DISCLAIMER: I do not own Beyblade or characters, I merely am borrowing them
and adding my plot and OC's to it. *rolls eyes* I forgot to do the
disclaimer in a couple of previous chapters..oops.
Replies to reviews:
Mizu-Tenshi: A summary? Eh, when I have time. To be honest, I'm just being lazy. Lol. It will probably get emotional in the chapter, I don't know yet - I'll see how it progresses. ^ ^
Jessie: Hey!!!!! Oh my gosh, I haven't talked to you in ages! Thx for the review!!
Black Dranzer: Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last few..
To the anonymous reviewer: I updated! Thx for the review...*pokes* and make sure to leave your name or something!
Angel25302: Thx so much! I appreciate your feed back. *winks*
Chapter 7: Lost and Found
It was late - about 12:00 or so, and the distant chimes of a clock somewhere in the room confirmed his suspicions. It was too dark to actually see where the clock was situated, or else he would've taken a glance at it to be sure.
His mind was wandering - which he found severely unusual, after always having to control his thoughts and mind under strict boundaries and rules - and found it a miracle that he managed to find his way back to his hotel suite without getting lost.
Ray would be asleep, Kai thought, squinting into the darkness to his roommate's bed, where a huddled lump occupied its middle. And he was.
Contemplating whether or not he wanted to change into something more comfortable before he went to bed, Kai decided for the latter choice. He was too tired to bother.
As he edged towards his bed, the moon from beyond the window emerged from the clouds, spraying an eerie beam of light into the room, and he frowned. There was someone on his bed already.
He walked forward, and leaned to have a closer look at the intruder.
Kai swore.
It was that girl! How the heck did she get in here? Pass all the security? How - unless...Ray. His eyes hardened as he straightened stiffly. Just looking at her made the pain in his head come back. What was up with this girl?
Just as he reached forward to shake her roughly by the shoulders, Kai faltered and stumbled back, gasping rapidly. The pain in his head was getting worse, and it seemed as if his mind was drawing heavy curtains against the outside world...
"Kai? Kai?" Kesumi prodded gently at her brother, suppressing a violent shiver.
"Kai, wake up!"
He mumbled, stirring slightly, "What is it, Kessy?"
She let out a shuddering sob, dazedly noting that her eyes blurred and her vision swayed out in front of her.
Kai awoke, startled at he discovered a well of tears in her eyes. "Kessy? What's wrong?" Concerned, he jerkily pulled himself up into a sitting position.
"Hey, you okay?" He gently embraced the little girl as she clambered clumsily onto the bed. "Shh, don't cry."
Kesumi sniffed, using her small fingers to wipe away her tears, "I had that dream again. It was scary, Kai. It was really, really scary."
He drew in a sharp breath, grimacing as he pulled his covers over her trembling frame. Kesumi had been having nightmares about their parents ever since their funeral, which she had attended, but hadn't fully understood what really had happened. She was only 6; she couldn't have understood.
"Where's mom and dad, Kai? When are they coming back?"
Stroking her hair, Kai mumbled softly, "They're in Heaven, Kessy."
"Heaven? Where's that? Is it a nice place there? Why'd they go? When're they coming back?" Kesumi demanded, her voice thick with sleep and depression. "You're not going to leave too, are you?"
Kai paused, and when he spoke, his voice held a lingering emotion, "They're not coming to be back for a long time, Kesumi. And no, I'm not going to leave. I promise, I'll always be here when you need me." He pointed to her heart, "Mom and Dad are in there too. Just look for us, and you'll find that you're never alone."
"In here?" She asked, laying a hand over her heart, "You promise to stay?"
He nodded, "I promise."........
Kai leaned forward, his forehead pressed painfully over his knees. His headache had abated, but was still throbbing strong, like a drum being played at a steady beat.
Where had that come from?
Gritting his teeth, he lifted up on his feet, angry at himself for losing control so easily. I need sleep. Nodding at the logical sense of the notion, Kai walked warily to the sleeping girl.
Reaching forward, he tapped her on the shoulder: for some reason, he couldn't shake her roughly as he had intended. She shifted under his touch, and he felt a strange pang of sudden guilt - although he didn't know why, it was his bed, after all!
But for some reason, he just couldn't wake her, he was compelled not to do such a thing. Kai shook his head, wincing visibly as he quickly straightened and headed toward the wall. Leaning against the cool surface, he let his forehead rest against the rough texture of the wall paper.
Maybe he shouldn't sleep just yet; perhaps a brief thinking time would be good to sort out his thoughts. That's it - time - that's what he needed.
~*~*~*~
The room was shaded with dark shadows when he first opened his eyes the next morning, only small rays filtered through the almost tightly closed blinds that hung over the large windows.
Feeling stiff, he unfolded his arms to his sides. He must have fallen asleep in the same position against the wall.
"Kai?"
He looked in the direction the voice had come from. Kesumi - no, it wasn't Kesumi! Where did the stupid name come from anyways? Staring at her from under his eye lashes, Kai pretended to be sleeping, only to realize that she had been murmuring in her sleep.
The girl had his blankets all mussed up, he scowled, seeing the covers draped randomly against the side of the bed. Slipping towards the windows, Kai pulled open the lock and stretched his head out through the gap. A startling wind nipped at his face and he found that sheets of drying rain were still left over from the night before.
Had it been raining? He couldn't recall that it had been, or even if it had, he wouldn't have noticed.
Drawing his head back inside, his eyes settled uncomfortably on the stranger - she was shaking like a leaf. Kai let out a soft groan, his inner conscience had a firmer grip on him than it normally would've, and he wondered why.
Picking up the sheets that were half discarded onto the floor, he quickly dropped them over her, just as quickly receding back far away as possible from her. His head was hurting again, so he turned away sharply and headed towards the door.
With his hand tightly gripping the cold metal of the knob, Kai let his gaze fall onto the girl again. There was something strange about her, something that - he was surprised to say - wasn't completely negative, but in a way, good. She seemed familiar, and he was going to figure out why she was - he had to.
~*~*~*~
Tenchi nodded curtly to the officers that stood by the main entrance in the stadium, swiftly turning inward and through the grand hall. Its interior was impressive, she had to admit, with the ceiling arched a few stories up, and a carefully structured chandelier showering exquisite sparkles to those below.
The floors and walls had all been polished until they were practically gleaming, and she found herself asking if they would've worked to maintain the stadium so impeccably even if she hadn't been there to inspect. I should've come without notice, Tenchi mused wryly, nodding absentmindedly to the manager as he spoke to her about the stadium's equipment.
"Since the tournament is starting tomorrow, we're doing a test run of all the equipment, Miss Balkov. Mister Balkov had wanted you to check over the process."
Raising an eyebrow, she nodded her agreement and followed the stadium's manager as he led her towards the main stadium. She was itching to pull her ripcord, and she could tell that her bitbeast shared her excitement.
Tenchi smiled as her fingers grasped her beyblade; yes, she told her bit, we're going to be great!
~*~*~*~
"Ryan, Andrew, you didn't have to come with me." Kai rolled his eyes, turning away from his security guards as he drew down the windows in his limo. This was one of the many flaws about being a celebrity: you had no privacy and couldn't go anywhere you wanted anymore what with determined men tracing each step you took - not to mention the fans and media.
His guards merely nodded sheepishly, "We know, Mister Hiwatari. You hate being followed. But Mister Dickinson's orders..."
They trailed off, once noting that Kai had stopped listening. Instead, he was staring out through the open window, eyes locked on something far beyond the horizon. He was heading towards the stadium that would be hosting the international tournament, where he would be touring the arenas in which the beyblade battles would be situated in ahead of time.
He had insisted that he could go on his own, but Andrew and Ryan had tagged along. Kai sighed as the stadium slowly came into the view, and the car hum to a stop. At least one good thing came out of this: he could finally get to do some real training.
~*~
Nice, he mused, his eyes dancing with slight interest. The stadium was much more extravagant than those he had beybladed in before - and they were pretty high class. Nodding with approval, he led his guards through a series of corridors to one of the training rooms.
According to the map he had been given, the training room should be down to the left... "The cameras are in the way, Mr. Vance. How can I make it any clearer that you should not have them in the arena?"
He stopped where the hall was blocked by two other people, folding his arms patiently as he waited for them to finish their conversation - or at least to move aside for him to pass.
"Excuse me."
The man and the girl turned around, obviously irritated by the intrusion. "Yes, how may I help you?" The man spoke to him in a chopped voice, looking extremely displeased until he saw who it was. "Mr. Hiwatari! How pleasant of you to visit us."
Kai shook the offered hand, and turned to acknowledge the person the stadium's manager - Mr. Vance - had been conversing with.
She had crystal blue eyes, he would remember, that seemed to be as clean as any sparkling glass and the shimmering surface of water, yet there was a layer of ice beyond that, somewhat opaque, protecting her from being vulnerable under other people's scrutiny. Her skin was an elegant cream, and hair a long, silky auburn. Beautiful, tall and slender, she was, but there was something else that intrigued him.
He inclined his chin upwards to better survey her, and she was just as busy to stare back. There was a stance in her that was independent, and strong, that told him that she was different from the rest of the girls he had seen. Something in her that was different...yet he had an uncanny feeling that she was also familiar.
At that moment she broke off the gaze, speaking in a soft tone, "We'll talk further on this matter later, Mr. Vance." With that, she swept off down the hallway, and Kai would later notice that her footsteps made hardly any sound, much similar to his own.
I'm finished! *whew* But I enjoyed writing that all the same! Sorry if it's taking a while to update, I mean teachers these days.....but I can't blame them, it is close to the last few weeks of school! Oh no! End of school..start of exams...blah....read and review, please!!!!!!
Replies to reviews:
Mizu-Tenshi: A summary? Eh, when I have time. To be honest, I'm just being lazy. Lol. It will probably get emotional in the chapter, I don't know yet - I'll see how it progresses. ^ ^
Jessie: Hey!!!!! Oh my gosh, I haven't talked to you in ages! Thx for the review!!
Black Dranzer: Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last few..
To the anonymous reviewer: I updated! Thx for the review...*pokes* and make sure to leave your name or something!
Angel25302: Thx so much! I appreciate your feed back. *winks*
Chapter 7: Lost and Found
It was late - about 12:00 or so, and the distant chimes of a clock somewhere in the room confirmed his suspicions. It was too dark to actually see where the clock was situated, or else he would've taken a glance at it to be sure.
His mind was wandering - which he found severely unusual, after always having to control his thoughts and mind under strict boundaries and rules - and found it a miracle that he managed to find his way back to his hotel suite without getting lost.
Ray would be asleep, Kai thought, squinting into the darkness to his roommate's bed, where a huddled lump occupied its middle. And he was.
Contemplating whether or not he wanted to change into something more comfortable before he went to bed, Kai decided for the latter choice. He was too tired to bother.
As he edged towards his bed, the moon from beyond the window emerged from the clouds, spraying an eerie beam of light into the room, and he frowned. There was someone on his bed already.
He walked forward, and leaned to have a closer look at the intruder.
Kai swore.
It was that girl! How the heck did she get in here? Pass all the security? How - unless...Ray. His eyes hardened as he straightened stiffly. Just looking at her made the pain in his head come back. What was up with this girl?
Just as he reached forward to shake her roughly by the shoulders, Kai faltered and stumbled back, gasping rapidly. The pain in his head was getting worse, and it seemed as if his mind was drawing heavy curtains against the outside world...
"Kai? Kai?" Kesumi prodded gently at her brother, suppressing a violent shiver.
"Kai, wake up!"
He mumbled, stirring slightly, "What is it, Kessy?"
She let out a shuddering sob, dazedly noting that her eyes blurred and her vision swayed out in front of her.
Kai awoke, startled at he discovered a well of tears in her eyes. "Kessy? What's wrong?" Concerned, he jerkily pulled himself up into a sitting position.
"Hey, you okay?" He gently embraced the little girl as she clambered clumsily onto the bed. "Shh, don't cry."
Kesumi sniffed, using her small fingers to wipe away her tears, "I had that dream again. It was scary, Kai. It was really, really scary."
He drew in a sharp breath, grimacing as he pulled his covers over her trembling frame. Kesumi had been having nightmares about their parents ever since their funeral, which she had attended, but hadn't fully understood what really had happened. She was only 6; she couldn't have understood.
"Where's mom and dad, Kai? When are they coming back?"
Stroking her hair, Kai mumbled softly, "They're in Heaven, Kessy."
"Heaven? Where's that? Is it a nice place there? Why'd they go? When're they coming back?" Kesumi demanded, her voice thick with sleep and depression. "You're not going to leave too, are you?"
Kai paused, and when he spoke, his voice held a lingering emotion, "They're not coming to be back for a long time, Kesumi. And no, I'm not going to leave. I promise, I'll always be here when you need me." He pointed to her heart, "Mom and Dad are in there too. Just look for us, and you'll find that you're never alone."
"In here?" She asked, laying a hand over her heart, "You promise to stay?"
He nodded, "I promise."........
Kai leaned forward, his forehead pressed painfully over his knees. His headache had abated, but was still throbbing strong, like a drum being played at a steady beat.
Where had that come from?
Gritting his teeth, he lifted up on his feet, angry at himself for losing control so easily. I need sleep. Nodding at the logical sense of the notion, Kai walked warily to the sleeping girl.
Reaching forward, he tapped her on the shoulder: for some reason, he couldn't shake her roughly as he had intended. She shifted under his touch, and he felt a strange pang of sudden guilt - although he didn't know why, it was his bed, after all!
But for some reason, he just couldn't wake her, he was compelled not to do such a thing. Kai shook his head, wincing visibly as he quickly straightened and headed toward the wall. Leaning against the cool surface, he let his forehead rest against the rough texture of the wall paper.
Maybe he shouldn't sleep just yet; perhaps a brief thinking time would be good to sort out his thoughts. That's it - time - that's what he needed.
~*~*~*~
The room was shaded with dark shadows when he first opened his eyes the next morning, only small rays filtered through the almost tightly closed blinds that hung over the large windows.
Feeling stiff, he unfolded his arms to his sides. He must have fallen asleep in the same position against the wall.
"Kai?"
He looked in the direction the voice had come from. Kesumi - no, it wasn't Kesumi! Where did the stupid name come from anyways? Staring at her from under his eye lashes, Kai pretended to be sleeping, only to realize that she had been murmuring in her sleep.
The girl had his blankets all mussed up, he scowled, seeing the covers draped randomly against the side of the bed. Slipping towards the windows, Kai pulled open the lock and stretched his head out through the gap. A startling wind nipped at his face and he found that sheets of drying rain were still left over from the night before.
Had it been raining? He couldn't recall that it had been, or even if it had, he wouldn't have noticed.
Drawing his head back inside, his eyes settled uncomfortably on the stranger - she was shaking like a leaf. Kai let out a soft groan, his inner conscience had a firmer grip on him than it normally would've, and he wondered why.
Picking up the sheets that were half discarded onto the floor, he quickly dropped them over her, just as quickly receding back far away as possible from her. His head was hurting again, so he turned away sharply and headed towards the door.
With his hand tightly gripping the cold metal of the knob, Kai let his gaze fall onto the girl again. There was something strange about her, something that - he was surprised to say - wasn't completely negative, but in a way, good. She seemed familiar, and he was going to figure out why she was - he had to.
~*~*~*~
Tenchi nodded curtly to the officers that stood by the main entrance in the stadium, swiftly turning inward and through the grand hall. Its interior was impressive, she had to admit, with the ceiling arched a few stories up, and a carefully structured chandelier showering exquisite sparkles to those below.
The floors and walls had all been polished until they were practically gleaming, and she found herself asking if they would've worked to maintain the stadium so impeccably even if she hadn't been there to inspect. I should've come without notice, Tenchi mused wryly, nodding absentmindedly to the manager as he spoke to her about the stadium's equipment.
"Since the tournament is starting tomorrow, we're doing a test run of all the equipment, Miss Balkov. Mister Balkov had wanted you to check over the process."
Raising an eyebrow, she nodded her agreement and followed the stadium's manager as he led her towards the main stadium. She was itching to pull her ripcord, and she could tell that her bitbeast shared her excitement.
Tenchi smiled as her fingers grasped her beyblade; yes, she told her bit, we're going to be great!
~*~*~*~
"Ryan, Andrew, you didn't have to come with me." Kai rolled his eyes, turning away from his security guards as he drew down the windows in his limo. This was one of the many flaws about being a celebrity: you had no privacy and couldn't go anywhere you wanted anymore what with determined men tracing each step you took - not to mention the fans and media.
His guards merely nodded sheepishly, "We know, Mister Hiwatari. You hate being followed. But Mister Dickinson's orders..."
They trailed off, once noting that Kai had stopped listening. Instead, he was staring out through the open window, eyes locked on something far beyond the horizon. He was heading towards the stadium that would be hosting the international tournament, where he would be touring the arenas in which the beyblade battles would be situated in ahead of time.
He had insisted that he could go on his own, but Andrew and Ryan had tagged along. Kai sighed as the stadium slowly came into the view, and the car hum to a stop. At least one good thing came out of this: he could finally get to do some real training.
~*~
Nice, he mused, his eyes dancing with slight interest. The stadium was much more extravagant than those he had beybladed in before - and they were pretty high class. Nodding with approval, he led his guards through a series of corridors to one of the training rooms.
According to the map he had been given, the training room should be down to the left... "The cameras are in the way, Mr. Vance. How can I make it any clearer that you should not have them in the arena?"
He stopped where the hall was blocked by two other people, folding his arms patiently as he waited for them to finish their conversation - or at least to move aside for him to pass.
"Excuse me."
The man and the girl turned around, obviously irritated by the intrusion. "Yes, how may I help you?" The man spoke to him in a chopped voice, looking extremely displeased until he saw who it was. "Mr. Hiwatari! How pleasant of you to visit us."
Kai shook the offered hand, and turned to acknowledge the person the stadium's manager - Mr. Vance - had been conversing with.
She had crystal blue eyes, he would remember, that seemed to be as clean as any sparkling glass and the shimmering surface of water, yet there was a layer of ice beyond that, somewhat opaque, protecting her from being vulnerable under other people's scrutiny. Her skin was an elegant cream, and hair a long, silky auburn. Beautiful, tall and slender, she was, but there was something else that intrigued him.
He inclined his chin upwards to better survey her, and she was just as busy to stare back. There was a stance in her that was independent, and strong, that told him that she was different from the rest of the girls he had seen. Something in her that was different...yet he had an uncanny feeling that she was also familiar.
At that moment she broke off the gaze, speaking in a soft tone, "We'll talk further on this matter later, Mr. Vance." With that, she swept off down the hallway, and Kai would later notice that her footsteps made hardly any sound, much similar to his own.
I'm finished! *whew* But I enjoyed writing that all the same! Sorry if it's taking a while to update, I mean teachers these days.....but I can't blame them, it is close to the last few weeks of school! Oh no! End of school..start of exams...blah....read and review, please!!!!!!
