DISCLAIMERThe characters used in this story have been created by Takao Aoki. No infringement intended by this fanfiction.

The Rivals

Summary: Alternate Universe. Two Asians, Takao and Rei travel to Ireland for the European Tournament. On board, they make two… friends… who later come up as their worst tournament rivals who go by the pseudonyms of Fury and Rage.

Chapter One

First Meeting

"Finish eating already, you pig! We are going to miss the ship!" yelled Rei, watching the seconds tick by – the second-hand seemingly accelerating.

Takao quickly swallowed the last of his bacon and gulped down the soda.

"Hey, you don't need to get rude, Rei! There's plenty of time until the ship's departure. Plus, it will be a boring journey, anyway. I don't see why we need to hurry!"

Rei picked up his bags and thrust Takao's into the younger boy's hands. "Be quick, now!"

They dashed out of the seaport restaurant, leaving the waiter with an unusually large tip.

"Once… again," gasped Takao, clutching his stomach, "why are we not taking a plane there?"

Rei poured out some cold water and handed it to him.

"As Mr. Dickenson said, there is still plenty of time left for the tournament. We can practise on the ship – it will be an experience."

Takao sighed and fell back on the bed.

"He wasn't considering sea-sickness, was he?"

Rei rolled his eyes as he sat down next to him.

"You aren't sea-sick, Takao. It is just an after-effect of over-eating. I told you not to eat bacon on top of everything else!"

Takao groaned as pain gripped his stomach again. "Kill me the next time I don't take your advice on eating."

Rei smirked recalling the hurried, and hence disgusting, chomping down on huge quantities of food. "With pleasure, Kinomiya, with pleasure."

By that evening, Takao had recovered from his stomach-ache (and much to Rei's dismay, ready to eat some more – to which the latter could only exclaim, "I will kill you!"). Hence, after lounging about in their room for some time, they decided to explore the ship.

Takao's eyes glinted as he looked about the raucous and bright video-game parlour.

"This place is smashing!" he declared loudly – hoping that his voice would rise about the din in here – feeling his pocket for coins, "I am going to stay here for the whole time we are on the ship!"

Rei shook his head. "I can't stay here for another moment! I am going somewhere else!"

However, before he had completed his sentence, Takao had gone off to enjoy himself. Rei exited without further ado. They had been training for long and Takao was sure to have missed his other passion – video games.

"Stupid Takao," he muttered, anyway. In any case, one would think he would be more concerned about Beyblading after winning the Asian Championship.

He walked down to the quieter part of the deck. The sun had long set – only purplish darkness remaining in its wake.

There were very few people here at this time. It was growing cool. He supposed most of them were enjoying themselves in the warmer but noisier parts. He wondered how they could stand the headache all that chaos induced. It was summer. The ship was filled mainly with overexcited vacationers.

Leaning against the railing, he took out his Beyblade – Drigger.

He was really looking forward to the European Tournament. He had never had a chance to play on non-Asian arenas before. It had been the right decision to leave his village and team up with Takao. He needed all the experience he could get. This definitely looked like it was going to be a good one.

As he stood observing the ocean waters playing with the night sky, he heard the unmistakable whizzing sound… he couldn't miss it even if he was deaf. Someone was Beyblading around here!

Pocketing Drigger and his interest aroused, he walked towards the source of the sound.

"Get out of there!"

"What?" asked Rei, slightly bewildered as he couldn't see who had said that.

"DUCK!"

Still unable to see the person, but reflexes in tact, Rei bent down. A second later, a Beyblade shoot through the air where his head had been a moment before.

"That'd have killed me," he muttered to himself as he stood up.

There were footsteps – sounds of someone running – and then a flustered voice enquiring, "Are you alright?"

He turned to see a blonde boy, a few inches shorter than himself, looking concernedly at him.

"We are so sorry! We didn't mean to hurt you or anything."

"If you had any sense, you would have stayed clear of the place where someone was practising Beyblading," an acerbic voice cut through the darkness.

'That's the voice I heard first,' thought Rei, observing the tall boy who emerged from the darkness. Barring the fact that his hair seemed to be dyed in two colours, he was wearing face-paint of some sort and a white cape, he seemed quite normal.

"You don't have to be rude," chided the blonde with a smile. Rei was suddenly reminded of Takao.

Turning to him, the blonde introduced himself. "I am Max and this is my friend Kai. It is nice to meet you! I hope we can be friends!!!"

Rei returned the radiant smile and shook the extended hand. "I am Rei."

"It is almost dinner-time. We can dine together!" said Max eagerly.

Rei glanced from the cheerful American (why did he suddenly think of American?) to the scowling boy, Kai, at a distance.

Max followed his gaze. "Oh, Kai is alright! He's like a coconut, you know – hard from outside but a real softie inside."

"You are treading on dangerous grounds there, Mizuhara," snapped Kai.

Mizuhara? Was he part-Japanese? Or was the hair merely dyed blonde? 'Punks?' Rei couldn't help thinking.

Max merely grinned as he took Rei's arm and led him to Kai. "Aw, come on, Kai. It won't hurt to make new friends here." He linked his other arm with Kai, who immediately pulled away. Max seemed least perturbed by this.

"Let's go down to eat something! I am famished!"

'Hey Takao, you have a blonde clone here!'

"Yeeeeeesssss! Die you Menace! Yo! I win again! I am the best!"

Takao dug into his pocket for another coin, completely oblivious of the hate-looks he was getting from the people whose game he had disrupted with his victory-song-and-dance.

"Max, that's Takao… Hey Takao!"

The brunette turned to face his friend and partner who was there with two other boys.

Before he could say anything, the blonde with an abnormally large grin on his face shook his hand. "You're the Asian Beyblade Champion Kinomiya Takao, aren't you? I am so glad to meet you! I had no idea you were here! You are a superb player!"

Takao felt his own lips curl into a similar stupid grin. "Thanks."

"Mediocre."

Takao looked over Max's shoulder to see the other boy regarding him with what he could clearly read as contempt.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked, his eyes blazing.

"You really are pretty mediocre – in fact, at times very much below the average. Are you seriously considering competing in the European Tournament? Because you won't even qualify, you know."

Max and Rei looked uncomfortable as Kai and Takao were locked in a staring contest – a battle of wills.

"Ummm…" began Max, but was immediately cut off.

"Not everyone is your sycophant – you would do well to learn that."

With that, Kai turned and left the parlour.

"Hey, stop right there, you!"

Disregarding the indignant shout from Takao, Kai continued on his way. Takao ran after him. He was not going to let anyone escape after insulting him that way!

However, when he reached the corridor, it was empty.

"Takao… I am sorry for what Kai said… he's been in a bad mood lately…" Max and Rei had run after them. However, Max left off feeling distinctly awkward.

"It's not your fault," Takao reassured him, although he was still seething with anger.

"So anyone still up for dinner?" asked Rei, steering the topic to less unpleasant subject.

The other two seized at the pleasant gateway out of the discomfiture.

"YES!"

Long after they had retired to bed, Takao lay awake, thinking over what Kai had said to him. While he mostly thought of him as being nothing more than rude and mean, he still could not help but think 'Am I not good enough?'

He turned over to his left, staring into the darkness.

"Takao?"

"Rei? Why aren't you sleeping?"

Rei sat up, pushing his bangs out of his face.

"I could ask you the same question – if I didn't already know the answer."

Takao switched on the night-light.

"That boy… he… he made me realize that we really need to practice hard if we want to win this Tournament… I mean… we don't know what kind of Beybladers are out there, do we?"

Rei reached over to take the younger boy's hand in his own.

"It is sort of scary when you don't know what you are up against – that is nothing to be ashamed about, Takao. But we will get through. I mean we have come till here, haven't we? Moreover, we keep practising and improving. European Tournament is no different – just a good way to practise in order to become the world's best!"

Takao smiled wryly. "Now that you mention it, I am somewhat afraid of the whole thing because I know nothing about it. But there is still plenty of time and we will prepare ourselves for any and every thing! I am not going to let anything defeat me!"

Rei nodded and lay down.

"'Course! Forget about what Kai said now – the guy seemed nothing but nasty to me. It is a wonder that Max can stay with him without freaking out. Anyway, we both need a good night's sleep now."

Takao sighed and closed his eyes. Rei was right. He shouldn't pay attention to useless taunts. He never had up until now, had he? There was no reason to give in now, too. Maybe that guy was just jealous of him. After all, he thought with a smile as he nodded off to sleep, I did win the Asian Tournament with a bang – most spectacular performance in history!

Revised: February 06, 2008