Chapter Two
Dinner Date
.
"Seventy-three..." Kai pushed himself up again, then down, grunting, "seventy-four... seventy-five..."
He was working himself to the point of exhaustion. Why? Because he, A, didn't plan on going to this dinner thing (his mind refused to call it a date) with that girl; B, it was hard to be a horny son of a bitch when your muscles were screaming in agony. Besides, all of his energy, sexual and otherwise, was being put into push-ups. So, to avoid his oh-so-horny-son-of-a-bitch thoughts about Sakura Daratrazanoff, he did (gasp) push-ups. And he was almost to a hundred!
"Eighty-six... eighty-seven... eighty-eight..."
'Still,' he thought to himself, 'why shouldn't I go to dinner with her?'
It's not like it was a date or anything, part of him argued, because it wasn't. He didn't do dates. No way. It wasn't a date.
So why not go?
Because he didn't want to. That was all the reason he needed: because he didn't want to. He didn't have to justify it to anybody. He didn't feel like having to dress up, go out, and deal with a simpering, bubble-headed dolt's company for two hours.
But you don't have to dress up, his inner voice argued.
Like that was the real reason.
And it's not for two hours.
Not the problem, either.
She's not a simpering, bubble-headed dolt. You know that. She tied with you in the Beyblade match, and managed to hold a very amusing, very witty conversation with you in the process, Little Master. Draanzer's voice was gentle as her mind brushed his. She seems like a nice young lady, as far as humans go, too.
The problem isn't that she's nice, Draanzer! The problem is that she's likeable!
Ahh, so we get to the root of your problem, Young Master. You see, my love, I told you he liked the girl. Actually liked her. What did I tell you?
Be quiet, Phoenix!
Darling, don't make fun of our Master! Draanzer's tone was stern, like a mother scolding a child. Kai felt the warmth of Draanzer's love suddenly surrounding him, and he continued with his exercise. You're on number ninety... five. Ninety-six.
I don't want to like her, Draanzer. Because...
Because, what, my darling? Draanzer employed the childhood name of her partner, making him relax the choke hold on his emotions, just a little. Kai replied, his telepathic voice whispered, Because if I like her, I might fall in love with her. And I won't let myself fall for anyone. Not after last time.
Draanzer and Phoenix's Bit Pieces glowed crimson and burgundy as Kai counted, "One hundred push-ups. Fuck," he added. That odious reek was coming from him "I need a shower."
Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO
Kai pressed his forehead against the cool marble of the hotel room shower wall hard enough to feel it, trying to clear his head as the hot, pounding spray washed over his tightly wound body.
He'd never been so aroused in all his life. He simply could not get that blue-eyed vixen out of his mind, no matter how much he wanted not to think of her. No matter how much he swore he would never obsess over such a beautiful girl ever, ever again.
But was it really obsession? He just wanted her body. Her delicious, sinfully wicked body, that beautiful, angelic body, that was all. Wasn't it?
He imagined, over and over again the feel of her wet, silken skin as his hands caressed her beneath the steaming spray of the showerhead, as he nuzzled her full, firm breasts. Imagined, almost against his will, as he lapped at her rosy nipples with his tongue, plunged deep into her tight, wet sheathe slick with the evidence of her desire...
Kai! Master! Draanzer's voice was full of shock and consternation. Kai could hear Phoenix, somewhere in the back of his mind, sniggering.
'Holy crap! Slow down, Hiwatari! Slow the fuck down! She's hot, get over it. Jeez! But...' He wanted her. Gods, how he wanted this new, mysterious girl.
Well, you can't always have what you want!
He trembled with wanting her as his body clenched, becoming hard and demanding. He searched deep in himself for the discipline to beat back his lust, to make it dissipate.
As his body finally, painfully relaxed, he shut off the water and dried off. He still had to meet Sakura for their dinner date. Except it wasn't a date. Of course not. It wasn't a date. It was getting together with a fellow Beyblader- one who happened to be the hottest thing on two legs- for dinner.
He wondered absently whether or not he was going to survive that.
Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO
Sakura shook out her wet hair and rinsed it under the shower spray again. She wished, suddenly, that it was Kai washing her hair, massaging, threading his fingers through her white blue tresses. She shook out her hair one final time and shut off the water. Quickly, she dried herself off and got dressed before styling her hair.
Hey, kid, who's the lucky hound dog? Hounborg's voice was full of smug male satisfaction. Sakura smiled at his intentions with the Kai/Sakura "date."
Kai is not a hound dog, Hounborg, and he's not that lucky. He tied with me, is all, that's why I'm going to dinner with him. Don't start the match making just yet.
Hear that, Polly? They tied, that's all.
Oh, ho! Little girl, little girl, he called you. Oh, that's rich, my child.
Both of you hush, I'm getting ready for my date, as you call it. Hmph!
Sakura brushed back her icy blue hair, tying it in a ponytail with a sapphire velvet scrunchie. She ran to the mirror, looking at herself.
She'd said pink, but the dress had clashed with her hair, so she'd chosen (big surprise) blue. Her shirt had bell sleeves and a ruffled neckline, and the color, ocean blue, went well with her dark blue skirt and black slip on shoes. She didn't wear any makeup (it was only for a bet, after all) but she did wear a necklace, silver with a sapphire drop, given to her by her brother. She brushed back her hair one last time, then walked downstairs to wait.
Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO
When Kai showed up, a minute to seven, he wondered where his common sense had disappeared to. What in Hell's name had possessed him to take her up on that bet? Oh well, he couldn't stand her up now without looking like a coward, or a childish boy afraid of cooties. Life's a bitch and then ya die.
So, here he was, in a black tee shirt and jeans, looking for Sakura. Having expressed her intense hatred of pink, he wasn't surprised when he saw her in a blue outfit, actually looking quite lovely. Not that he cared, though. It was just that pink would have made her seem like an airhead, probably, or a ditz. She was obviously neither. The blue clothes suited her perfectly, he had to admit.
Kai got her attention, and she walked up briskly.
"You're a bit early."
"Only by 30 seconds, little girl. I'll leave if you want."
"And miss out on an evening of your esteemed company? No, precious, that's quite all right. So, where are we going?"
"If you don't mind being outside, there's this one place I know. Nobody will bother us."
'And see me with you on what looks like a date,' he thought, and felt Draanzer bristle a little in annoyance. Sakura nodded and followed him, wondering if she should talk. Finally, she said, "Where are we going?"
"There." He pointed to a building, about seven stories high, that looked rather expensive. Too much for her wallet, at least.
"I thought you said we were going outside," she murmured plaintively, staring up and up and up... and feeling chilled as a memory of being here before suddenly slithered its slimy, vicious little way into her mind.
"We are. My grandfather owns this place, and there's a place up on the roof that's pretty cool. Or, if you're really uncomfortable with it, I could take you home-" The thought made him wince, though. Sakura smirked, effectively hiding any signs of unease that had been there before.
"What, and miss bothering you for the rest of the evening? Please. My heart would die, bereft of you, Kai. I couldn't take it."
Kai smirked at her, and she arched one delicate eyebrow in response.
"Hn."
Sakura smacked his shoulder gently.
"Don't 'hn' me, boy, or I'll battle you and bruise your ego again."
On the roof, Kai smirked at Sakura's look of wonder as she surveyed the view.
"Boshemoi!"
He glanced at her, puzzled. She didn't have an accent that he could tell, but she'd just spoken in Russian. Was she from another country?
He shrugged, then, damning himself, asked, "What's your last name? Where are you from?"
"Daratrazanoff. And I'm from Moscow, Russia. Why?"
"Just wondering."
"What about you?" Kai shrugged, able to comfortably remember a few things.
"My grandfather, who's my legal guardian, his name is Henri Voltaire. But my mother, his daughter, the Lady Marishka Hiwatari, married a man named Eitaro Kaido. My grandfather didn't approve, and when my parents died, changed my name. I don't remember them."
"Your grandfather is Lord Voltaire?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, Baron Henri Voltaire. Why? Do you know him?" Sakura nodded, trying to school her slightly panicked expression. She murmured, "Yeah, he's… a friend of my father's." She shivered, and somehow, Kai knew it wasn't from the cold. "I've met him a few times. Anyway, let's talk about… food." Kai smirked. She'd noticed finally.
"You look stunned." Sakura realized she probably did, and bit her tongue to check herself. She shrugged, grinning, and said, "Well, ya know, it's pizza. I can't have pizza too often, or I'll turn into a whale. Let's eat."
"So," Kai said, eating. Sakura smirked and arched her eyebrow. Kai's heart turned over. Did she realize just how sexy that was? "So."
"So?"
"Talk. Tell me about Russia. Tell me about your family. Tell me about you."
"Hmm… haha. Russia. It's very… beautiful there. The snow makes everything magical, somehow. There's a pack of wolves, a rather large one actually, near the Abbey where I live, and they're practically tame. My brother and I have fed and played with them since we were very young. Maybe that's why we have wolf bit beasts."
"Tell me about your brother."
"Why the hell am I so interesting? Hm? Oh, fine, don't tell me. Anyway, my brother. He's an excellent Beyblader, but he can be very cold and ruthless at times. He scares me when he's like that. He's my twin, though the only thing similar between us is our eyes and our skills. We have the same blue eyes."
Kai wondered if this boy had a girlfriend. Sakura's eyes on a male would be lethal to any girl. They were certainly lethal to him. All she had to do was look at him, and he fell under her spell. He mentally shook himself when he realized she was still speaking.
"He has dark red hair, though, like fire. His Bit Beast is the twin Bit Beast of Hounborg, Wolborg, which kinda strikes me as odd, since he and I are twins, too, and the twin of Polaborg, the Bit Beast Kodiaborg, is his other partner. Our Bit Beasts have the same eyes, just like us. He's the better offensive Beyblader, and his Bit Beasts are a little bigger, and a little more vicious than mine.
"Also, you can't tell by looking at him, but he's an excellent ice skater. He's won the silver and gold medals in the Junior Olympics seven years in a row, and the gold medals in the Olympics twice for male figure skating and speed skating."
"What about you? Do you ice skate?"
"Do you watch the Junior Olympics?" Kai shook his head. "It's for athletes fifteen and under, held every year. They don't divide it into summer and winter sessions, either. I am the seven-time female world champion in figure skating. I've won the Olympics with gold medals twice, both in female figure skating and team figure skating. I've beaten every girl in Russia, and some boys, too. Everyone wondered where I got the time, what with Beyblading to worry about."
"So? Where do you get it?"
"I don't think you wanna hear my training schedule."
"Try me." She sighed, exasperated, and answered, "I get up at four every morning, and skate until noon. I eat, then I Beyblade until ten, eat, and then sleep. That's three days out of the week. On Sundays and Thursdays, I only Beyblade, to give my body time to heal from the strain of skating."
"What about school?"
"I was a prodigy, Kai. I learned to read before I could walk. I learned to write soon after. I've been ready for college since I was seven and a half. When I get old, so to speak, maybe thirty, I'll go to college. If I get bored. If my father says I can."
"Hn. Not very modest."
"Boo frickin' hoo."
"Heheheh. Tell me about your father."
"I don't really like him much."
Kai shrugged.
"Nothing wrong with that. I don't like my grandfather that much, myself."
"Kai, hardly anyone likes your grandfather. Not even my cat, Ice, and she likes everybody. What about your father?"
"I don't remember him. He died before I was old enough to remember him. I remember my mother, though. She was a famous prima ballerina before she had me." Kai's voice became dreamy as he closed his eyes. "I remember how, after she recovered from having me, she used to dance. She danced every day of her life before she died. She was so beautiful. She wore this lovely white blue leotard and skirt, with white tights and cobalt blue pointe shoes. She was a beautiful dancer." He suddenly shook himself and sighed. "That's what I remember about my mother."
"So, are you going to be entering in the Regional Tournament?"
He nodded.
"Me too. I moved here when the Olympics were held, last year, so I'm eligible. Maybe I'll tie with you again."
"Maybe." He grinned, and she smiled back. She had a gorgeous smile.
Sakura laughed suddenly. She had a pretty laugh, too, though this one sounded sad.
"What?"
"I was thinking what would happen, if we did tie, and we ended up on Japan's team, making it all the way to the World Championships, and my brother beat us. It would be rather funny, actually, though disappointing."
"How do you know he'll definitely be there?"
"Russia's privilege. Because it's hosting the World Championships, their team, when they pick one, doesn't have to fight against the American team, the Asian team, or any others. The reason they get to host them, is that there are more Beybladers in Russia than in any other country."
"Makes you feel proud?"
"Ha! Please. Russia hasn't been my home for a long time. Hmmm…" Sakura leaned back against the ledge, her eyes fixed to the sky. Kai hadn't realized how gorgeous her eyes really were. Not that he cared. It was just a surprise. "Hey, Kai." She began, snapping him from his reverie. He prayed to God he didn't start composing sonnets to Sakura's beautiful blue eyes. Not that he had the inclination, no, but, just in case.
"What?"
"Who's your favorite female singer?"
"Avril Lavigne, why?" He bit his lip. "If you tell anyone that, I'll steal and demolish your Beyblade."
"Riiiiiiight. Anyway, I was asking because… oh, you'll see, never mind."
"Tell me."
"Um… no."
"Sakura!" He said in a whiney voice.
"Kai!" She mimicked. "No. You'll find out at the Regional Tournament."
"I hate you."
"Hate is such a strong word." He shrugged, replying, "So?" She sighed in exasperation, dropping her face in her hands and moaning. Sighing, she lifted her head up to look at him, and Kai found himself pinned by her sapphire gaze. Her eyes really were very lovely.
"Hate and love are nearly the same thing, in my book. Careful what you say, I might get the wrong idea." She smiled, looking incredibly sexy. Damn her, but right now, he hoped she did get the wrong idea. He mentally slapped himself.
"I still hate you."
"I hate you bigger."
"I hate you biggest."
"So? I hate you biggest times infinity to the infinitieth power times infinity plus one! Can't go forward on it either." Kai sulked, arms crossed over his chest, muttering, "Cheater."
"Awww, poor baby."
"Shut up."
He wasn't looking at her, but he then heard a sigh, a very sad one, and he could just see it. Her lush, full lips parting slightly as the warm, moist air brushed past them. He had no idea what was wrong with him, but he found the thought very erotic. He could imagine her eyes, veiled behind those thick black lashes, gaze cast to the floor, heart shredding in their sorrow. Her hair, like a silken waterfall, would be cascading down around her shoulders, as she'd loosed it from the scrunchie earlier. Her bangs would be shadowing her face. He looked up. She was looking at the ground, just as he'd pictured her.
"I was only joking."
She lifted her head.
"Come on, talk, you're making me feel like a jerk."
A smile flitted across her lips and her eyes regained their mischievous twinkle.
"What about you? Tell me all about you. I demand it."
He arched an eyebrow, and she copied. The expression made her look oh so very sexy. Kai swallowed hard, and fought to keep a tremor out of his voice.
"You demand it." He stated calmly, making sure he'd heard correctly.
"Yeah. Yeah, in fact, I do."
Oh.
Oh, damn.
He was in a lot trouble.
