went for the jump. I'm just thankful I didn't hurt him. He's the one who really stands the chance of getting hurt." Max's gaze hardened on Kai. "That's why I want someone to partner with him that I can trust. Someone I know is experienced enough to not let him get hurt."
Kai was silent, watching Rei slip off his skates and take a drink from his water bottle. "You're asking a lot. He hasn't had any training in doubles. He doesn't know the pattern, the jumps or the lifts. It would be very hard to teach him so much and make the competitions."
Max leaned on his crutches and ran a hand through his hair. "You don't know Rei, and you don't know how much he wants to prove himself. He hasn't had a good life, just like you. He wants to win, just like you. He's so much like you it's unbelievable. You can do it Kai, you can give him his dream."
"You love him?" Kai asked quietly.
"Yeah," Max smiled at the thought. "I love him a lot. I love him enough to give him his dream without me. That's why I want you here. You're the best."
Silver gray eyes narrowed on Max. "You understand that in order for me to teach him everything, I'll have to get close. We'll need to be with each other most of the time. You know that couple's skating isn't just about knowing your partner on the ice; it's about knowing everything about your partner in general. I'll need to spend time with him to know how he moves. I'll need to see how much he trusts me and I need to lean how to trust him. We will need to be very close."
"Yeah, I know," Max told him. "I trust Rei. I know what has to happen." There was another pause from Max before he placed his hands on his hips. "So, are you going to help him out or not?"
"For this season only. My partner will be back from Russia after this season and I will be teaming up with him. But for this season, I will do everything I can to teach him at least the basics."
A sad smile graced Max's face and he nodded, holding out his hand. After a quick shake, Max maneuvered his way to the door with the help of his crutches. "Well, lets go, I'll need to introduce him to you and then I'll find you guys a suitable complex apartment. You'll be living around the other guys going to the championships. We all live together so we can train together and master ourselves and each other."
Rei had just recently made his way back onto the ice and was doing simple laps when familiar blonde hair came into view. "Max!" Rei's eyes lit up as he spotted the boy he cared for dearly. "Max, you're back!"
Ignoring the male next to Max, Rei slid over the barrier and rushed up the steps the best his skate clad feet would allow. He threw his arms around Max and squeezed, feeling better. "I missed you," Rei told him, pulling back and taking a quick seat next to Max in order to remove his skates.
"I missed you too," Max answered. "Rei, I want you to meet Kai Hiwatari."
Rei raised an eyebrow at the stiff boy, but offered his hand to Kai. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rei Kon."
Kai shook his hand slowly, almost freezing from the immediate warmth that flooded his body like he had never felt before. He wrenched his hand away, not liking the warm, safe feeling one bit. This caused Rei to give him a skeptical look.
"So, who is he?" Rei asked Max. "Is he going to be in the competition?"
Max's face took on an uneven look as he balanced on one foot, refusing to wield to a seat and face Rei at eye level. He figured he needed all the leverage he could get. "Sort of . . . ." Max trailed off.
"I'm going to be your new partner," Kai told him bluntly. "You want to participate in the couples and I'm here to make sure you get that chance."
Rei was climbing to his feet immediately, after only removing one skate. He turned accusing eyes on his boyfriend. "Max, I thought we agreed that you were going to recover and then we were going to skate together. Or if you didn't get well enough, we'd wait another year. We decided it was us or nothing!"
"Rei, please try to understand," Max placed his hands on Rei's shoulders. "You want this really bad, don't you?" Rei nodded and Max smiled. "Then you have to know that Kai is the best. He's going to make sure you learn everything I was going to teach you. He's going to make you greater then I could. He's going to take you to the North American National Figure Skating Championships. I know it's what you want. So do this for me, because I just want you to be happy."
Rei was indecisive, now noticing Hillary by his side. He glanced between his soft lover and the cold teen standing next to him. He did want it. He wanted it so bad it hurt. He knew it would eat away at him if he didn't do something about it. He had to take the chance. He had to do what Max asked. "Alright. I'll give it a shot."
Max nodded happily, but Kai broke in between them. "This isn't a game. I'm doing this because I know you have potential. But I'm not going to waste my time on you if I don't see you working harder then you ever have. I'm not going to allow you to hurt yourself or me. You're going to put your everything into this or I'm not sticking around."
Anger filled Rei's vision and he balled his hands into fists. "I'm done practicing here. I'll meet you back home Max."
The uneasy look was back as Max halted Rei. "Another thing." Rei's face fell ever farther and he began to shake his head. "Yes, Rei," Max told him. "You have to move in with Kai. You two have to practice all the time, and you know it."
In fury Rei snapped back to Kai. "Aside from practicing you stay away from me." In a huff the Chinese born teen kicked off his skate, picked it up with the other one and marched away, Hillary trailing after him.
"It won't work if he won't trust me."
Max sighed and nodded. "I'll get him to cooperate." Tucking some hair back Max prepared to ascend up the stairs. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying."