Warning : Strong language, violence & M/M

Disclaimer : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

------------------------------------

Kicking his shoes off and collapsing on the bed, Kai was tired and frustrated. Not only had his hour-long detention been excessively lame, but he'd also been made to go and talk to the head mistress as a punishment for his "Disrespectful behaviour" as Ms. Butcher had put it.

"Teachers are so full of shit." Kai muttered to himself angrily, flicking the switch on the kettle. All he wanted was a good, strong cup of coffee, and knew he wouldn't calm down until the soothing dark liquid touched his lips. The kettle boiled and Kai got his wish. He sighed deeply and stirred, thinking. Thinking of the past few days. Thinking of all the strange events. Thinking of the fire and the homework. Thinking of all these things, Kai turned the television on and waited for the news. He sat on the bed, sipping his coffee. He sighed again, enjoying the taste. He wanted to think more about everything, but felt like his mind would explode if he did, so just sat and drank. After finishing his coffee, he lay down and, closing his eyes, tried to push away the bad thoughts creeping across his imagination.

'Welcome to the eight o'clock news, I'm Matthew Gander'

Kai woke with a start at hearing the title, turned the TV up and watched the screen in anticipation. Somewhere deep inside he was hoping for an explanation… But in that same space of his stomach, he was also fearing the worst…

'Wait…' Kai stared at the screen, confused. "Eight o'clock?" He voiced his confusion. He must have fallen asleep, he'd got back to the hotel at half six. He listened as the headlines began.

'Headlines this evening : Police still have no lead on the house fire in outer Tokyo, and are baffled as another school was found burning early this evening…'

Kai's eyes widened as a picture of his school loomed onto the screen in front of him. He had been there only a few hours ago; when did this happen? He listened to the reporter on-screen telling the world that nobody can explain how the fire started and that it could be related to the house that was burnt down just a few days ago. Kai couldn't breathe. All he could do was sit and stare, wondering why these things kept happening.

'Nobody was hurt, but a lot of the staff are still in shock. Four of the school's teachers were outside when the building went up in flames. They say various keys to the building were stolen during the attack. Students are required to attend the school tomorrow for a student-teacher meeting to find out if anybody saw or heard anything…'

The report went on and on and Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd have to move schools, he knew it. He turned the television off, not wanting to hear any more. People suspected him of burning his neighbours' flat, what would they think when they find out that his school had been attacked too? The police were going to be there, and they were going to question him. He knew it.

'Calm down Kai…' A voice told him in the back of his mind. 'You know you're innocent.' He gasped, suddenly seeing someone in the corner of his room. He jumped to his feet and looked around, but nobody was there. Kai's heart was racing… Was he… Scared? He tried to shake the feeling off but it refused to go away. Something wasn't right and he didn't like it. He turned back round to get himself another coffee, and there it was. Right there on the table, next to the kettle was a little piece of paper.

"Three days." Kai read. He hadn't written that note, just like he hadn't finished his homework, but there it was. Three days in his handwriting. He fell back onto the bed in vexation. All these things kept happening to him. Three days until what? He was certain he saw somebody in the corner once more.

"Leave me alone!" Kai had meant it to be loud, but it had come out in a whisper. He grabbed his bag and ran out of the hotel room, clutching the note, heart racing, tears in his eyes.

Down the stairs, through the reception, out into the cold night air. He stopped. Looking both left and right at the cars whizzing past him, he ran across the road at the first chance he could. Where he was going to go, he had no idea. Anywhere, as long as he was away from the Haunted Hotel. He could see the soft glow of the city ahead of him and knew that that is where he should head. The wind picked up and bit harshly at his neck. He wished he had his scarf. He wished… 'Huh?' Kai felt something in his pocket. He stopped walking and pulled out a set of keys.

"These aren't mine." He muttered to himself in confusion. He didn't remember picking them up either. Shrugging it off, he continued walking. The more he walked, the further away the city seemed to get, so he was relieved to find a bench. Sitting down, he immediately reached for his cigarettes, but he couldn't find his lighter. Kai sat, looking annoyed, for quite a few minutes. He drifted into thought about his day, and quickly jerked himself back to reality again. He didn't want to get thinking, not now. He heard voices coming toward him, and hoped one of them would have a light. The voices came nearer and into vision.

It was them. That little group of six. Kai cursed himself as he began thinking about the owner of the golden eyes that slowly came closer. He listened to the conversation between two of the group. A navy-haired boy talked excitedly about the school being burned down on his first day. A small, hyperactive blonde kept contradicting him. Kai tensed as he heard it.

"Three days!" The navy-haired boy exclaimed.

Kai stood up, glaring down at the speaker. The group stopped in front of him and simply stared, not knowing what was going on.

"What did you say?" Those crimson eyes could have burnt a hole through metal. The group looked confused, but the boy answered.

"Th-Thr-Three d-days." He replied shakily, unaccustomed to being spoken to in such harsh tones. Kai huffed.

"Until what?" He demanded, now looking just as confused as the younger group before him.

"That's what was written across a wall in the school that was burnt out." A short, simple answer came in a soft voice, forcing Kai stare at the speaker.

"What?" He replied, staring into the tanned face, surrounded by untidy black hair, only kept from his eyes by a red bandana.

"When the police went to see if they could find any clues… That was written on the wall. In a classroom." Kai looked at the boy. He had fangs. And the yellow eyes… He looked… Like a cat. The boy obviously noticed Kai's stares. "I'm a neko-jin."

"Right." Was his short reply. 'Well that explains a lot…' Kai thought. The group just looked at him, waiting for him to say something. The short silence was broken. "Any of you got a light?" He held up his cigarette pointedly.

The navy-haired boy pulled a box of matches from his pocket, smiled sheepishly, and offered them to Kai. He lit his cigarette and gave the box back to the boy, nodding a silent 'thanks'. He needed to find somewhere to stay for the night, so picked up his bag and walked passed the small gang. He smiled slightly at the neko-jin as he left, making his appreciation for the information known. The cat-like boy smiled back widely, showing sharp fangs. Kai had to turn his head away so the boy didn't see him smirk.

Leaving the group, he slunk off toward the city, his mind torn between concentrating on the matter at hand or his feline friend. Kai wanted to think about the latter, but knew he needed focus. Things were not right, and he was worried. Fingers clasped around the note and the un-belonging keys in his pocket.

'Three days…' He pondered. 'Three days… Til what?'

------------------------------------