DISCLAIMER: If I owned Bakuten Shoot Beyblade, the first thing I would do is to show a lot of signs of Kai and Hiromi falling for each other. Scratch that, make them a canon pair. But since I'm making a fanfic out of it, it's obvious that I don't.

[wonders what happened to the previously uploaded second chapter] Wow, I actually got reviews! I didn't think any would care to give one for my first attempt of romance alone. [hugs reviewers]

Hutchy: My first reviewer! Here's the answer (well, partly). Thanks! :)

Calm Soul: Really? Wow, thanks! I really thought I sucked at that genre. :)

Kai: Romance never was— [mouth gets stuffed with Takao's socks]

Takao: [grins] Don't mind him.

Kai: [gags]

Anyway, for also reviewing the prequel, here's a Hiromi plushie for you! [gives plushie] :)

Libe: Thanks for those wonderful comments! They made my day. :)

MasterDranzerAlmighty Dranzer: I wasn't expecting that comment, really. Thanks! :)

kanilla: I'm glad you think so. Thanks a lot! :)

selphie451: Thanks for that review! :)

Sana-chan14/Mari xol: Aw, thanks! :)

Kais Devil: Another reviewer of the prequel! Thanks! [gives a Kai plushie] :)

If you have read any of my other anime fics before, you would find the Aquose Cavern very familiar. It's actually inspired by some picture I found in one of the computers of an internet cafe I've been to (too bad I couldn't track down the actual source to give credit, but oh well). On with the next chapter!

DINNER WITH ME

Chapter 2

We must be in the wrong place.

"Welcome to the Aquose Cavern. Enjoy the free dinner."

But this is one wrong place I wouldn't want to leave! Hiromi couldn't help but be struck with awe as Kai showed the ticket to the waiter, who politely led them to a table for two nearby. Soft notes of piano met them along the way. This is not what I saw last Sunday. They obviously changed the lighting, the arrangement and… everything.

The interior of the restaurant had lost some of its cozy ambiance yet it still had a unique touch. Among the sea of carved, circular yet flat wood forms in the ceiling were twin lights, pairs of illuminating fan-shaped, shell-like figures that radiated in bright yet soft yellow. On the faded orange walls were wall lamps in the similar fashion. A pair of wavelike glass windows, the smaller one on top of the larger, was found between each wall lamp. Hiromi had to marvel about the way they gave a three-dimensional mirage of a cool blue sea, it seemed almost real. Polished pillars of tan wood stood among the reddish-orange tables distributed along the perimeter of the restaurant, leaving a vast space in the middle.

Hiromi's eyes continued all the way to the glossy floor and saw her own reflection as though she were staring at crystal-clear water. If she would close her eyes, she could almost feel the phantom water brushing gently against her lower knees. The restaurant had upgraded itself from awesome to magnificent; the experience felt like being in a secret glorious chamber that was built under the tranquil cerulean sea. The eyes of the beholder could switch between the cool and calming aquatic illusion outside and the dry colors of the interior that were warm but not to the point of burning range.

It was like it was only her first time to go here. It felt like magic.

And by the way the restaurant was nearly fully packed, she could see how popular it was.

Hiromi saw heads turn in their direction. Suddenly she felt self-conscious as the admiring gazes of several guys at other tables fell on her. But she did her best to pretend she didn't notice and instead distracted herself with the way the other girls lost their poise as they stared dreamily at Kai. She stole a glance at her partner to see how he was taking this. Kai, on the other hand, was ignoring the rest of the female customers with well-practiced ease.

But Hiromi couldn't blame those girls for being completely mesmerized. While most of the guys inside the restaurant wore their suits stiff to the very detail of tradition, Kai wasn't even wearing a necktie over the loose collar of his long-sleeved light blue polo despite donned in a black suit. Unbuttoned black suit. To any other guy, it would have appeared incredibly sloppy, but it amazed Hiromi how her partner could defy all levels of formality and still could get away with it. In addition, Kai had a way of making a simple thing like plain walking ooze with intensity yet with a touch of sexiness—

Stop it, Hiromi.

When they reached their table, Kai seated her and took the space across her. A waiter appeared next to their table and handed them menus, asking them if they would like to have some wine. He took their orders and the menus, then bowed in politeness before leaving, and the two were left alone again as they waited for the arrival of the food.

"Thank you again for accompanying me here, Kai. I'm sure you have other more important things to do than go here with me tonight." For some reason, excitement and nervousness were mixing inside Hiromi. And although she knew her attire was somehow holding the control to her behavior, she had an odd feeling it had nothing to do with her and Kai right now. "Whatever your reasons are, I appreciate this effort."

"You shouldn't thank me," he stated. "I'm doing this because of what you did for Yuuya and me." There was slight hardness in the way he said it.

"I see. So is Yuuya doing okay?"

"Too okay. Now he's dying to blade again and wants me to teach him all I know."

"And you're going to?"

"Yeah."

A mental frown crossed Hiromi's mind. Kai seemed stiff with tension. "Kai, is something wrong?"

"I'm fine," he replied tersely, almost in a snappish way.

"Sorry I asked." Hiromi stared down at the surface of the blunt-edged table. Where was her ability to argue? Normally she could throw back the same kind of response even to someone like Kai, but now all she could do was try ignoring the little stab of hurt brought by the way those two words were released. Since when did she learn to be this sensitive? If he's fine… then he's fine…

Moments of uncomfortable silence.

"…I take it back."

Hiromi glanced up in surprise only to find Kai's slightly softened expression, or as softened as Kai's standards could allow. "Kai…?"

"I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's…" He seemed to search for words. "You know I never was good with small talk. And this is my first time to do stuff like this."

Despite what she had felt earlier, Hiromi felt a teasing smile creeping back on her face, feeling lighter at his apology. "Then all the more reason for you to be my escort tonight. I've never gone to this kind of dinner before either."

And then a corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Was that a smile or even something close to it? Or was that a smirk? "And if we fall flat on our faces?"

"Then we'll fall together, of course. That's what friends are for."

"Friends." Now Kai was relaxing. Or Hiromi thought he seemed to be. "You said this dinner was supposed to be a group thing."

"You already know what happened to the others. Besides, if we're going to humiliate ourselves tonight for our lack of etiquette, then it would be better if they're not here to witness it. Then again, if it's their first time here too, we're all equal." Hiromi could scarcely believe how easily she got Kai to loosen up. Come to think of it, she couldn't believe how easy it was for her to talk to someone like him in a conversation that, for the first time, didn't involve beyblades. Scratch that, they already had back at the beach before. And here Kai said he wasn't good with small talk. Had anyone else seen this friendly side of him?

The way things ran now was how she had originally planned it. A dinner with one of her male friends. But somehow a thought managed to find a loophole.

Am I the first to see it?

Kai watched Hiromi continue to talk. It was evident that he was the cause of that frown on her face she obviously had tried not to show. For some reason, maybe as her friend and escort, he had felt her hurt and had been immediately consumed by guilt. He didn't usually feel guilty. And the one actual time that he did, the one about Yuuya, was a kind different from tonight.

But he couldn't exactly explain to her the other half reason for his tense behavior. Why catching the other guys' gazes at Hiromi had vexed him so suddenly for no reason. Why he had felt oddly bothered and threatened by just an innocent admiring look. Heck, he couldn't even explain it to himself. Yet at the same time he was both surprised and annoyed with himself for having that kind of reaction. It wasn't like he had any hold on Hiromi. If Hiromi noticed that… Well, she just wouldn't have to. It was bad enough he had shown signs of losing some of his usual cool.

Just then the waiter materialized out of nowhere, served them their respective wines, red for Kai and white for Hiromi, and left. Kai didn't bother giving his served drink a try for now, ashen eyes surveying the occupants of the other tables. A variety of composition—pairs, groups of three or four, some even going solo. While some of the customers were middle-aged, most were teenagers and people in their mid-twenties. His gaze observed their laden plates, then the polished stage where the musicians had settled before it fell back on his table.

Hiromi carefully picked the slim stem of her clear glass, and Kai noticed the way her slender fingers held it before she took a little sip. Like in an almost refined manner. Her face broke into a restrained smile of approval, and Kai could tell she liked it. Finally deciding to pay attention to his drink, he drank a little of the red liquid from his own glass.

But at the same time he couldn't help noticing the slight contrast between this girl across him and the brunette who could mercilessly beat the crap out of Takao. This Hiromi before him was still Hiromi but a little more polished, more outstanding in some kind of way, more—

He stopped, his logic trying to work. The only reason you're actually noticing her that way is the way you're both dressed tonight. You had to follow what that ticket said. Something at the back of his mind started whispering that this wasn't the first time he paid attention to her in another manner but he willed it to shut up. For a minute it obeyed but soon asked him why he was giving her special treatment. Somewhat irritated with it, he mentally argued that it wasn't exactly true.

Hiromi was his first female friend, so it was no wonder if his manner of treating her had its difference with the way he treated Takao and the other guys. Kai supposed he should be grateful that he had met her during a time when she still had no real connection to beyblading. And even now that she had, it was a different kind of connection. Otherwise, she would be no different from the other girls, fangirls worshiping the ground he bladed on to be more precise, which could annoy him to no end.

At first he had assumed she was just some nobody. It wasn't his habit to return a total stranger's greetings just to get acquainted. And he really hadn't cared what she thought after Takao had finished introducing them. Like he could give a damn on how others thought of him when his team was on the line because of some mysterious cloaked beybladers and crazy scientists after their holy beasts. Like he even cared about such a trivial thing in the first place. Besides, the girl didn't even know what a beyblade was. As much as she was a "friend" of Takao's, the last thing his team needed was a clueless tag-along when it had more pressuring issues to worry about.

But his assumptions had changed the night he saw again the torn training schedule. The one she had created just in time as everyone was running out of solutions for the lack of control of the MG core. For someone who didn't blade, Hiromi's work had possessed a lot of logic, and he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed the obvious solution within sooner. It had turned out she was right all along, and he had been glad he gave her idea a chance.

Kai would never admit it in a thousand years but there was a tiny relief in him upon realizing Hiromi wasn't the useless, helpless, spineless bystander she seemed. On the contrary, she had proven herself valuable to the team in her own way countless times, and it certainly didn't harm that she was cheering for him and each of his friends along the way. True, she could sometimes be capable of creating quite a racket with Takao but at least their noise was a tolerable type. And more often than not, he could see the irony of Hiromi having a clearer vision in beyblading than Takao the world champion. The girl actually had insight and knew where her loyalties lie.

But Hiromi wasn't a damsel-in-distress. Kai couldn't make comparisons about her with girl beybladers like Mao or Emily, but even as one ordinary girl, she had her own qualities. She could be patient long enough yet she had a fair temper that sometimes could end up in a short fuse to always keep Takao in check. Her determination could easily be mistaken for stubbornness but Kai supposed that was better than lacking the spirit of fighting back. No matter how deep the BBA Team's or her own predicament was, she wouldn't give up easily; in fact, when she had to or as long as it was in her capacity to do so, she would take action. Maybe supportive wouldn't be the exact limit she had; driven by initiative and motivation, she could prove her own tough version of a fighting spirit and take care of herself.

And yet he always had this instinct to protect her. Saving her life like that time when her foot had slipped was something he would have done for any of his friends, but in general, a girl like Hiromi didn't really need protection at all.

So why?

And why reflect on it now?

"So what do you think?"

Kai snapped out of his thoughts.

"Look at this spread," Hiromi was saying, seemingly unaware of his sudden perception about her. "What do you think?"

Kai scanned his surroundings with little movement. Last Wednesday night he had gone here to check it out, discovering a more or less comfortable and friendly ambiance. But tonight although it had retained some of its casual manner, at the same time it was obviously altered to match the formality of the occasion.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a guy from another table not quite far away whose gaze roamed on other tables, ignoring the sudden mount of unreasonable jealousy when the gaze stopped at their table for a while before it moved on to the next. He had to stop feeling like this; it was just not like him.

"Quite pricey," he replied finally. Crap, he had been talking a little more than the usual. But it was like something was stripping him of his walls tonight. Damn, this entirely different atmosphere must be starting to wear some effect on him. Remembering what he had told himself before entering the Aquose Cavern, he was determined to make sure he would remain unmoved.

"I thought so too. I have a good feeling that tonight's going to be worth it."

Just then another waiter appeared at the side of the table and served them food, both steak layered with thick and rich sauce and rice for them. For a few minutes Kai and Hiromi didn't exchange words, both busy enjoying the worth of the ticket Kai had shown at the entrance earlier. Kai wouldn't even bother remarking too much to himself how appealing the steak was to his palate. If anything, this dinner made the meals he had back at his school carelessly dumped meat served on a plate.

Hold it. There was something wrong with this dinner, something out of place…

Finally it was Hiromi who broke the silence. "Kai?"

Kai looked up.

"I…" Hiromi's cheeks were tinged with pink before the color faded. "I've never thanked you enough for saving me twice before. I don't know how I'm going to repay you for that but I want to. Maybe if there's some other way…"

"There's no need for that."

"Oh. But I want you to know how… grateful I am. Thank you."

Kai nodded, then focused his attention at the sapid food in front of him. But his gaze kept shifting back to the one thing he had avoided to admit calling his attention earlier. Ignoring the other females surrounding him had been easy but not before noting the various faces practically caked with too much make-up and how the fabric in different styles, cuts, sequins and slits revealed as much skin as humanly possible.

Hiromi, however, had much more modesty than that. Though they didn't mean to yet they did in secret, gray eyes traveled admiringly from the thin straps baring just the right amount of exposed shoulders, then down to the bodice spangled with a few minute argent beads. Finally they looked up to watch the glitter of dangling earrings, an almost threadlike silver necklace and an equally argentine bracelet that complemented the long, dark garnet dress. Her face barely wore any make-up—just a touch of lipstick and a hint of mascara. Overall, Hiromi looked simple in comparison to the intricately donned girls inside the restaurant. Not conservative, not bland, just—simple.

But why did she have to look so beautiful at the same time? And elegant as well?

And he caught himself. Since when did he know about the existence of those two unlikely words in his vocabulary?

Kai mentally frowned, ignoring the sudden inclination to run a hand on those bare shoulders just to know how it felt. Without warning, anger sank its claws in him, causing the sudden tightening of his hold on his fork. He gritted his teeth, result of a failed attempt to temper the hot emotion without even knowing the real object of its attack.

"Kai?" Hiromi leaned a little forward. "Everything okay?"

Kai unintentionally stared at eyes whose shade of red seemed to have even deepened more than the last time he saw. The slight concern swimming there was unmistakable, making him feel more worked up than before. "Don't mind me." Restraining himself was becoming harder and harder to do.

"How can I not mind when you're starting to act so tense? I—"

"Back off, okay?" He forced his tongue to remain still but his hand on the table balled into a tight fist. Damn you, why are you causing me to think and act like this! "It's none of your—" By some miracle he managed to bite back the last word.

Hiromi's face fell, obviously receiving the blow of the unfinished message, before resuming to eat her dinner silently. But her aura of happiness had already dissolved into a heavy, solemn one.

In an instant, Kai's anger evaporated at the sudden downslide of her good mood. The more he watched her lifelessly toy with her food, the less he understood why he suddenly got mad at her. Get a grip, why don't you. It wasn't as though he weren't capable of emotions; he just chose what and what not to show on the surface. But becoming irrational was something he had never allowed himself, so why now?

Then he realized it wasn't actually Hiromi he was being mad at. Kai couldn't fault her for wearing that kind of dress tonight. She had to. It wasn't as if she asked him to look at her that way and react weirdly. Who was unimaginably insane enough to require us coming in formal attire? he wondered, annoyance mounting once more. Except for the addition of wine, maybe also the meat, everything else about this dinner wasn't that close to the formal types Yuuya had informed him about. And even if it was, based on the other customers' food that he had observed earlier it seemed it was literally a free dinner despite the menu's choices, one that was as informal as the interior he had seen last Wednesday. So what was the point? They'd better have a good excuse for this.

The voice of conscience screaming at him, he was forced to listen to reprimanding words before his mind's vision cleared. He shouldn't let his anger out on innocent people.

For the one he was actually mad at was none other than himself. For having thoughts he never had before. For feeling things utterly foreign to him. For owning them yet not understanding why.

For losing self-possession in the process, the thing he considered so important. He didn't like it when he had no control over things happening to him.

"Maybe we should call it a night," Hiromi suggested quietly, arranging her utensils in a four-twenty position on the loaded plate. Kai didn't miss the jaded look in her eyes. "I mean, I can do this some other time."

Now see what you've done, the conscience said. Their dinner wasn't even finished yet, not even close to being half-done, and he had ruined the start. Then Hiromi stood up to leave, her small bag in her hand already. There must be something he could do to stop her. "You shouldn't leave. You wanted to have this dinner, didn't you?"

"It's okay, really," she reassured him, pasting a tight smile, one that never reached her eyes. Kai hated that she was hurting inside. "I can just continue dinner at home. Thanks for coming, Kai. We can go now."

No, he couldn't let her leave this table. "Wait." But it didn't seem to matter to her as she was walking past him. Something inside him snapped, making him stand up to grab her arm.

Hiromi froze.

The silent tension between them hung so long, Kai could feel its growing full weight. And it didn't help that with Hiromi's back facing him, he couldn't gauge whether or not she was equally torn. Kai knew he couldn't command Hiromi to remain here as it wasn't his right, but he couldn't bring himself to let her go either.

No. He would never let her go.

"Kai, I…"

"Hiromi." Silence. Then his voice lowered. "Stay."

Hiromi hesitated. "Kai, I understand this must be a lot of trouble for you. We don't need to go through this."

"But you should." Kai felt her shock run through her arm. "Don't waste this chance."

A long pause.

Kai nearly held his breath.

Finally she began to relax. "Okay." Masked relief washed over Kai as he slowly let her arm go, and she returned to her seat. "So I take it you won't bite me if I ask you now what's wrong?"

Even though Kai hadn't completely gotten over his unusual behavior, he knew he couldn't screw up this night more than he already had. Sinking back into his seat, he tried loosening up. "Let's just say something's been going on in my mind. I was a jerk to take it out on you but I won't be that jerk again."

"So you're not mad… at me? You're all right now?"

"Yeah. My question is," he paused, "are you?"

"…Yeah… Yes, now I am."

Just then, out of the corner of his eye he caught something. With a slight turn of his head, his glance fell on a certain table to find the same guy, the dark-haired one who had been surveying them before moving on to the other customers earlier, looking at their table now only this time with his attention focused more on the unaware Hiromi.

For a long time.

Kai inwardly frowned at the unreadable expression on the stranger's face as he looked directly at the latter. Then the brunet took his dark eyes off Hiromi and blinked as he noticed the attention from Kai, returning the same look he received. Though the smile he gave was friendly, the beyblader felt as though he should guard himself. Then the stranger went back to his own table, talking and eating with his companions like nothing happened.

But Kai knew better than that, turning back to his partner with a composed face. Yet he also knew better than to disturb Hiromi's night by letting her know that there was something not right about that smile. That he didn't trust that guy. That he didn't like him at all.

And instincts told him this time it had nothing to do with jealousy.

A strange warmth that Hiromi had been experiencing for the past few days spread inside her chest, somewhat moved by the unexpected touch of concern. Was that really Hiwatari Kai apologizing to her for the second time? Caring how she was doing after she nearly deserted their table? Asking how she was doing?

Oddly, the sensation of his hand on her arm, the one whose comfort had eased her into gaining second thoughts, reminded her of the same lingering touch when Kai had grabbed her wrist at the beach. Kai was right; she really wanted this dinner to be possible for her. But her confusion at his sudden swings of behavior was making her wonder if he really wanted to be dining with her or if he was just obliged by her help with Yuuya's case. One moment he was his usual self-possessed self, then the next thing she knew he was acting cold and tense. You're giving it too much thought, Hiromi. The formality of this environment must be pressuring him.

Not that Hiromi wasn't uncomfortable herself lately too. Remembering the way Kai's eyes had seem to glint earlier—she knew she hadn't imagined the admiration she caught there—made her feel flustered yet flattered at the same time, his unusual way of regarding her making her even look more forward to this dinner. And being so near him. Something she never imagined happening to her, well, at least before Kai's birthday.

Oh no, why is this happening to me? she wondered, groaning to herself.

"You're lying."

Hiromi blinked, looking up to find Kai studying her. Short, few words, direct to the point as always. But despite the unexpressive composure of his features, she didn't fail to see the hint of worry shading his normally steel gray eyes. Suddenly just being aware of any manifestation of that familiar looking-after side made everything all right now, like whatever strains they had encountered earlier didn't matter anymore. A genuine smile spread across her face.

"I'm okay, really," she said. "You were right when you said I wanted to have this dinner, and I'm going to enjoy it no matter what." Then she realized something else when Kai's expression remained unchanged, so she decided to switch to casual mode. "Hey, don't worry. I didn't take the stuff you said personally. I didn't want to." Feeling even better when Kai fell back at ease, she knew things were back to normal for them again.

For the next few minutes, they carried on with their dinner in silence. In a way it was comforting for Hiromi, knowing that this was a trademark of Kai that she had grown accustomed to already. Well, there were no expectations about him initiating a talk. What mattered was for this evening to sail smoothly for them, and so far, everything was going well. And the food… Well, if Hiromi had thought last week it was delicious, right now not even words could depict its positive points. And now that things between her and Kai were all right again, it made the food even more indescribable to her palate.

Kai seems to be enjoying the food, she mused, watching her friend chew a cut piece of steak. Her glance strayed below his neck, her face growing strangely hot at the small exposure of his chest revealed by the unbuttoned collar and the undone button below that. Just in time Kai looked up and she glanced away, praying he didn't notice what just happened.

As she did, she caught sight of a gloomy lady not so far away from her table. Her beauty was undeniable but she was just alone, forking her meal listlessly that Hiromi was moved to pity. I have no idea how lucky I'd been last Wednesday. If Kai hadn't appeared before, I ended up like her tonight.

Tonight—Oh yeah. That reminded her of something else. "I wonder how the other guys are doing right now," she mused out loud.

Kai drank from his stemmed glass of water. "Care to elaborate?"

"The last time I talked to Max, he said he was going to have some family activity, and Kyouju is supposedly helping his mom out with her reunion at their ramen shop at this hour. And Rei… he must have met up with his childhood friends by now. I'm just thinking what exactly they're doing as I speak."

"I wouldn't stress myself too much over them if I were you." Her partner finished consuming a spoonful of food before continuing. "I'm sure they're just fine with whatever they're doing."

"Except Takao," she noted. "Too bad he was only starting to recover yesterday when Kyouju and I visited him. I bet he's going crazy now over how he's missing all these free delicious food." Yup, she could just imagine the scene.

"I know. That's why I chose not to stay there."

"Good decision. With all the complaining he made about the dinner and how he couldn't blade, I doubt you'll get any rest there anyway. His grandfather said he probably got his fever from trying to practice Dragoon in the rain too long for a test run of some new technique he came up with. Not that Takao listened to him anyway. Sometimes I can never understand that guy and where he gets his energy to rant even in sickness."

"Stubborn as usual." Kai set down his fork. "Sometimes he's just too foolish for his own good."

"No objections there. With the way you said that, if I didn't know better, I'd think you two are brothers. You might have your own differences but when you're helping each other out, there's that closeness between you that isn't obvious at first glance. I bet you guys didn't get off to a good start the first time you met," she said good-naturedly.

At this, Kai fell silent, the unexpected cloudiness in his eyes as though he were recalling a distant memory.

Uh oh. "Hey, I was just kidding." What if the memory her words brought was an unpleasant one? The last thing she wanted was for Kai's temper to flare up again, especially after their dinner was progressing smoothly.

To her surprise, it didn't. Instead, Kai went on in silence, his nearly contemplative expression making Hiromi wonder what kind of visions he was seeing in his mind. When his eyes regained their sharp focus, he turned to her. "You're right. Our first encounter wasn't exactly pleasant."

Oops. She had to shift the subject somewhere else before it could get out of hand. "But that's not a surprise considering it's Takao. I didn't get a good impression about him at first too. And to think you two ended up in the same team. Max told me that was how you all met. I wish I got to see how you guys worked together during the tournament back then."

"No, you wouldn't."

Surprised, Hiromi's forehead creased. "What do you mean?"

Kai's face turned unreadable.

Okayyyy… Don't force him. "Forget what I said. It's too senseless anyway." Come on, Hiromi. You knew better than that. When she drank her water, she could feel Kai's eyes on her as though assessing her about something. The silence engulfing them lasted for minutes.

"…The first time the BBA Team was formed… I wasn't who I am now."

Hiromi's eyes widened a bit. Was she just imagining it or was Kai actually saying something about himself? It seemed so… unreal. "Weren't who you are now? But you've been a great beyblader and all…"

"Not that way. I was cold and detached from everyone else." A pause. "The only person I cared about before was myself. I had been more than enough of a bastard to put everyone else through hell throughout the entire time. But they still took me in." And as though to himself, he said under his breath, "Sometimes it's still hard to believe that they did."

"Oh." Hiromi took time to let his words digest. Kai had been someone uncaring before? Recalling his behavior when it came to Yuuya made it difficult for her to imagine him like that.

"If you think Kai's giving you the cold shoulder, you wouldn't want to see what an iceberg he had been to us before. You're lucky you met him now that he's continuing to melt or you wouldn't be able to stand being ice-bitten all over," she recalled Takao saying to her once when she had complained how rude Kai had been by ignoring her.

Then Max's voice resounded in her mind's ear, at the time she had asked him the history of the BBA Team just out of curiosity. Kai… well, you wouldn't recognize him at that time. He was so cold and distant, he didn't even treat us as his own teammates, let alone as his friends. Just like all of us, he had his own issues but the difference was that he practically couldn't be touched, like we repelled each other or something. Of all the challenges our team had encountered, Kai and the thick wall separating him from us must be the hardest to meet…

"But they're your friends now," she said instead. "You receive a lot of support from them. Even though I've known you people only for months, I see you all solve your problems by lending each other a hand."

"Hiromi, there are problems that not even your friends can help solve."

"…I guess so." Hiromi tried to come up with something that would help. "But if your friends can't do anything, then there must be some other people who can. Does your mother or father know anything about whatever you're encountering? Being in touch with them can be relieving often times."

The conversation got punctuated by a long pause, and Hiromi knew immediately she had said something wrong. With Kai's head slightly bowed, stormcloud bangs shadowed his eyes, hooding facial expression.

"I-I'm sorry!" Hiromi apologized hastily. "I didn't mean to ask anything so personal! You don't have to answer, really!" Too late to make amends. She mentally kicked herself for her insensitivity. When Kai didn't react, Hiromi tried to focus on finishing her dinner, uncomfortable to be in his presence as the soft sounds of piano keys were all she could hear out of the silence reigning between them.

"I don't know much about them."

Hiromi stopped, then slowly looked up to see Kai's still hooded expression. Was he really starting to open up? You don't have to tell me if you're not yet ready. "Kai…"

"I don't know much about my family except my grandfather. Family wouldn't even be the word to relate to him. He never treated me like any real grandparent would and I never returned the sentiment of being a grandson either. Kinomiya has no idea how lucky he is."

Hiromi didn't know what to say but chose to remain silent. She waited patiently even when Kai stopped talking for a while, understanding why he kept on pausing. This wasn't easy for him.

"My parents… I don't know. I lost my memories when I was a child."

"Oh no," she gasped. This kind of past was something she wasn't expecting to hear. She had guessed a few times before that it could hold an unpleasant part, an anchor to what made Kai who he had been according to Takao and Max, but nothing like this. Kai's words contained no specific details but she could already feel the weight of heavy emotions within them. To have no memories at a young age… If that were me… Just the notion itself started to horrify her.

"But I recovered them when I joined the team." Finally Kai raised his head, the absence of his fierce blue shark fin prints making him seem vulnerable. At the sight Hiromi wanted to comfort him. "All I could remember was how I grew up under the hand of my grandfather, only to be used for his evil goals. I was brought up inside a monastery in Russia to become the best beyblader there ever will be and that alone. There's nothing to be gained there except coldness for emotion and the desire to have more power—" Suddenly he stopped, and Hiromi knew he had said more than enough. In fact, even she had heard more than enough.

"I'm so sorry," she said faintly. "I didn't know." All the problems she had found too big to solve, all the things she had thought she lacked and wanted to have, all the everyday blessings she had taken for granted, all the hardships she had experienced that she had thought were too much to take… They were all nothing. Just listening to Kai made her feel extremely fortunate to live her ordinary, bland but normal life and at the same time feel ashamed and horrible inside for not realizing it sooner. Losing memories during childhood, one experienced without friendship and enjoyment but by coldness and solitude, the loneliness of living yet lacking a real family, the pain of being raised by an uncaring evil man for a grandfather… Hiromi's heart went out to him, feeling all these as though she were experiencing them herself now. Kai, I had no idea you had undergone such harshness of life. No wonder you're not as open as the other guys.

As her sympathy grew, she felt much closer to him than before. Kai rarely spoke more than the necessary, let alone open up his past and inner self to anyone.

But for him to share these things… did this mean he trusted her?

As soon as he stopped talking, Kai's face regained its usual cool composure. He didn't really mean to lose it, didn't plan to talk about the years he had put behind him. But there was something hidden in Hiromi's words that had made him look back. What he had found odd though was that while a part of him put up the usual shields before he could go any further, another part wanted to share it with her. Very odd indeed, considering that exposing himself was one of the last things he wanted to do with anyone. But somehow, Hiromi wasn't just anyone.

And still considering the same notion, there had been that feeling of being open to an attack the moment he started. It hadn't been easy. But when nothing happened, he had found the strange want to venture further, despite his walls yelling angrily at him to go back and stay behind them.

Only when he had gone to the personal territory he realized why nothing of what he had admitted was shot back at him as arrows of helplessness. Hiromi was absorbing every word he said, taking in even feelings he didn't want to admit to himself, taking the weight off his shoulders to be transferred to her own. He could tell from the sympathy, not pity, her features held that she was affected by his past, could see grief for him there. Maybe she had already finished earning his trust. No, she really had already despite not knowing when. Why else would he be opening up to her?

The same sympathy on her face sent him a flashback of thought. Hiromi had always wanted to help him. Kai had thought his other friends knew him better than anyone else. But during Yuuya's case, while they thought they were giving him some space and time, it was only Hiromi who had decided to risk his anger to take the chance of restoring things between him and Yuuya. And his friendship with the brown-haired boy meant a lot to him. Despite Kai's reflections on Hiromi earlier, he realized now he didn't really know her that much.

But in spite of this liberating experience with her, he had held back at something. That conversation had been close to bringing up Black Dranzer, which in turn would lead to his mistake of betraying the BBA Team in exchange. He didn't want Hiromi to learn about it. To hate him.

Suddenly it mattered so much.

"I wish I could help." The sympathy on Hiromi's face melted into a faraway look. "I know how it feels."

He waited.

"Sometimes I feel so alone too. Mostly it's only my mom and me. Don't ask about my father. Sometimes being the class president helps. I can throw myself into leading people and eventually forget my loneliness. Everyone assumes that just because I can get the class to follow my orders I have an army of friends to back me up. But I've never really had any real ones, not even female ones. In fact, I think you guys are the first. You seem to break apart once in a while but in truth I really admire your friendship. It's so wonderful that sometimes I question myself if I really belong in your group, besides being the only girl and a nonbeyblader, I mean. Takao thinks I'm annoying and a slave driver but as much as I'd like to tear him into pieces for those, sometimes I know he's correct. I won't blame you guys if you feel the same way."

Then she stopped for a while, catching herself. "What am I saying?" She laughed it off while waving her hand in a dismissive manner but her laughter didn't seem real. "You must think I'm wasting your time. Just forget what I said; it's not even worth your attention."

"You seriously don't believe him or yourself, do you?"

She looked at him in surprise.

"As far as I'm concerned, you belong in our group. We let ZO in and we just met him. But we had met you first. You don't need to be a beyblader to qualify." He studied her face. "Why did you say it's not even worth my attention?"

"Well, after listening to you, my problems became insignificant compared to your past. They're not exactly something that could lift your spirits since they're nothing like it. I can't blame you if you think I don't know how you really feel because I haven't been through what you've been through. But like I said, I'm truly sorry. I think you know that your friends are always here to support you but I want you to know that I can be here for you too. I may not feel but at least I can listen."

Lift my spirits? She had wanted to do that? He didn't know Hiromi could be this understanding and open. "I hear you."

Hiromi gazed at him sincerely. "Thank you. For giving me a chance, for letting me see you. It means a lot to me that you revealed a large part of yourself to me."

Kai didn't know how to respond to this. Too close. She was getting too close. Catching himself, he blinked, now fully awake. Whatever happened to keeping his distance? Hadn't he told himself earlier that he wouldn't be moved? This night was supposed to be just dinner with a friend, a simple return of a favor for his own ulterior motives but instead it was becoming too personal and intimate for his liking, and it didn't help that he was starting to look at Hiromi in a new light. Hiromi was his friend. He shouldn't be viewing her as anything otherwise.

But when he tried to return her gaze, he took in everything about her—the soft chocolate hair, the depth of color of her eyes brought out by the dark redness of her dress, the sincerity radiating off her. Suddenly there was an indefinable sensation he had never felt before, and he couldn't ignore the equally sudden accelerating pounding inside his chest. What was going on? He couldn't be feeling like this. He couldn't be thinking like this. He just couldn't. The inner sensation was smothering him despite the looseness of his collar, the air suddenly thick and dense. He couldn't take it anymore, getting up from his seat.

Hiromi looked at him, surprised. "Where are you going?"

"Men's room." Somehow Kai managed to salvage some of his external cool as he left before he could suffocate any further. He walked as unaffected as he could but he could feel Hiromi's stare following him. Once he reached the room, he quickly closed the door behind him. Hands on sink, he stared down, not wanting to believe, before looking up to stare at his reflection at the mirror.

That did not just happen to me. No way! Wanting to erase what he saw, he let the cool water pour through his hand to rinse his face, then raked his hair wildly with it until it was unkempt, as though the sensation would be transferred there. But it was no use. Total confusion was still written all over his face. It's not supposed to happen this way. I'm supposed to erase her! I don't have that kind of f… But as he took in his reflection, he saw what a mess he was.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Please leave a review! Flames of any degree will used to burn the trash found in my room. Thanks! [gives a fanged grin]