A/N: TA-DA! I'm back with the 13th chapter. I haven't updated in a LONG time, no? Hehe......*ahem* Terribly sorry! Originally, I had planned to have finished this fic by the end of the first season (of Beyblade), but we all know how that one went. So I've just decided to take my time to completing it. Of course, there is a whole bunch of things that I have yet to explain and to reveal in the story, believe it or not, the first 10 chapters or something like that was just the base for the plot. You can immediately tell that this is going to be a long story. So because of this, I have also decided – yes, I have been contemplating for a while – that I will try to wrap the story up quickly and cram it all in the next hmm.....5 chapters? It's still a VERY vague estimate. We'll see in soon.

Replies to reviews:

cosmos girl: Thanks for the review! Sorry it took me so long to update.....*sheepish*

Carrie: *cringes* Sorry! I had to leave it there.....but I'm continuing!

Storms-winter: Not to worry, I'm not going to kill off Kai! He's too hot to die, ne? Lol! Yay! I'm glad that you think that Tenchi and Kai seem perfect for each other! Anyways, you'll have to wait for the Kesumi and Kai meeting Andrew thing, but that's coming up soon. Thanks for reading!

mezurashii: Sorry it took me a long time to update! Thank you for reading!

anonymous: Sorry to end it there! Didn't mean to be cruel.....haha, here's the next chapter.

pokeralice: Nope, Kai's not dead! Don't worry!

Mizu-Tenshi: Hey you! I'm soooo sorry that I didn't go reading your stories! I haven't been on fanfiction for a LONG time! Hehe, as always, thanks for reviewing!

past-away-whisper: Kai's okay, I swear! *hides from very irate girl*

~*~

Chapter 13: Recollection

"Kai . . . Kai . . . Kai. . ."

A voice echoed softly in his ears, gentle and languid like the trickling water traveling down a stream. An unconscious smile tipped the corners of his lips; he recognized the voice: Tenchi.

A shrouded figure entered his vision, and he strained his eyes to identify who it was. He shook his head – wait, there are two people now...........

"Tenchi! Tala!"

They turned to look at him, smiling brightly as they came forward to greet him. He waited. But they never seemed to get any closer. It seemed as if they were walking forward, yet their advance was actually taking them farther and farther away from him as if they were on some sort of treadmill.

An expanse of stark whiteness suddenly blinded him, and he screamed as he blocked his eyes with his arms. Just as unexpectedly as it had come, the light faded quickly, and left him distraught and frantically looking for his friends.

Instead, he found Kesumi in front of him, laughing and giggling over some untold joke, and beckoning him to come join her. With relief, he took a step forward, only to watch her disappear like mist confronted by the sun.

"Kessy......."

"I hate math, Tenchi!" He whirled around in the direction of the voice, finding a much younger version of Kesumi and Tenchi lying lazily on a bed.

They immediately dissolved into the air as if nothing. Then Tala appeared, arguing playfully with....him. They both were younger also, like Tenchi and Kesumi had been in his vision – or whatever this was.

"No way! MY attack ring is so much better than yours! See, mine's just perfectly balanced."

"HA!" Tala scoffed disbelievingly.

Kai continued to watch with fascination as he scrutinized his younger self. He never really remembered fully how he used to look like when he was younger......he grinned wryly; I can't believe I was ever that small.

As he and Tala, too, disappeared, he exhaled deeply. Sadness heavily settled in the pit of his stomach like it had never before, and he closed his eyes tightly.

He began to feel pain from his head, and he rubbed his temples absent- mindedly. His fingers came away bloody. Kai raised an eyebrow. Blood?

Slowly, some sense started to filter into his numb mind, and he began to remember what had happened. There was a car coming down the road – the road which Kesumi was on......he had pushed her aside....and then.......

Suddenly his memory shifted, and he could see the figure of Tala in the background with his hands shoved in his pockets. And wait – is that Bryan? There's Spencer and Ian! What....?

World Tournament.

Demolition Boys.

He fell forward, his head cradled in his hands. The pain in his head began to intensify, and breathing became a struggle.

Cecile.

Why didn't I recognize them? What was wrong with me? Kai shook his head slowly, desperate to stop the pain.

Why couldn't I recognize Tala? My best friend?

Why did they leave me? Or did I leave them? I don't remember leaving the abbey. What happened? What........

"Kai......Kai........"

He lifted his head blearily, his eyes too clouded from the pain to see much ahead. But he made out Tenchi's face, and suddenly, the pain seem to fade into his head.

He stared at her, and this time, she did approach and come closer.

"Tenchi, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to – I don't know how I forgot ....I...."

She silenced him gently, "It's okay. Don't worry, Kai, everything will be alright. Rest now."

Succumbing to the lull of unconsciousness, he slipped away into blissful darkness. And what she told him, he believed, everything would be alright.

~*~

Oh lord, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord!

Kesumi paced up and down the hall of the hospital, biting her nails so often that they seemed to be constantly in her mouth. Her face was pale and her hair disheveled like there was no tomorrow, and frankly, she didn't give a damn!

The door to the Emergency room was sealed shut and locked – that she found out on her numerous attempts to try and pry them open – and not a sound escaped from it.

This is not happening, right? She chuckled nervously to herself; no it was NOT happening! She couldn't lose him – she just found him!

Tala and Tenchi would kill me! I finally find my brother and BAM now I kill him! If I hadn't fallen onto that stupid excuse of a road, this WOULDN'T have happened!

Oh lord, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord!

A comforting hand fell on her shoulders, and she yelped, cringing away from the touch.

Registering Ray's face, she relaxed, feeling sheepish at the slightly hurt look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Ray. I didn't mean to jump like that."

"It's okay." He paused, "Don't worry too much Kesumi."

Tyson nodded in agreement, and it striked her funny how it was the first time she had seen him pull on a grave face. "It was kinda scary how you chuckled to yourself like that earlier, Kesumi. I kind of thought you were going mental."

Ray hushed him with a look, and he continued soothingly, "Kai is strong. You know that right? He's handled all sorts of situations before."

Kesumi met his eyes, and nodded, "He did. More than you know."

Hesitating briefly, Ray pulled her into a comforting hug. When Kesumi didn't draw back, he relaxed, gaining some comfort from her in return. "Kai's my best friend, you know. He and I have a lot in common in some ways, and the things that make us different allows us to help each other. We might not act it, but there's a subtle connection."

She nodded into his shirt, "I've noticed."

"You have?"

"Yup. Kai's more open to you than to everyone else."

Ray shook his head, "How can you tell the difference?"

"You've got to *really* know him. Kai's always had been impossible to read – but he's changed from the time he lived at the abbey with me."

Intrigued, Ray pulled away slightly to look at her face. "Was he different then? Kai was so unapproachable and cold ever since we knew him, and it took us all a while to actually figure out that underneath the impossible exterior, there's a good person there. I can't imagine him not having that reserved kind of personality!"

Kesumi giggled, "Noooo, he was the best older brother you could ever wish for! He was funny and always full of laughter......but then......ever since he left the abbey and we lost communication with him, he......"

Seeing the uncertainty on her face, he gently prompted, "What is it, Kesumi?"

"Ah...." She trailed off. Sighing, she looked up at him with wide eyes, and he could see in them a whole pool of fear and worry this whole accident had caused.

"Tell me about it later then.....you seem to be rather distraught right now.....what with Kai......." He stopped himself.

"No. It's just......you know how I told you guys that Kai didn't remember me? That, you know, he forgot me? I wasn't joking. In fact, he forgot his whole child hood. All the times that we spent together in the abbey – he forgot it all. He even forgot *about* the abbey, until a couple of years back when he told me that you guys entered the World Championships for the first time. But the thing is, we don't know how he forgot. He just did."

"How......Wha?"

Kesumi gave a frustrated sigh, "I don't know. I haven't been to call Tenchi or Tala yet....." At his confused expression, she elaborated, "Tala and Tenchi are Kai's best friends at the abbey. Kai even forgot them.....I don't know how....."

"Tala? Balkov, Tala? Kesumi, he's – "

"Kesumi?!"

Turning quickly in the direction of the voices, Kesumi drew back jerkily from Ray at the sight of the figure just standing at the end of the hallway.

"TENCHI!"

~*~

Finally that one's done! Okay, so I hope to be updating the next chapter soon because this one was a bit too short, I think.....anyways, please *read and review ~ thx a bunch!