Author: essenceofthedark
Warning: shounen ai, if you no like, you no read, ne? One-shot.
Pairing: Kai/Rei
Author's note: This story is written as a monument over a confirmation trip we had in 9th grade and certain happenings that occurred on the bus-ride home (we were sleeping over at another school in a weekend and prepared to get ready for the confirmation), most of this didn't happen and I have no idea what went through those guys heads at the time (I've never found the right time to ask them about it), but how they end up are taken from RL, mind it's almost pure fluff… whoa, come to think of it, for once I'm writing a fic without angsty moments or any darker themes… I'm amazed, someone please whack me on my head with something hard…
However, I don't think it came out as good as it was destined to be (that's life, eh?), but I deem it good enough to put up here…
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any other anime/manga for that matter. If I did, I wouldn't be here writing these pathetic excuses of some fanfictions. Besides if you've read my fanfictions, you will probably understand why I don't own any… However, the story is mine and mine alone, got it? I know I can't really stop anyone if they steal it, but if someone did without asking me first I would be angry so angry and those people would have to taste my wrath… I promise you, it's far from pleasant eyebrow's twitching while starting to threaten with katana (Motokochano-style, you know the kendoonnao from Love Hina by Akamatsusenseio, I do not own her either…)
The disclaimer and the warning count for this and all future chapters.
It had been a long day and we were heading back to our hotel by bus. I felt worn out to the bones; I guess I could have fallen asleep right then and there if it hadn't been for the fact that I have a hard time sleeping in any kind of vehicles. It's something that might have come from fear of sleeping until you've passed the place you're supposed to go off on, and/or that I just don't feel like trusting people enough to sleep amongst them. Yes, I know I have nothing to fear from my team, but by now it has become as much as a habit, as a precaution.
I yawned, and continued to look out of the window. Watching the landscape go by me quite fast. This were going to become a long journey to my room were I would finally be able to sleep. I looked around in the bus we had rented, or that Mr. Dickenson had rented more precisely. I sat on the first seat in the whole bus with a little distance between the others and myself. Max and Takao sat somewhere in the middle of the bus and were genkio as usual, I honestly believe that we have to reduce Max' sugar-intake, and maybe Takao's too, they sat chatting with each other about some kind of game that was probably one of the newest and most fashionable in their school. Just looking at them tires me. In that way I guess I'm like a cat, well I AM a neko-jin after all, but I like to just curve up and save my strength to later, instead of using them up constantly.
Kyuji sat two seats longer forward than them, typing on his laptop as usual. I don't see how he ever gets enough sleep since he's doing all the technical work alone. Very often he ends up working all night, and the next day he behaves as if he had slept more than the obligatory eight hours. After travelling around with him in all this time he is starting to freak me out. It is creepy how he manages to keep himself awake all the time. I have to ask him sometime what he is eating.
And, not surprisingly really, Kai was sitting alone in the back of the bus. He looked as bored as I felt, it was all I could do not to go and sit down beside him, but knowing him, my company would most likely not be appreciated. I sighed, he was a loner and I just had to accept that, besides what should we talk about? I have no idea what he is interested in, let alone if he is interested in anything else than beyblading. Not that I really did care what he was interested in, but a part of me was curious. Probably the same part of me that made me feel warm inside every time he said something to me or whenever he looked at me or we just were close to one another.
I turned back to my window, feeling my attention against everything slipping. My mind was going into some sort of stand-by mode as my eyes just stared empty into the air, not really seeing anything. Kai. Why did I feel so comfortable every time I was near him? I had no idea, and before I could think further the bus started to vibrate violently before stopping suddenly. I focused my eyes and saw that we had stopped on a road and not a house in sight. Confused I looked at the others. What the hell had just happened?1 The others looked just as confused as I felt, except Kai of course. He didn't look affected by the sudden stop at all.
"What's up? Why have we stopped?" Surprisingly Takao had somehow avoided my attention, and stood now in the front, talking with the bus driver. "I'm sorry kid, but something seems to be wrong with the engine, I have to check it out before I know what's wrong." The driver rose from his seat and went outside. I sighed. Great, more time before I could lay down in my own bed and sleep. Well there was nothing else to do but brace myself for even more time with no sleep.
After a while the driver came back inside, with a look that said everything. In other words we would have to hitchhike. "I'm sorry kids, but the engine is done for, so I guess we'll have to hitchhike," he said before going back outside. What did I tell you? I must be psychic or something. Then, as Takao made as to go outside the driver called through the door. "Just stay inside, I'll stop the first vehicle that passes us" and Takao sat down again, continuing his chat with Max. This didn't seem to bother Kyuji or Kai either. Well, at least it didn't seem to bother Kai more than anything else.
When I had studied the oh-so-not-interesting surroundings thoroughly, my mind started to scream for some vehicle or something to catch my attention to come. I'd even be happy if an old oxidized car with a drunk driver came, I was that desperate for sleep now. Suddenly I heard some motor-sound coming closer from behind us. I turned in my seat to see what made the sound. And before I knew more another bus had stopped beside us. At least, maybe I'd get some sleep today. I got up and followed the others out of our bus and on the other bus.
The first thing I noticed when I got on the other bus was that it was almost as full of people that it could be. Please, don't say I have to stand; I don't think I'm awake enough to stand2. I looked around in the bus, but I could not see any free seats. Kyuji, Max and Takao had stuffed themselves into one seat, which most likely meant that there were no more seats, which meant that I would be standing. Oh happy day.
Suddenly I heard a gruff voice right beside me. "Rei, I don't bite" Guess who it was? Our oh-so-friendly-and-gentle-captain Kai to the rescue. Okey, he wasn't always gentle or friendly. Was he ever? But right then he seemed like an angel to me. How could I have missed seeing the free seat beside him? Okey, I'm tired, that has to be the explanation, but still…
"I know you don't bite, Kai. I just didn't see that the seat beside you was free" I replied before sitting down beside him. "Hn" was all he said before turning back to the window. At first I sat rather tense and uncomfortably beside him, as I always did when sitting beside someone, but soon I relaxed. I could feel the warmth emitting from him, and I started to feel quite comfortable as I always did when close to him. I never knew it could feel so good sitting beside someone on a bus. I didn't like sitting among foreign people in the first place, and sitting on a full bus beside someone always made me even more tense, but for once I didn't mind. I had no idea why I suddenly felt so relaxed, but I did. I blinked. What was this? I actually felt comfortable sitting together with someone in a bus? That must be the first time ever. Soon I could feel my eyelids drooping, but forced them to stay open. Just because I almost fell asleep didn't mean that it was 'safe' to sleep. Then I just felt as if dark fog slid over me like some kind of warm and comfortable blanket. The last thing I remembered was a warm and comfortable body at my left side before I slumbered off.
I woke up feeling warmth emitted from the same body when I woke, and a light pressure on the top of my head that seemed… my head seemed to be resting on… something. Suddenly my sensitive ears became aware of faint snickering and giggling and then a fast snap. Curiously I opened my eyes only to see a certain bluenette and blonde trying to restrain their laughter as much as they could. Takao was dark red in his face from keeping his laughter inside himself and Max was shaking with silent laughter. I noticed that Max was holding tightly onto his digital camera he had bought earlier this day. Suddenly I became aware of my position as something beside me stirred. I sat, leaning my head on Kai's shoulder, while his head were leaning on top of mine. I blushed immediately as his eyes opened, and for one moment he was caught off guard. His eyes widened in surprise and quickly he removed his head from its present position and just as quickly I did the same. When I looked at him again his usual guard was up in his eyes, everything inside him hidden from view by crimson ice.
"Hey," Takao said while grinning widely and still trying to restrain his laughter. "Don't move, you two looked so cute," then he and Max broke down in another laughing fit. I could see from the corner of my eyes that a slight red tinge graced Kai's cheeks as he looked out the window. I am sure that my cheeks weren't 'tinged' with red as Kai's were. A flaring Midsummer Eve bonfire was probably a more fitting description. When I didn't say anything, and neither did Kai, Max and Takao got tired of it and went back to their own seats to mind their own business, thankfully, but not before Max had informed us that he had taken several pictures of us, and there would be blackmail later. It might only have been my imagination, but it seemed like the red in Kai's face deepened in colour. I almost chuckled inside myself, Kai actually blushed, I had never though I'd live to see the day.
For the rest of the ride there was as much space between Kai and me as the seats allowed, and none of us looked at the other. I felt totally spaced out as I could only think of one thing: How do I get copies of those pictures?
o Wordlist: Genki energetic etc…
1 Some people here on seem to imagine Rei as a strict non-swearing person, a view on him I doesn't agree with. I feel slightly annoyed every time that happens, no offence to those who thinks so. As I'm a "northern bastard", swearing and cussing are a big part of my everyday, I don't know how it is with the "southern softies" though, but I doubt it's totally unheard of down there either, anyway, in my ears it sounds strange that there is someone that has so much against it… except "certain persons" coughmygrandmothercough…
2Is it just me or have I developed an uninteresting habit to talk about sleep? I mean I just realised that I'm talking very often about it… I feel pathetic!
Well maybe it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it had (I read through it one more time), I think it actually turned out to be quite nice (though it could have been better). I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have done writing it… and yes, those two guys fell asleep on the bus and rested their heads just like that… too bad I didn't get a picture.…