Chapter ten

Goodbye Max

Weeks had pasted and still no word and no sign of Kai, Ray was starting to worry, not only was it because that Kai said that he wouldn't be long, but also because that today was the day that they all were going to say goodbye to Max.

Ray sighed; it had taken him ages to think of the right words to say about Max, nothing seemed right.

"Ray are you ready?" A small voice asked at his door.

Ray looked to see Kenny smartly dressed in a black suit, similar to the one that Tyson was going to wear. Different to the other boys, Ray had decided to wear a traditional Chinese dress, similar to the clothes that he would normally wear but black. "Yeah I think so…but then again I doubt anyone is ready for this sort of thing."

"True," Kenny gave a weak smile. "Tyson said that he wouldn't come out unless you were going to be there."

Ray stood up and grabbed his speech from the desk where he had written it and put it in on of his pockets. "Ok I better go get him." Slowly Ray walked to Tyson's room, hoping that the blue-headed boy would be ready.

Over the past week Tyson had only came out of his room a small number of times. Mostly for odd dinners that the three remaining breakers shared. Ray over the past week had to make some hard decisions, some that he thought through long and hard, most of the decisions where of the team. Now with Kai gone, would the team go on? Or would Kai come back in time to be there for the next bey battle?

"Tyson are you ready?" Ray asked knocking on the door twice.

The door slowly opened and the keeper of Dragoon walked out. "I will never be ready to say goodbye to my Max."

The trip over to the church was quite, none of the three bladers wanting to speak of what was taking place on that day.

As soon as the three boys had arrived they walked into the packed church, seeing members of other beyblading teams that had come to pay their last respects to a fine bey blader. White Tigers, All Starz, Majestics and many others.

Tyson, Kenny and Ray walked to the front pews where they saw Max's mum and dad and Mr. Dickenson. They all exchanged hugs before they sat and waited for the mass to begin.

The mass started with Tears in Heaven, by Eric Clapton As the priest that was going to do the mass walked in. Already Tyson, Kenny and Max's Mother was in tears.

Hold yourself together Ray, Ray kept repeating to himself as he watched the priest proceed with the mass.

Most of the mass was a blur to Ray until it came to the part where the mass was over and he, among with Tyson, Kenny, Michael from the All Stars and Max's Dad had to carry Max to the rear by cemetery.

Tyson and Ray took the front of the coffin and Michael and Max's dad took the back. They exited the church with a song done by Evanescence Max's favourite band. My Immortal. With most of the people following the coffin to the burial site, they didn't have to wait long for the rest of the people to come.

The priest called forth for the people that were going to speak the eulogies. Michael of the All Starz and Tyson and Ray.

Michael spoke first. He spoke of what a great blader Max was, and his team spirit.

Tyson was next. Stopping the tears that flowed uncontrollably earlier on. "Max wasn't just a friend that I would blade with, or my boyfriend that I would want to share the rest of my life with." Tyson took a deep breath and looked at all the people that were watching him. "He was my soul mate, my guarding angel. Max was always there when I needed him the most, but I guess when Max needed me I wasn't there for him." Tyson looked up to the blue sky above them, as he could feel the urge to cry again. "I'm sorry Maxie…I'm sorry that I wasn't there when you needed me, I'm sorry for not being the person that you wanted me to be…I'm so sorry."

Tyson in tears, feel to his knees on the ground and a nearby Kenny hugged the blue-headed boy.

Ray took a deep breath, as it was his turn to pay his last respects. "Max was a friend, our team-mate, and as some would put it one of our long lost brothers. I had trouble thinking of what I could say today, that wouldn't be so corny, or something that had been done so many times before me. You see the person that I turned to a lot of the time had left me, and the words that I thought would of come naturally so many times before, didn't. I know the life that was lost to all of us will never be replaced, and with the times that we had shared with this kindred spirit we will hold close to our hearts forever. With the words I say on this day, I know people will forget, so I pray that you all think of the most happiest moment that you shared with Max and keep it locked away, as I know I will and I'll think of it everyday as I try and live on with out the laughter, the smiles and the conversations that I once shared with him."

Ray let out a suppressed breath out and put his shaking hands in his pockets. It was over; he had shared his thoughts to everyone that had come to this day.

"Its ok Tyson let it out."

Ray looked down to where Kenny was hugging a crying Tyson. I know how you feel Tyson, losing a loved one. But I don't I don't know how I feel about knowing that Kai is out there and not going to come back to me, or the team. Ray looked over to where they were lowering the coffin into the ground.

Ray I wish that you knew I was here…I wish that I could hold you and tell you that everything is going to be ok, Kai thought as he stood his distance in a shadow of a tree as he watched the friends and family of Max say their last goodbyes.

Kai had been back in Japan for a couple of days now, but never had the heart to go back into the one place that he wanted to be.

He had been to Russia, he had done the work, but he hadn't quit perfected it yet. He wanted his feelings to be in check, he wanted to be perfect before he went back into the belly of the beast, so to speak.

Kai squeezed something in his pocket. Now that I have this…I've got everything.

All three of the remaining Blade Breakers went to the grave to throw down a flower.

"We will miss you Maxie," Tyson said as he throws down a yellow rose.

Ray and Kenny followed suit, each tossing in their rose that they wanted to give to Max.

"We will miss you buddy," Kenny said wiping some tears on his shirt.

Kenny walked off with Tyson to the car and Ray was left with his thoughts and so he could say goodbye to his friend.

"Well I guess this will be the last time we can have one of our talks," Ray smiled as he knelt down on one knee in front of the open grave in front of him. "What am I going to do with out you Max? Who am I going to tell all my Kai problems to?" Ray wiped his tears away and put his head in his hands.

"Well if you have a problem with me I would hope that you would tell me," a husky voice said behind the white tiger.

Ray looked up. He knew who that voice belonged to but he couldn't believe that it was his. Ray stood up still not turning to see if that was Kai. "Now please tell me your not going to disappear if I turn around?"

"I won't."

Ray turned to see that Kai was standing behind him. Wearing black cargo pants, a black shirt that he could make out and a black cloak with the hood up. "Kai?"

Kai raised his arms up and lifted the hood off his head and let it fall down to his shoulders. "In the flesh."

Ray wasn't sure if he should be anger with the Russian teen or happy. He had been gone for so long and without even calling to say that he was ok, or too see if the remaining breakers were ok.

"Your hair has begun to grow," Kai said pointing out that small detail.

Ray slightly smiled and touched the hair that had begun to grow in place or the horsetail that he had cut off for his love. "Yeah you get that after the time that it has been cut."

Kai looked away, he thought that this would be a civilised conversation. "Ray I-"

"No Kai I don't want excuses. You know they asked you to read at the funeral, I had to turn that down for you." Kai didn't answer. "Max would have liked that, his captain, the one that he looked up to, reading at his funeral."

"Ray I don't want to hear this," Kai said turning away from him, and began to walk away but stopped and looked to the raven-haired boy. "You know if I stayed in that house with you three I would have lost it. I was so close to going totally insane in that place, I just had to get out of there." Kai walked back to standing in front of Ray. "You know me Ray, I can't handle all these emotions. I'm trying, I really am, but because of all the training I had at a young age it's just hard." Kai put his hand on Ray's cheek.

Ray leaned into the warm hand that was resting on his cheek. Then looked up to the slate-haired blader. "What do you expect me to do?"

"Don't tell anyone that I'm back, I will come back when I am ready, there are just a few more things that I have to sort out." Kai smiled. "It was good seeing you again Ray" Kai walked back a few steps still looking at Ray, and then turned putting his hood back up to cover his face.

"I promise," Ray whispered.