A/N: As usual this was done when I got bored writing Childhood Hell. A special thanks to amnesia nymph for beta-reading this since I wasn't sure if I should post it. Enjoy and please review.

Drowning Down The New Year

Trish's POV

"Kai? Kai are you in there?" I yelled, banging on the bathroom door. Maybe I should just leave him for the night but then if I don't check up on him, I'll just end up worrying and feeling guilty all night and besides this may be my only chance to avoid Enrique for the rest of the night.

"Kai? I'm coming in…Ok?" I pushed the door open, carefully and quietly.

"Get lost girl." He yelled at me.

There he was, on the floor, leaning over the toilet, as he wiped a horrible trail of vomit from his chin, his eyes were red and bloodshot, and his face was eerily white, even for him.

"Are you alright?" I asked, rushing to his side and helping him up.

"I said get lost, I don't need your help." He growled; his breath tickled my cheek. I had to veer my head away the moment his mouth opened; my god did his breath reek!

"Sit here." I said, sitting him on the toilet after checking that the lid was closed, I set him down gently, though he was trying to struggle out of my grip "Now, let's get you cleaned up a bit." I reached over to the sink and grabbed the flannel, rinsed it under the hot water and slowly began to clean his face, though he moaned and struggled. "Quit acting like a baby."

"You're the one treating me like one." He remarked coldly.

"Well, when you're drunk you do act like a baby, you can't take care of yourself or anything." I argued.

"I'm not drunk, I just threw up okay"

"Uh huh, yeah right sure" I said, not believing him a bit.

"And why should youcare?"

"Well…" I said, wiping his chin clean of vomit. "…I care because…because we're friends."

Kai's POV

What? Where'd she get that idea? Why did she even want to be friends with me? I don't have friends…I have my beyblade.

I let her carry on cleaning me after that. I didn't fuss or complain thatmuch…I was too busy thinking. Back at the abbey, I was told that friends were useless, even Tala and I weren't close enough to be considered real friends, though most people say we were, I was told that friends got in the way, they could ruin your dreams, they would always end up ruining everything someday, no matter how great they seemed. I didn't want anyoneto ruin my dreams; I wanted to be the best beyblader to have ever lived.

The fact that someone like Trish, who could get anyone in the world to be her friend by just showing them how much she had on her credit card, wanted to be my friend was kind of…unsettling…we were almost exactopposites. I was anti-social, she wasn't, she had gone through a lot when she was younger but she still didn't let that get in her way. She used to get pushed around and always stayed on her own but not by chose. I was easily angered, she was as calm as…well, she could snap at someone for taunting her or her friends, so maybe we were a little similar in that respect. She looked out for people a lot and wouldn't let anyone push her around or let anyone of her friends get hurt. She says that everyone that she protects is her friend but I've never been in a situation where I've had to be helped by her so I never thought we were friends but now…now she's here.

"Are you sure you're alright? You're being seriouslyquiet, and you seem to be really upset" She mumbled, rinsing the flannel under the tap, then dabbing at his messy shirt. She had been a close friend of my sister all there life and I only came to know her a while ago and since my sister keeps moving around because of work she tends to stay with me in Usagi's mansion and sometimes comes with me to training but she doesn't beyblade.

Why is she telling me this? Does she think I'll understand? Well I do, but…I can't tell her that, why should I put up with this? She doesn't understand me, what I went through; she has no right to act as though she understands, to act as though she cares. No one has ever cared, she's just taking pity, I can't pretend I understand everything about her, like after all the world put her through she doesn't care about what happened in her past and she still cares about everyone around her, but I never figured out why?

Trish's POV

I wiped the front of Kai's shirt, not daring to look him in the eye. I could feel his eyes burning down on me anyway; I could tell that he was glaring, angrily…but whyI'm just trying to help him, did I do something wrong?

He suddenly stood up and knocked me over roughly. I moaned in pain as my head came in contact with the floor,"What was that for?"

"I'm no baby sojust leave me alone, I can take care of myself. If you come near me again, you'll regret it." He suddenly stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. I felt my eyes begin to water.

Kai's POV

"Hey Kai." Tyson said to me, as I was leaving the Dojo.

I didn't want to reply and I didn't, I just wanted to leave quickly so I could drown my sorrows until morning. I rushed out of the door, hating them all, hating myself for all I had just said. Why did I yell at her? I know she was only trying to help…I could see her eyes shining as I yelled at her…she was probably crying right now. I hated making girls cry, in the end I just felt guilty for it but my pride wouldn't let me do otherwise or let the caring go on longer, but now I could just forget about her, I'm not a baby sitter especially hers, she could take care of herself.

Trish's POV

"Uh…Tyson?" I poked his lifeless body nervously as he lay on the couch; I was praying that my eyes weren't red or watery anymore.

"Huh? What? Trish, what do you want?" He asked.

"Have you seen Kai?" I needed to apologise, for upsetting him…though I wasn't quite sure howI'd done it in the first place. I didn't know what I could have don't but I just knew that I had to apologise for upsetting him, what could I do? I cant ignore him for the rest of my life, we live together so I'll see him sometime or other.

"Oh, he went to his room and changed and then left, I think he went to the park. He'll probably be there, he was in a bad mood before he left so he'd want to be on his own"" Tyson replied, closing his eyes.

"Ok, thanks Tyson." I ran out the front door after I grabbed my jacket and ran. I still didn't understand why, but I felt like I needed to apologise, I guess maybe I just wanted to understand him a little better, to see why he was the way he was. Maybe he was trying to protect himself from something, but what from? Could he be protecting himself from me, but what could I have done?

I continued running, picking up speed.It felt so cold out here but I didn't let it slow me down. The streets were empty, everyone was probably inside where it was slightly warmer then out here in the misty terrain. Oh my God, where is he? I must be near the bridge now! I stopped and looked around, breathing heavily. I saw a lone figure under the moonlight, resting on one of the swings in the park. KAI!

I rushed toward the park, though I tripped a few times, I had to talk to him and tell him that I didn't mean to upset him, I had to apologise. I saw his features clearing as I got nearer. He suddenly turned and noticed me; he rubbed his eyes quickly and glared at me.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone!" He yelled.

"I only came here to apologise for getting you angry earlier. Look I'm so sorry that you can't accept help from anyone but, my god; you don't have to get so worked up! All I was trying to do was be a good friend!" I yelled at him, my face was burning with embarrassment, not rage. I was embarrassed that I was acting so… snappy, especially with someone like Kai…I had to admit, when the other girls said he was cute no matter what they were right, even though he was glaring, he still looked pretty cute.

"Well I don't want to be friends with anyone, especially not you!" He yelled back, right in my face, his breath had cleared a little, but I still had to hold my breath until he backed off. "You're childish, stupid, you never do what you're told, you're ego is bigger than Tyson's and I don't see why" he said, turning his head to look away from me. "You really are pathetic, you forgive to easily and I don't know what the hell Usagi ever saw in you, to even let her be your friend especially after what she had gone through"

That was it, my hand flew out ad whacked the side of his face. I didn't mean to, really I hadn't but he had insulted me one to many times tonight. I suddenly stared at my hand, realising what I'd done, I could barely believe that I'd just lost it like that…I suddenly felt terriblebut I obviously didn't show him that but instead let my eyes harden with bottled up anger.

I couldn't think of anything that would make it better, the skin on Kai's cheek that was visible was bright red and his hair shadowed his eyes so I didn't really know how he was feeling. Something inside me sensed that he felt hurt by what I had just done to him and I suddenly felt my heart break in my chest, my eyes softened a little. I tried to say something, "I'm so sorry" I whispered.

He sat back down on the swing, still saying nothing, I suddenly noticed the bottle of vodka in his hand and little bleeding cuts on his finger tips that had been made by holding onto the rusty chain of the swing. I finally realized why he was even out here, he was drowning his sorrows…but why was he sorry? I sat down on the swing next to his, shivering with nerves and slowly started to swing a little.

"Are you… you alright?" I asked, my voice shaking…he must really hate me now…and that was what I couldn't stand; knowing that he probably hated my guts.

"I'm fine." He said, though his cheek was still really red.

"I really didn't mean to hit you like that, are you sure you're ok?" I asked again nervously.

"Yes." Kai replied simply but still avoiding me and my gaze on him.

I suddenly felt like I was about to burst into tears, I don't cry much but I do when I feel like I've really hurt someone, "You know…I understand why you're out here, I annoy you so much that you have to run off to keep sane. I'm sorry if I said something to hurt you or to annoy you earlier" I tried to apologise, but I was never good at apologising…ever. "I know that I annoy you when I come with you to training and stuff and that but Usagi was my only friend and without her I don't know what to do, I get bored easily and thankfully you have her sense of sarcasm and things are never boring around you. So…I'm trying to say sorry for what I did" I said, though I still don't quite know what I had said but I explored possibilities.

"Don't worry" He said simply. "You don't annoy me…well not too much and luckily for me you hit like a girl." He suddenly smirked a little.

"Hey!" I punched his arm.

"A strong girl" Kai added, still smirking a little.

"I thought you were really annoyed with me! So then, why were you out here? Is everything Ok?" I asked feeling worried about him.

"Oh…fine." Kai replied quietly.

"It was more of a rhetorical question because I know that no matter what you say that something is in fact wrong. You've been acting strange all night, is there something you want to talk about?" I said.

"I just…don't understand why…why anyone would want to be friends with…with someone like me…"

"I'm not sure why but… I feel like you and we would be great friends…" I knew why I liked him, I knew how he felt and knew that he was probably a really nice person underneath his cold exterior.

"How…how do you do it?"

"What do you mean by that?" I asked confusedly, not quite understanding his question.

"Be friends, how do you be a friend? A…a real friend?" Kai looked a little confused.

"Well you, hang out together, talk about things you wouldn't even think about mentioning to someone else and you…play and make each other laugh."

"Play? I don't play. Where would you play?"

"Uh, Kai, we're in a park, duh. Don't tell me you've never played in a park, not even as a Kid?" I said, I kind of lied, I only started playing in a park after I met his sister but before that I didn't know the meaning of playing or being in a park to just have fun but now it seemed much more natural to me.

"I-I was in the abbey as a kid….I never left…not even once." Kai admitted his voice uncertain. I could tell that he didn't really feel right about telling me all of this but it was a start because it showed that he was already starting to open up a little.

"Hey see! We're already sharing secrets!" I said, laughing a little.

Kai's POV

"Uh, yeah, I guess." I smiled slightly, it felt good that I'd told somebody something about myself, it was hard since I never told anyone or spoke to anyone about my feelings before apart from my sister of course but still somehow I found it easy to talk to her, maybe it was because she could understand me, she could at least try and I think maybe she'll understand.

"Lets just talk now, it doesn't have to be anything in particular but let's just talk a little" Trish said, slowly swinging more on the swing next to mine.

"Erm…sure" I replied rather nervously, setting the bottle down and swinging on the swing as well. We talked for what seemed like hours, she did most of the talking and told me things about her that I didn't even know even after a year of living with her.

"It's fun to talk sometimes" Trish said suddenly.

"Yeah." I replied, dropping my feet to the floor and skidding to a stop, "Kind of tiring though." I added, suddenly sitting on the ground onto the grass; she lay down next to me. I looked round at her to see her smiling and staring at the night sky "Hmm, you know, you look nice when you smile." I whispered. Okay…where the hell did thatcome from?

"Thanks, you know you should smile more often.Girls would love you if you smiled more, hell, even I'd like to go out with you some time especially if you smiled!"

Trish's POV

What did I just say? Am I blushing? Why do I always have to mess things up. I am such an idiot for saying something like that. It was the truth but still it was a stupid thing to say, he probably thinks I'm an idiot or something. Please tell me he isn't looking at me, I bet I'm bright red at the moment.

"Uh…I mean…you do look cutewhen you smile…I mean, you uh…"Now I've done it! I had to say that didn't I? Why do I even bother living? Great job Trish, he will probably kill you for something like that.

"What time is it?" Kai asked, changing the subject.

Thank you Kai, you have just saved me from yourself, "Oh…it's… about 10 seconds to midnight!" I replied, looking at my watch. Oh well, no kiss this year. I never got a kiss on new years but I was hoping that since I moved here that maybe things could be different but I guess not this year.

Normal POV

"Trish?" Kai asked, turning on his side to look at her properly.

"Yeah" Trish asked, turning to look at him.

"Happy New Year" Kai said, he leant forward and pressed his lips onto Trish's, suddenly pulling her closer to him. The fireworks set off into the dark night sky above them, they slowly pulled away from each other and stared up at the colourful lights in the sky and clasped there hands together. It was a new year, a happy new year for them both.