Title: Our First Noel
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine
Rating: T
Summary: see chapter one
Warnings: see chapter one
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. Any and all unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intent to entertain.
Our latest guests' arrival have had a significant impact on life in the dojo. Things are almost normal now. But only just a bit. Much to my, and everyone else's, relief Hiro has managed to curve Tyson's decorating bonanza. Just in time too; Tyson had bought a Martha Steward Christmas book and kept going on and on about sprinkling the Christmas eve dinner table with pine needles. I swear that Woody had waved its branches with glee when the dragon made his plans known. Both maniacs were brought back down a notch by Hiro, who has confiscated the book and told Tyson that Christmas trees don't belong in the training hall. Unfortunately, Woody has already been adorned so moving it would be too much work. I would have offered that we just torched the overgrown weed, but that just didn't seem to fit in with the whole Christmas spirit.
Boy, Christmas is a great holiday, but I've never noticed how restricting it can be…
I like Hiro. I know, I know, it didn't seem that way yesterday, but when it comes to Kai I can get pretty ugly. Anyway, Hiro is a good guy. Make that a great guy. And also a great coach. Team BBA would have been up the creek without a paddle had it not been for him. Sure, he then jumped ships and went on to coach BEGA, but as you now know I don't hold such actions against people. I mean, I ditched the White Tigers, joined the Bladebreakers, left them to join the White Tigers again, and then ended up battling with Tyson, Kai, Max and Daichi on team BBA revolution.
Kai's resume is even more impressive: He was initially a member of the Demolition Boys, left the Abbey and moved to Japan and founded the Bladesharks, ditched them to battle Tyson in the regional championship, became team captain of the Bladebreakers, left the Bladebreakers to re-join the Demolition Boys during the world championship, left the Demolition Boys to come back to our group, stayed put for a year, chose to be Tyson's partner in the tag-team championship, left the Bladebreakers once again to join the Demolition Boys who had changed their name to the Blitzkrieg Boys and became Tala's partner, got up and left them after Tala had been comatose and joined team BEGA, left them a short while later, and rejoined the BBA Revolution to help us defeat BEGA.
Should I take that as a hint that Kai may have some commitment issues?...Nah.
"You really should drink coffee. It helps shake off morning lag."
"Huh?"
"My point exactly."
As I was saying, I do like Hiro. Right now we're the only ones in the kitchen. The rest of the dojo is still asleep, though Hiro has told me that Kai is also up. But he's not here, sadly; no doubt he went off for the first of his daily lone-wolf strolls. He usually manages to pack in about eight per day, twelve when Tyson is being too great a pain in the ass. This leaves me and Tyson's big brother. I suppose that, unlike Tyson, Hiro is an early riser. By the time I had managed to drag myself downstairs he had already eaten breakfast and is now drinking coffee and enjoying the silence. Another trait the two don't share: Hiro actually knows what being silent is all about.
"Isn't too much coffee bad for you?" I ask, wiping my eyes and yawning widely. I'm not the most graceful person in the morning.
"Too much of anything is bad for you."
Heh, not if it's Kai. My entire life evolves around what little interaction I can scrape together with our captain.
"Are you alright, Ray?"
"Yeah, just tired."
"Just tired?" he doubts, giving me a yeah-right look.
Two theories: either Hiro has inherited all the good genes from the parents, leaving Tyson with the few gritty remains, or one of the two must have been adopted. Or maybe it's that whole recessive gene thing. Papa G is weird, Bruce is normal, Hiro is normal, Tyson is…Tyson. In any case, whereas Tyson has trouble understanding the basics, Hiro is a lot more complicated, meaning that a guy (such as myself) has to be careful not to let his guard down. Hiro wasn't our coach for nothing; he taught us, but he also learned a lot about us. Meaning that he isn't easily fooled.
Time to resort to one of my favorite strategies. Selective truth telling. It's genius, really. I've always been a bad liar, so I don't lie. Instead, I just vaguely admit the truth. Observe:
"I've got a lot on my mind."
Mainly Kai.
"Want to talk about it?"
Hahaha! No.
"Not really. It's kinda private."
He raises a brow, taking a thoughtful sip of his drink.
"Whatever it is, it's not making life easy for you. Do you know how you're going to deal with it?"
See what I mean? Tyson (and let's just pretend that he actually has the insights needed to see when a friend is screaming on the inside) would be hounding me to tell him what it is. Hiro, on the other hand, tries to help from the distance that I have placed him. I really, really like him.
"I've managed to make some progress," I say proudly, thinking back on the little interlude in the airport yesterday with a smile, blatantly ignoring the whole purring part. "It's just taking a bit of time."
"You shouldn't procrastinate too much," he warns, getting up to wash out the mug. "I agree, sometimes you should be patient, but there are times when you have to take the initiative and grab the chance before it slips you by."
I entertain the idea of grabbing Kai and 'taking the initiative'. And boy, it really is entertaining.
"Welcome back," Hiro greets someone as who has entered the kitchen.
Kai!
I repeat: mornings aren't my most intellectual times.
"Had a nice walk?" Hiro asks, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed.
Kai only acknowledges his existence with a brief nod of his head. Walking past the older teen, he picks a mug from out of the rack and filled it with some freshly made coffee. Without a word, he makes his way to the table and takes a seat. Though Hiro doesn't infuriate him like Tyson, Kai has always been reserved around him, more so than he usually is (if you can imagine such a thing). I think it's because, like me, Kai knows how perceptive Hiro really is. That and the fact that Hiro was constantly on his case during the last world championships, following him around and getting into his head.
Speaking of whom, those auburn eyes of the eldest Granger brother are doing something that is making me uncomfortable. Looking. Well…yes, that's what eyes are supposed to do. Let me elaborate: Those auburn eyes of the eldest Granger brother are looking from me, to Kai, and back. Really thoughtfully and perceptively. It feels like he's undressing me with those eyes. Pervert. Alright, so it's just my imagination. Though to be honest, Hiro is handsome…
What am I thinking? I'm not even with Kai and I'm already cheating on him with another man! Though we all know by now that Kai is the only person for me. So, does that mean that it's okay for me to say that other guys are good looking? Besides, Hiro isn't the eligible bachelor that the others think him to be…I won't get into that just yet, but oh yeah, I can be pretty observant at times myself.
"I'm going to wake up the others. You guys are going at nine, right?" he says, interrupting my mental boasting. "And Ray, good luck."
And he winks.
And I choke, even though I'm not eating anything.
And Kai, having chosen to listen to what others are saying in a badly timed display of sociability, merely takes a sip of coffee, watching us both with an unreadable expression.
And then, to add the final layer, Hiro smiles. It was a good natured smile, but it scares me all the same. Because if it means what I think he thinks this means…
Nah. He's just being friendly. He's doesn't suspect, much less know, anything. He's just letting me know that…that…sighs…that he has used those damn insights of his to see right through me as if I am nothing but glass. Very transparent, low-quality glass that shatters under the lightest pressure. You know, the kind found in those cheap cupboards your aunt spends hours searching the flea market for, only to discover that the glass broke while the delivery men were carrying it into her living room? That kind.
"Where are we going?"
"Huh?"
I'd kick myself, but I'm still a bit too sleepy to go through the entire process of commanding the right muscles needed for that complicated action. So I just blink, though even that took me a good ten seconds.
"Where are we going at nine?" Kai repeats himself.
If it weren't for the fact that I was the only other person in the room, and that Kai is one of a rather sane mind, I'd have thought that he's talking to himself since he isn't looking at me. It's a bit weird. He is talking to me, but he seems to be thinking about something entirely different. Man, I wish I could do that. I can only do one thing at a time, especially when I'm thinking of Kai. It's a miracle that I don't forget to breathe when in deep thoughts concerning my captain.
"Oh…uh…I…"
Think walking in the park with Kai. Think running back to the dojo wearing Kai's coat in the rain with Kai. Think sitting next to Kai while going to the airport. Think of Kai's hands on your back while in the airport. Think riding back home sitting even closer to Kai.
In other words: Get your mind in gear, Ray Kon, or those will be the only memories you'll ever have of you and Kai together!
"There's a…uh…a Christmas candy exposition today in town," I finally manage to choke out. Now that my communication center has kicked in the rest sounds a lot less bumbling. "Tyson's been talking about it for weeks."
Kai sighs, rolling those beautiful crimson eyes of his.
"It's an annual thing," I continue, trying to get him to respond. "Papa G says that it's pretty neat."
"At least I'll get some peace and quiet with everyone gone," Kai muses, not seeming to be listening to me.
Ouch. Very painful, Kai.
"You're not going?" I ask, unable to hide some of my regret.
"Why should I?" he responds, getting to his feet and walking over to the sink to wash out the mug he used. Kai's the only teen I know he doesn't need to be told to clean up after himself. If that isn't perfection then I don't know what is.
"Everyone else is going," I say, indulging in the view back here.
"Exactly. That's why I'm staying."
"But…why?"
When did I become such a nagger?
Kai must be thinking the same thing because he turns, studying me somewhat bemused.
"Give me one reason why I should go."
You will never guess my answer. Check this out:
"I want you to come."
That came out pretty smooth, didn't it? Unfortunately, that was not what I wanted to say. Not straight to his face, at least. I had thought of something along the line of: 'Because we want you to come.' We, as in the entire team. Alas, somewhere between my brain and my lips my treacherous heart managed to alter that little sentence drastically. I hate myself sometimes. And now I can't think up a fast enough excuse to cover my slip.
Kai is staring at me that is disturbingly similar to Hiro. And if Hiro managed to figure things out just by looking…
Ah, my mind has finally caught up with the times. Good morning to you too.
"I'm going to need a normal person around once we get there," I say, "Don't want to be on my own once Tyson, Max and Daichi get high on sugar. Kenny and Hillary will be around, but they also have a pretty bad sweet tooth. So basically, I don't want to risk getting caught in the middle without someone to back me up."
Whoa, for a last-minute cover-up, that was a pretty good one. Somewhat on the long and rambling side, but believable all the same. Both Kai and I know just how bad our team mates can get once they get intoxicated on gummi worms and taffies, so I'm hoping that he'll say…
"Whatever."
Yes!
I give him a big smile. The kind that gets the fan girls all shrieking and fainting like.
"Thanks, Kai. You're a real pal. The others are going to be stoked."
My smile obviously does not affect Kai the way it does my fans. Which is a bit of relief. The image of Kai shrieking and fainting here in the kitchen is actually creepy. Luckily, he only rolls his eyes and steps away from the sink, heading for the doorway.
"I'm only doing this for you, Ray."
Meaning that he isn't warming-up to this whole idea of quality together time with the rest of the team…
But who freaking cares? He's doing for me! Only for me! Kai hardly does anything against his wishes just because someone asked, but he is now. And only for me!
Time passes and I remain seated at the table, too comfortable in the warm fuzziness that is Kai's generosity. Soon enough, sound from above reminds me that I am still in a little dojo in Japan. Feeling refreshed, even though I woke up an hour or so ago, I get up to go get ready for our little outing. Heading for the stairs, however, I pause, looking up warily at the impending sound of disaster/amusement.
"Ack! Where is everyone? HEY, GUYS! We've gotta go or we'll be late!"
Thump thump thu--
Stumble
CRASH
"Ooooooooww!"
I am so tempted to ask; 'Had a nice trip?' but considering the fact that Tyson's moaning and rubbing his knee I can only assume that it hadn't been all that pleasant, but hey, better him than me. I bruise way too easily anyway.
"You okay there, Tyson?" I ask, daring to take a step closer to the world champion, who is laying in a heap at the foot of the stairs.
Don't take my casual inquiry the wrong way; it's not that I'm not concern with the wellbeing of my friends, it's just that Tyson eating floor happens at least once a week. Though taking a tumble from the top of the stairs has to be a new record. The highest he's ever fallen before was the day he fell off the top of the fridge while trying to reach the cookies Papa G had 'hidden'. Don't worry; the repair guy managed to get the dent out of the floor boards.
"We're--ouch--have to go now," Tyson groans, getting to his feet while rubbing his back, the sock he had been trying to put on while simultaneously coming down the stairs still in his hand. Come on now, he had been asking for that fall with that bright idea. "Candy…Lots of candy…DAAAAAAD!"
Did I always have this strange ringing sound in my ears?
"Hey, Ray! Guess what?"
"Wh--"
"Grandpa got us free tickets to get in!"
"Where did he get them?"
"He ate a bucket full of candy canes yesterday and he got them as prize. Neat, huh?"
50 fruitcakes…and we got Woody.
A bucket load of candy canes…
I'm too afraid to guess how this is going to end. Every time Papa G stuffs himself with something, I end up in either pain or humiliation.
"TYSON! CANDY!"
A hurtling ball of blonde crash lands on Tyson, who had just managed to get to his feet. Again, the hall is filled with pained groans. Max's greetings leave a lot to be desired. I don't think that that guy has ever given a proper handshake in his entire life. It's either tackling people or, even worse, head butting.
Ever been head butted when you least expected it? Can you imagine waking up at 5 a.m. to get ready for training (on your birthday no less) and the first thing you get from the first team mate you find is his forehead cracked against yours? I spent my entire birthday eating cake and pain killers and trying to guess how many Tysons were really standing in front of me. Remind me to stay as far away from Max as possible on New Year unless I want to go into 2006 with a head cast.
Here's something I don't think I mentioned earlier. My team mates are candy-holics. Scary candy-holics…and so am I. No, better put, I'm a choco-holic. But then again, who doesn't like chocolate? It has got to be the best thing to have ever graced mankind. Except for Kai, of course. And maybe beyblading…That's a tie there. But Kai's number one. For ever.
Yes, we are at the candy exhibition and I must admit that I am glad that I'm here. I was thinking more along the line of rows upon rows of racks with candy like you find in the local grocery stores. Upon entering the place, which is actually a department store totally redecorated for this purpose, I could do nothing but stare in total awe at the towering six foot tall Eiffel tower made entirely out of caramel and taffy. I'm not too ashamed of my gawking since Tyson down right passed out at the sight and it took us five minutes of fanning him plus a huge wad of cotton candy to bring him around.
I haven't seen him since. He, Max and Daichi declared an all-out war on the place and have disappeared amongst the different stands, grabbing stuff left and right, barely stopping to pay for the goods. Seeing as we got in for free they now have more money to spend. Hillary and Kenny know a lost cause when they see one so they decided to enjoy themselves. We left them back at a pretty amazing Jelly Bean village.
And when I say 'we' I mean Kai and me. I seriously don't know where to look; at all the cool candy art works, or at the teen silently walking beside me.
"How do they do it?" I ask, pretending to be engrossed in studying the massive chocolate Santa Claus waving at us with a mobile arm. I'm less impressed with the even bigger chocolate Christmas tree, though…
"Too much money and time on their hands."
"Yeah, but it looks great, right?" I turn to him, smiling expectantly.
"Hn."
That one is a little harder to interpret than 'whatever'. Sounded more like a 'I don't care' hn. Still, I should consider myself lucky for having Kai here. Hoping for him to genuinely be enjoying himself is something I'd probably have to earn from the gods by means of some heroic act or sacrificing a virgin. And no, I do not intend on sacrificing myself so keep your smart comments to yourself.
"Wow, look at these!" I stop, staring at a glass display case with boxes of very fancy looking chocolate hearts. "Real Swiss chocolates. I've always wanted to taste some of those. How much do they cost?"
Finding the price tag, I blanche. At first I assure myself that the sellers simply forgot to put the decimal point on this price tag, but finding the same price on every box, I give up.
"On second thought, never mind."
Looking over my shoulder, Kai frowns slightly.
"What's so great about these?"
"Swiss chocolate is the best," I inform. "They say you haven't tasted real chocolate until you've eaten this. Damn it, Hillary still owes me back my ten bucks!"
My much-warranted grumbling session is interrupted by a high voice coming from the stand opposite us.
"Crispy Christmas Chocolate Cups! A cup a day won't keep the dentist away! Care for a taste?"
We both turn to our left to face a girl is dressed in a horrifyingly frilly red and green dress and what looks like a mutant cross between a Santa hat and a chef's toque. Stretching out her gloves hands, she presents us with a tray of those Crunchy Christmas things.
"A sweet treat for two sweet guys?" she winks, giggling with a slight blush.
"No thank you," Kai turns down coldly, already moving on.
"I'll take one," I say when she looks disappointed. You'd think I'd know by now never to fall for the teary eyes. When will I learn?
"Alright!"
She hands me one and since she's waiting with such big, now shiny, eyes I decide to just eat it there. It looks okay. It's shaped after a tea cup but appears to be filled with something that is covered by a cute little white crust with Merry Christmas written on it in edible ink. It's small enough so I just pop the whole thing in my mouth.
Hiro really is wise beyond his years: too much of anything (excluding Kai) is bad for you.
Too…Much…Sugar! Holy Sh--
"What do you think?" she asks chirpily.
"It's…interesting," I croak, fighting the gag reflexes trying to force the thing back out of my throat. Discreetly thumping my chest, I manage to swallow it though I know I'll be hearing from my stomach later.
"We've currently entered it in the Sweetest Sweet contest! It's made out of sweetened chocolate and filled with super sweet sugar, extra sweet caramel, additional sweet syrup and artificial sweeteners. We're giving out complementary packs. Do you want to bring one home?"
I'm putting Papa G under house arrest the moment we get back to the dojo.
"Yeah, okay."
When will I learn?
"Great!"
As she starts to punch in something on her little cash machine I am left to wonder exactly how many of these things she has eaten herself. Then I wonder, and am simultaneously gripped with fear, if Tymachi have been by here and have also gotten a pack of these things…
…Are hotel rooms expensive here in Japan?
"Oh, you're in luck! Since you are the one hundred costumer you get, not one, but four packs!"
…Greeeaaat.
I'm handcuffing that old goat to Woody the minute we get back and I'm duct taping his mouth shut. We'll feed him with an IV or something.
Taking the bulging bag from her as if it were contaminated, I force a weak smile, thank her and move on, walking as quickly as possible without looking as if I'm desperately trying to escape, which I am, before she finds even more ways to dump more of this stuff on me.
Think happy thoughts, Ray. Christmas time…Time of giving…Time of sharing…Time to be grateful for what you get…
My tongue is still burning! Seriously, all that sugary sweetness is destroying my taste buds! I'm about ready to wipe my tongue on my shirt!
"What did you get?"
Blinking through the tears, I manage to make out Kai's form before me. My tongue feels like it's starting to swell so I just hold out the plastic bag, showing him the contents. I can hear him snort and can just imagine him rolling his eyes. I've been around this guy long enough to know the sequences in which he does things.
The tears are really blurring my sight so I stop to lean against the side of a stand, out of the busy walk way. Movement beside assures me that Kai is still there. Finally managing to wipe away the tears, I squint at him. Then at what is in his hand. A soda can. He must have bought it while I was nuking my mouth with these Crappy Cups, as they should rightfully be named. Did that stand have a suggestion box? 'Cause I have a few things to suggest, particularly concerning where they should put these things.
"Ray?"
"Sugar," I cough, covering my mouth. What type of sadistic person would ever think of making something as pleasurable as eating candy painful? "Cup Candy...Lot of sugar…Mouth…burning."
Kai raises a brow, but holds out the can.
"Drink. It'll wash away the taste."
Eager to get rid of the burning itching, I gladly accept the can and take several large gulps, letting the cool liquid flow over my tongue. Of course, due to the high concentration of sugar I have just ingested, it doesn't really taste like much, but it works. Though it will take a couple of hours until it's fully gone, for now I am very grateful. Sighing contently, I hold the can back out to Kai.
And then it hit me.
I have just drunk from Kai's can. Meaning that Kai has drunk from it already. Meaning that my lips have just touched the exact same spot as Kai's. Kai's lips, the ones that make drinking coffee look down right pornographic, have touched the very rim as mine.
A new burning sensation crossed the bridge of my nose and I know it isn't because of Crappy Cups. Hand now trembling, I hand the can back to Kai, not meeting his eyes.
"T-Thanks, Kai."
"Why did you buy them?" he asks offhandedly, and takes a sip.
Gripping the bag's handles tightly to hide the fact that my hands are shaking, I look down at my load, trying not to think of the fact that those lips are now touching the exact same spot my lips have just touched.
"I didn't buy them. I got them for free. Something about being to so many customer."
"She's a sale's person. That's what they're good at."
Taking a deep breath to clear my mind, I stand straighter. I've shown far too much weakness as it is before Kai. Time to get back on track. I open my mouth, a funny response on the tip of my tongue…
And then Irony returns. With reinforcement this time.
For as I straightened, my stomach, not having forgiven me for forcing Cup O'Crap down, returns the gesture…By forcing it up!
There, before several dozen spectators, and Kai, I lose my bearing, fall to my knees and proceed to throw up all over the floor.
And I am left wondering: Why oh why did I insist on Kai coming with us?
"I don't get how you could throw up. These Crispy cups are delicious!"
"Maybe you're allergic to chocolate."
"But Ray loves chocolate."
"Maybe he was poisoned! It's like a conspiracy."
"Honestly, Daichi, if you don't have anything useful to say then stay quiet."
"Shut up, Ugly."
SLAM
"OW!"
"Don't call me that!"
"Guys, maybe we should leave Ray alone to get some rest."
Don't you mean so that I can lick my wounded pride in peace? I appreciate the thoughtful gesture though, Kenny.
Laying on my bed on my side, my back turned to my friends, I don't know whether to be relieved that they are going or ashamed that they think me to be that traumatized by what happened. But let's be honest. I am. I threw up, for Christ's sakes! I emptied my guts all of the floor and, as I later realized to my great horror, on Kai's boots! How much humiliation can one person take in a day? I'm surprised I haven't died from mortification.
Even worse is the fact that I haven't seen Kai since we got back to the dojo. Hillary says that he went to clean his boots, but that was hours ago.
When I had finally expelled everything in my stomach on the exhibition floor, the others had found us, drawn by the large crowd. I had been helped to my feet and herded into the limo. I'm not sure what had gone through my head the entire time, but I soon found myself ushered into the washroom by Bruce and Papa G and told to take a bath since the front of my shirt had…splatters. It was like someone fast-forwarded everything and before I knew it I was on my bed with everyone crowded around me, peering and poking at me like lab students checking to make sure the frog they were about to dissect was indeed dead.
And though my team is here, and the three older Grangers had visited to make sure I was okay, the only person missing is Kai. What have I done? How could I have messed up so much?
"I think that's a good idea, Kenny," Hillary's voice says from somewhere to my left. "A good night's sleep will make you feel a lot better, Ray. And…And about what happened back there…It's nothing to be ashamed of! Those candies are horrible!"
"Are not!" Tyson, currently stuffing his face with them, denies. "They're great! And, since Max, Daichi and I were all the 100th customer to taste them, each of us got four extra boxes!"
"How can the 3 of you be the 100th customer?" Kenny asks, noticing that the figures didn't add up. "That's just an excuse to get you to take them!"
"Their loss," Tyson shrugs. "Hey, Ray! Mind if we eat yours? It's a good thing you didn't puke all over them. Man, how lucky is it that the bag fell away from you when you collapsed and began to throw up? I mean, you were spewing like everywhere and--"
"Okay, time to go!" Hillary mercifully interrupts before I can do my team mate bodily harm. "Tomorrow's a busy day. It will be a bit…um…surprising."
"Yay! It's dinner time! Last one down is bit beast poop!"
"Hope you feel better soon, Ray!" Max offers, patting me on the shoulder.
"Yeah, don't want to spend your Christmas in bed, do ya? It only comes once a year."
It does…and currently…I'm finding that a good thing.
The door closes and their voices fade. As I lay there in silence I can't stop myself from straining my ear, hoping to pick up the familiar thread of Kai's footsteps approaching my room. Even if he only pokes his head in to make sure I'm alright…
I lay there until the entire dojo falls still as everyone settles down for the night.
When I am certain that he won't be coming I can't help but bury my face in my pillow. Not even the image of Papa G tied up and caged can lift my spirits.
8 days left…and I am as big a loser as I've ever been. Maybe even more so.
Tbc…
Oooh, not very humorous at the end. It works with the plot, though.
Seriously, you can throw up because of too sweet chocolate. While traveling with my family once we stopped at this little restaurant in the mountains and I ordered a chocolate mouse. I took one spoonful and I gagged. The thing was too fucking sweet! I had to throw up! No one, not even my dad (and that is saying something) could eat it! The restaurant people were nice enough to refund my money after a spent fifteen minutes throwing up in the rest rooms.
Read & Review, please.