A/N: After soooo long...it's another chapter! Yey! To all those who have loyally returned to to read this fic, I'm so sorry for the lack of updates! But I have good reasons for it! First, I lost my story notes (without which I get totally lost about what comes next in the story); next, I had to finish all these darn projects! Thankfully, I've already finished them and have handed them in...with top grades to boot! Yess!

Okay...enough rambling...

Disclaimer: Don't own Beyblade, but I do own the storyline...

Chapter 7: Discovered

"Oookay…" Rei commented, looking confused. "Why did it stop there?"

"I don't get it," Takao piped up. "What does a girl have to do with anything?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Takao," Kyouju said, looking just as bewildered as his friends felt. "But I guess we'll find out in the next page."

"Does anyone want a snack?" Max asked as he stood up and stretched again. "Although I hate to admit it, I'm getting rather hungry."

"That sounds good," Takao replied, smiling widely at the thought of food. "Bologna sandwich with extra cheese for me, please!"

"Very well, monsieur," Max replied in a very bad French accent, causing everyone else to burst into laughter. Max chuckled as well, and then added, "Does anyone else want to order?"

"Since you asked, Max, could I have a glass of milk and a couple of cookies?" Kyouju asked.

"And I'd like a grilled cheese sandwich." Rei added, smiling. "That is, if that's no problem with you."

Max nodded good-naturedly. "Of course not, Rei!" he replied. With that, he turned and went out into the hall.

Kai exhaled slowly, savoring his surroundings. It had been some time since he last went out on the roof like this, just to ponder and to reflect. Training his teammates took up most of his time, not to mention that the past two weeks he hadn't much free time, what with devising new training programs and all. Deep inside, he knew that he could have asked Kyouju for help with that area, but he wanted a program that would allow him to test the limits of each blader.

He stared up at the sky, taking in its many glittering stars and the half-shadowed pale orb that was the moon. He was different, he knew. Not many people were fond of the night; Kai did. In fact, it seemed as though he lived just to savor an hour or so of peace and solitude with only the darkness' velvet cloak to accompany him on these 'excursions'. For as long as he could remember, he had loved nighttime; even as a kid growing up, he'd take time off to clamber onto the roof, equipped only with his journal. There he'd write whatever came to mind, although it was usually a poem that expressed his current feelings.

With a relaxed sigh, the slate-haired teen reached into the small knapsack he'd slung over his shoulder for this night's 'reflection', and brought out a small tome bound in black leather and a red pen. After casting a swift glance upward at the heavens, he untied the leather strap holding the book closed; he turned the pages quickly until he came to one that was blank, and then started to write.

——————

Kai's Log; August 12th

Time: 10:45.32

The requested file from 'the Center' finally arrived today, during breakfast. Unfortunately, Kinomiya caught a glimpse of the envelope and decided to investigate. I didn't catch him in the act, but I doknow that he was in my room earlier today. Not to mention that the file is now missing from my quarters.

The storm abated, and then stopped entirely at around half past six this evening. By that time, we had finished training, this time, one that was devised by Kyouju. Kon and Mizuhara did well in the exercise, as did I; however, Kinomiya failed to attend, his excuse being an upset stomach.

I know I shouldn't be keeping track, but according to my calendar, it has been exactly seven years, four months, three days, fourteen hours, thirty-two minutes and twelve seconds since I last saw Father. Although I hate Grandfather for ordering him to decide between his job and his dream, I hate Father more because of the decision he made; it cost him his son...

Always before, the spring returned…

The bright world in its cycle spun…

In wind and flowers, grass and fern

Assured and cradled by the golden sun…

As is usual, you could explain

The turning darkness of the earth…

And how darkness then embraced the rain

That gave the fields and meadows birth…

Already I've forgotten these things…

How on earth the lone wolf survives

The coming of a thousand springs…

The seasons of a thousand lives…

Now, winter is my sole memory…

Then fall, then the summer bright…

But every spring from now on will be

Another season turning into night…

———————

Kai scanned what he had written so far. He smiled. It remained the same as all his other journal entries – revealing what he felt at that particular time without revealing too much. For some reasons unknown, he preferred the entries that ended with poems. He shook his head and replaced the pen and journal in his knapsack. And then, he placed his hands behind his head and lay down, allowing himself to soak in the sights and sounds of his beloved night.

"I'm back!" Max sang as he Takao's door open.

"Max!" Takao cried gleefully; to him, the wait for food was the most excruciating. Like a ravenous wolf, he grabbed a plate and began gobbling down his sandwich.

Max laughed good-naturedly. "You're welcome," he said, looking at the brunette. He then proceeded to set down a plate with around ten cookies and a glass of milk in front of Kyouju and a plate containing two grilled-cheese sandwiches between himself and the neko-jin.

"I hope you didn't read anything while I was gone," Max said, reaching for his sandwich.

"Don't worry, Max, we did nothing of the sort." Kyouju said, taking a sip of his milk. "Oh, and thanks for the snack."

"Don't sweat it, Chief," the blonde replied cheerfully.

"Shall we get on with the reading?" Rei asked after taking a bite of his sandwich. "I changed my mind; I want to get back to my room as soon as possible."

"Sure," Kyouju obligingly picked up the folder and flipped to the next page he planned to read. "Should I start right now?"

"We're all ears."

"Alright…"

"Hello? Earth to Kai! Hello!"

A hand waves in front of my face, and I am startled out of my daydream. It's Kane.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Kane. I guess I was distracted," I say sheepishly, smiling at him.

"No problem, Kai. I get like that sometimes, too," he said, chuckling, and then adds, "My mom yelled at me often enough for 'spacing out' on her at home!" He points at my candy bar, which I haven't unwrapped yet. "Are you going to eat that?"

Just five minutes earlier, the recess bell rang. Kane and I raced out of the building to get to the wooden table directly under the oak tree; every student want to sit at this table – you have a clear view of the schoolyard, plus, the oak provides shade to shield us from the burning rays of the sun.

"Oh, you mean this candy bar?" I pause to pick at the seal, so I can start unwrapping it. "Of course I'm going to eat it. I don't just give up sweets, you know!"

Kane laughs again, the irritating laugh that makes you want to hit him, and yet, restrains you. "Okay, okay, just checking. You know I always bring my own snacks, Kai."

"Yeah, well, maybe you forgot yours today. You never know, Kane…" I glance at him from out of the corner of my eye; he's unwrapping what looks like a granola bar. I turn my attention to the playground and its 'inhabitants', when suddenly I spot her, the girl from the library a few days ago.

She's sitting alone at a table near the swings. What's strange is that she doesn't look lonely, but then I'm not that sure. She's different from other girls her age, that's for sure. Where others are sporting long hair, pigtails, or braids, she wears her hair rather short.

And then, before I can stop myself, I get up. Clutching the still-unopened candy bar, I make my way over to her table. I can feel Kane's bewildered stare, but I don't acknowledge it. In what seems like only a nanosecond, I am standing beside her, but she doesn't notice me. I clear my throat discreetly, making her turn to face me.

"Hey." I smile at her. She smiles back, though the smile isn't genuine.

"Hi." She replies. I'm surprised at how easily I can read her face. Nervousness and curiosity are written there, as easily read as though I were reading a book. I decide to break the ice.

"What are you doing all by yourself?" I ask as I sit down next to her.

"Well, I'm new around here, and I can't exactly relate with most of my classmates, so…" her voice trails off, unable to finish the reply.

"Aren't you lonely?"

She shakes her head and looks away. She is trying to put up a brave front, but it's no use; I can sense her loneliness and uncertainty. I decide to leave her be.

"Look, if you just want someone to talk to, just tell me, okay?" I say as I stand up, preparing to leave. "Oh, yeah. Here. Think of it as a…'welcome to school' gift." Here I hand over the candy bar. "See you."

"Wait." The hesitant, yet thankful tone in her voice stops me in my tracks and makes me turn around to face her again. She is clutching the candy bar tightly in one hand and fumbling in her pocket with the other. I wait.

Soon she stretches out the hand; she wants to give me something, too. As her small fingers uncurl, there is a flash of red, and a familiar shape presents itself. It is a tiny paper bird – a heron. I reach for it and clasp it tenderly in my palm. I know how delicate origami creatures are, and yet so sturdy.

"Thanks," I hear myself saying. "But why a heron?"

"Well," she begins, her voice growing haughty again. "I figured since the heron is a symbol of quick-mindedness, it would make the perfect gift for you."

"A gift?" I cock my head; now I'm the one confused. "What for?"

"I haven't forgotten what happened near the library three days ago, you know," she says, smiling playfully. "You were the one who bumped into me, right?" I nod, wanting her to go on. "I thought that, if I gave you a paper heron, you wouldn't be so absentminded next time."

I chuckled. "Yeah, well, thanks."

"Hold on! I don't even know your name yet!"

I smile at her, glad to see I'm reaching someone. "It's Hiwatari Kai."

"Mine's Tachibana Hiromi."

"Pleased to finally know you, Tachibana," I say. As is custom, I address her using her family name. Only she can give me permission to use her given name, just as only I can give her permission to use mine.

"Thank you for the candy, Hiwatari-senpai," she says. She pauses before tearing the wrapper open. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"No, I'm fine, Tachibana." I say, smiling to assure her. "I've eaten already." And then, I turn away. "It's not as though I'm not eating at all…" I add as an afterthought. I can almost see the startled look on her face as she hears that, but I hold up a hand to stop any arguments. "Don't worry about it; I'm fine, really." I walk away before she can say anything else.

I look up to see Kane smiling at me. It looks stupid actually, but I don't say anything. Finally, I reach the table and sit down.

"So." Kane says after a few moments, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"A girl, huh?"

I turn to face him, confused. "So? I met her a few days ago; she said that she's new here and doesn't know anyone that well."

"You haven't known her for a week and already you're cozying up to her?" Kane's grin, if possible, grows wider. "You've got it bad, Kai!"

"Got what bad?"

"You're in love! Don't you get it?" Kane wiggles his eyebrows, making me laugh. I punch him playfully on the arm.

"Cut it out, Kane! I gave her a candy bar and talked to her for a few minutes. So what? That doesn't mean anything! I just thought she'd like the company, seeing as she's new and all…"

"Are you sure that's all you were doing, making her feel…welcome?" He raises a questioning eyebrow.

I roll my eyes. "Of course I'm sure. Besides, don't you think we're too young to be looking for love?"

The look on Kane's face as he gropes for a retort – which I'm sure he's doing – is priceless. Then he sighs. "You got a point there, bud…"

"Of course." I say, using that tone I know he must hate – the self-assured one – just to see how he will react. "Don't I always?"

"Oh, you…" Before I know it, Kane is chasing me around the entire playground. He may be bigger than me, but I know I'm more agile and have more stamina. Soon he's gasping for breath by the fountain, while I am leaning against the chain-link fence, barely breathing hard.

"Give it up, Kane," I say as I lean over a fountain to take a sip of water. " You're never going to catch me…Hey! Watch it!" Kane has reached over and made the trickle of water spray out in all directions. Fortunately, it misses me. Well, sort of. I glance down and see my socks slightly dampened and my shoes speckled with droplets.

"You get back here, Tsubasa!" I cry. Kane dashes off, laughing like a hyena.

"Hiromi?" This time, Rei was surprised. He was sure, though, that the others were as shocked as he was. "As in, the girl who kept squabbling with Takao last time she was with us?"

"It appears so," Kyouju said, scanning the paragraphs that described her and when she introduced herself. "The description fits, and, as far as I know, there are no other girls named Tachibana Hiromi."

"What else are we going to find out reading this file?" Takao said, flopping down onto his bed. "At the rate we're going, I won't be surprised if I found out that Chairman Daitouji was his teacher!"

"I almost agree with you, Takao," Max said, smiling. "It seems like anything's possible…"

"Well, I guess the rest of this file will have to wait, guys," Kyouju said, closing the folder and tucking it under his arm. "As much as I'd like to finish reading, it's nearly half past ten, and you know how Kai is about getting up early for the first training session."

Rei slapped his forehead. "Of course! Man, I almost forgot!" he turned to the stormy-eyed teen. "Takao, Kai wants you to get up extra early tomorrow."

The blue eyes widened and the brunette sat up. "WHAT? Why?"

"He said it's to make up for the session you missed today. I don't know what he wants you to do, though…"

"Great…" Takao groaned, flopping back down. "I am so dead…"

"Hey, don't feel so bad, buddy…" Max said, patting his friend's arm. "It can't be that bad…"

"When Kai's your trainer, it's always bad…"

"C'mon, guys," Rei said, standing up and stretching the kinks out of his back. "Lets go and leave Takao to his misery." To Takao, he said, "'Night, man, and good luck. You'll need it…"

"Rei!" Kyouju said, exasperated. "You're not helping matters any if you talk that way! Anyway, we should all get a good night's sleep, so as soon as you get back to your rooms, try to go to bed right away, okay?"

"Sure, Chief," Max said, grinning. He was already out in the hall. "No problem."

"I have insomnia now and then," Rei replied, "but I'll see what I can do." Saying this, he, too, left the room.

"Try to get as much sleep as you can, Takao," the bespectacled researcher said. "That way, you'll perform much better during the training. Then Kai won't have to kick your butt."

"Yeah, sure, Kyouju…" The blue-eyed teen grinned. Kyouju smiled back, and then shut the door.

Takao got up and went to his closet. He pulled out a shirt and a pair of shorts, muttering under his breath. Then he went to the bathroom to change.

"Don't tell me you guys aren't in bed yet." The quiet voice sliced through the air, making the three teens stop dead in their tracks.

"Kai!" Kyouju said nervously as he turned around to face his captain. "What are you doing here?"

"We thought you were asleep!" Max added, a nervous grin on his face.

"I thought you guys were asleep. What are you doingstill up?" Kai asked. Suddenly, his gaze averted to something the young genius held in his hand.

The folder… The crimson eyes narrowed. "And where did you get that?"

"Oh, um…we found it…" Max said, also averting his gaze to a landscape painting on the wall. "Why?"

"Well, it matches a folder I've been trying to find since this afternoon." Kai stretched out his hand. Kyouju was only too happy to give it to his superior; he didn't relish the idea of becoming a Kyouju-burger.

The trio thought he'd leave them right there, but Kai just stood there, flipping through the file. After a while he seemed satisfied. Before continuing on his way down the hall to his room, he gave each of them a scathing look.

"Whew!" Kyouju said. "I'm glad he left just when he did. I was this close to telling him what we had been doing all this time." To emphasize, the researcher held his thumb and forefinger around a millimeter apart. "This close!"

"Yeah, well, just be glad we found out what we did," Max said, ever the optimistic one. "We'll just have to convince him – somehow – to tell us the rest of his story."

Suddenly, the ever-alert neko-jin spotted something small, black and rather shiny lying by Max's feet. He bent to pick it up.

"What's this?"

A/N: There! Another chappie done! Oh, yeah! About the poem Kai 'wrote' in the story...I read it somewhere in a book, and it just seemed so right for his 'jounal entry' that I had to include it, with some edited parts, of course. That means I'm not claiming ownership for the poem...I forgot who really wrote it, though...

And as for characters' last names:aside from the names ofmembers ofTeam BBA,I'm not sure whether I have the right last names or not; I just threw them in because they seemed to go well with their first names.

Dewa matta! Peace out!