February
By Timberwolf220
-Muichimotsu-
-If you see Buddha on the road, kill him-
-If you see your ancestor on the road, kill him-
-Beholden to nothing, unfettered-
-Merely living for life itself-
—Genjo Sanzo "Saiyuki"
A/N: Still at it, I promise! I'm not planning to stop any time soon, okay? I just took a break! Still hopelessly Saiyuki-hooked. Does anyone know any good sites to pick up Saiyuki music downloads?
-XX-
I belong to him.
It was a revelation he accepted with ease nowadays. It came to him naturally it seems, like the passing of the seasons. And with the passing of the seasons, his eyes seemed to open, just like a babe's. A child still too little to see, but every day, a new thing is revealed to him. And in January he had a connection, a sudden flash of insight that made him think back to everything that has happened before.
Should he tell Tyson?
He put on his coat. The snowfall had stopped, but the drop in temperature hadn't, so he didn't take any risks. He was used to Russian weather and this didn't even compare it, but it was better to be 'safer than sorrier' later on. He walked, his feet crunching the white ice on the sidewalks. The sound rang in his ears. During the winter season, Kai rarely went out and made it a point not to have practices during that time. Simply for two reasons, one being that the only place you can blade is inside and that is a liability and tends to cramp up the style and the second reason was more personal; Kai simply didn't like snow. True, he went out in it every once in a while, but he didn't like snow.
And when he tells Tyson, what then?
It was a double-edged question and Kai could feel the weight of it on his hands. It was something he was comfortable with, not in the least. And how would Tyson react? With his all-knowing smile or would he shrug it away? What would happen? And why did Kai even care?
What would life be…without Tyson?
Kai tried to imagine that. Tried to imagine what would have happened if he never met Tyson that fateful evening when Carlos messed up. Tried to imagine what would have happened if he never lost to Tyson in Baycity tournament. Tried to remember how noisy it was with Tyson and Max and tried to recall how Tyson smiled. He remembered the smile from that time. It seemed to stick in his head for no reason.
It was a wide smile, he recalled with a certain fondness, wide enough to contain civilizations in it and broad enough to submerge oceans. It was a pale smile (Tyson's lips were unusually pale) and his cheeks would be full of colour, as if he had fields of roses growing inside his cheeks. A rather poetic view to take, but Kai remembered when Tyson received a compliment, those cheeks would flush and that broad smile was seen. He also remembered that he liked in particular, but he remembered it all the same, oddly enough.
Life…without Tyson…
It sounded dull for some reason. He remembered the time he was with the Blade Sharks, how he spent aching hours simply listening to the grinding of his blade against the metal of the dish, how he spent his time looking at the Sun and simply closing his eyes in contemplation. He acted like he knew everything around him, as if he was mature enough.
The choice of Black Dranzer just proved to him that he was still a child.
And when their hands clasped together, Kai believed everything could be forgiven by the blessed relief on Tyson's face.
…And how he needed to be saved.
Dependence and Independence…how closely they are intertwined. Could you really be happy simply by yourself?
"I need you," Tyson said, "I'm being selfish by helping you for that reason only, but I'm human too. And I need you," Their eyes locked, "And I can't deny that."
"This is the third time you came to see me," Tyson said, coming up beside him, "I must be special," He said in a joking manner, but his eyes were very serious. Set in stone, thick granite blocks, that what they seemed to him.
"Or incredibly lucky," Kai said sarcastically, yet there was no real sting in those words. The bees of his voice have gone for better pastures it seems, he thought to himself.
"That too," Tyson amended, nodding slightly.
"Where did you go?" Kai said, noting that he hadn't made much leeway and he was still a fair distance from Tyson's house (A/N: They're on the sidewalk)
There was a hesitant note in Tyson's voice that clearly reflected itself in his movements and his eyes. His hands twitched slightly and his eyes seemed murkier with its dark blue swirls than it usually was, "I went…to the doctor."
"The doctor?" Kai spun his head so quickly that his neck suffered whiplash. He winced and rubbed the back of his neck soothingly to reduce the pain as he spoke, "Why the doctor?" Each word was enunciated with a certain emphasis, indicating that if his question wasn't answered, the person would meet with a rather painful death.
Tyson wasn't deterred in the least (in fact, he ignored it completely. This just shows how much respect his teammates gave their captain. He should toughen up their training sessions) as he answered, "I caught a bad flu a few weeks back. It must have been the weather. Though I recovered, he wanted to make sure."
That seemed plausible, but it didn't seem right. Kai's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything, letting the matter drop. For now, at any rate, since he really couldn't do anything otherwise.
Tyson smiled slightly as he moved his hands, "It stopped snowing, didn't it? Soon, spring will come and then…" His lips were upturned and he closed his eyes in delight.
Kai suddenly felt an unknown chill run through his veins on his arms. As if those words were prophetically dangerous. As if Tyson was predicting the destruction of Kai's world… or his own. Kai shook his head hurried, trying to drive that notion from his head. He was overreacting, he knew it.
Tyson looked down at the ground, "…I'm being stupid, aren't I?" His voice was slightly above a whisper, yet Kai had to strain his ears to catch the despondent words.
"Hm," Kai said simply and pointed to the bench on the sidewalk, "Sit down."
Tyson agreed compliantly as they sat down, after brushing away the icy white dusting from the bench. Tyson continued to look downwards and Kai felt the emergence of his temper. Usually he expected Tyson to be aloof and…certain. Never feeling the edge and gnaw of doubt. But then again, Tyson is human too. Undeniably so.
"Seize the day," Kai said suddenly.
Tyson looked at him, puzzlement lingering in his eyes.
"Carpe Diem. In English, the phrase means, 'Seize the day'," Kai felt his tongue loosen slightly and his words began to fall from his mouth faster than any rapid waterfall, "I…I always pictured you to be like that. Live to the fullest, don't live with regrets. I imagined that one day…you would tell me that instead of the other way around. You always seem to pull me out of my past," Kai bent slightly to stare at his hands, those pale white hands that always seemed so much like a child's, "You said you needed me. Well… I'm here now, aren't I?"
And like the slow blossoming of a flower which only a careful and appreciative person saw, Kai felt the smile (rather than seeing it) and it enveloped him, like a blanket that wraps around a baby's body in the night. Kai felt his face flush and realized how 'unlike' himself he was acting.
"Then I should live up to your expectations," Tyson said brightly, "Can't let the Mighty Kai down now, can I?"
Kai glared at him, "Don't push it."
"Uh huh," Tyson said getting up, "Why did you want to see me today for?"
Kai suddenly felt lost, "How…did you know that?"
"You were on route to my house, that's how I knew," Tyson said simply, causing Kai to shut in mouth and look away, "Something on your mind?"
It was Kai's turn to look down, "I…"
He was suddenly startled by the hand thrust near his face. He blinked and looked upwards. Tyson was smiling, that soothing smile, that all-knowing smile and Kai felt all his worries laid to rest somewhere far from his mind.
"Tell me at home, not in the middle of a public street," Tyson said and waved his hand slightly, "Coming?"
Kai smirked slightly and grasped his hand.
And when Kai was on solid ground once more, he never even realized that Tyson hadn't let go of his hand even once. Not that it mattered, since Kai never even released Tyson's hand and never even planned to.
-XX-
A/N: I believe that the city they live in is Baycity right? A bit sketchy at that part. But now we see at least that it's not a completely one-sided relationship and Kai throws in his two-bits to help Tyson as well. The last two parts that are italicized are parts taken when Kai was on the ice (that sounds funny for some reason) and Tyson pulled him out. Of course, I meddled with those parts a bit, but hey! Creative license! How else are we supposed to 'free our minds'?
-Do not forget-
-The Hand that pulled you forward-
-And the Hand that kept you back-
—Author's observations
Hiyami: Wow, you have the same birthday? That's so cool! (come to think of it, I share a lot of birthdays with people…) 'O' levels, huh? I'm doing I.B though. Don't know which one is harder, but I.B gives you a run for your money.
Kaay-chan: I'm glad you liked it. But I think this one is good as well.
Queen Phoenix: This story is more Kai-centric (I'm no good with writing Tyson) but Tyson does show up most of the time (almost all the time actually). I'm glad you like this story though.
Luvyagal: I don't think Kai is quite sure actually. In fact, I haven't really considered the 'boyfriend' idea. Come to think of it, they're pretty much a married couple.
Serena429: Well, I do want to become a writer and publish my work, but it's a hard occupation. Thanks for the support though.
FireieGurl: The TyKa shall never die. Not when I'm still around.
JadesRose: Thank you.
Yukiko Angel: I'm glad the TyKa is still alive. Considering that the Beyblade section is overrun with OCS and Rei/Kai…(shudders)
xXxAngel VxXx: I prefer complicated stuff (makes you think and use your head), but I'm glad you didn't get lost. Some people tend to get lost when it comes to my writing.
Minako Mikoto: Kai is a sap. An awful one. Don't you agree?
Kai: You're an evil person.
Me: I never denied it, Kai dear.
XZanayu: Kai and Tyson do belong together! Have you seen G-Rev? The shounen-ai hints are packed!
Yazzy: Recommended reads should be from writers; D-chan, Iapetus, Halluncination, Pervasive Threnody, sticcher2ficcer, keisje. They write Sanzo/Goku (which is my favourite!). And I don't know how…Tala/Lee would work…gomen…
Yami FireKali: You're a Saiyuki addict? I love you Kali-chan! Let's get together and rumble! And I'm glad you liked this fic! It means a lot (considering this started as a one-shot)
Plushie Heartless: I'm touched that you had the time to review each chapter. It shows that I am improving as a writer and people genuinely like to read my work. Thank you.