Heyy, I'm back! :) As I promised, I changed the god-awful initial title of the story, I'll soon change the summary too bc it's way too cheesy for my taste. This chapter is from our favourite Lion boy's POV, and partially our fav mechanic in the series. I hate how the writers of MFB did Hikaru dirty and made her give up on Beyblade when they'd portrayed her as this headstrong and determined character at the beginning. They had the perfect opportunity to show a tough girl who kicks ass, and they decided to pass. I'm fucking bitter about it and in this fic, Kyoya's bitter about it too.

Songs I recommend listening to put you in the ultimate Yoyo-mood: XXXTENTACION - Look At Me ; Mother Mother - Hayloft ; blackbear, FRND - anxiety;

Chapter 3 - Difficult Damsels

17th June

There's no two ways about it, Kyoya Tategami had never been a patient guy. Really, should you spend even a small fraction of the day with him, you'd rightfully come to the conclusion that he was the type of person who'd strain at the leash even for the smallest and most trivial things. So how, pray tell, couldn't the secretary of the WBBA, who Kyoya already worked with for three days now but known for well over six years, get through her thick head that he wasn't some serene and tolerant individual who would put up with her habits of being late.

She was taking time. His time.

Again.

After the tenth minute, Kyoya had very predictably thrown a mini-tantrum by repeatedly banging on her bedroom door and scolding her in hopes of rushing her into setting off.

The blader would've long left for the spot where he was planning to carry through the training. Problem was, Hikaru had never been there before. Therefore, blindly relying on her city girl judgement and sense of direction in an unfamiliar countryside environment, trusting that she'd successfully follow through with his instructions and arrive at the right place, wasn't something Kyoya was fond of.

And as the bundle of blue hair and passive-aggressiveness, at last, exited her room, the reason for her delayed arrival became clear - she was dressed like an all-star athlete preparing for the Olympics.

Who is she trying to impress in this godforsaken place? The cats? The squirrels? The sleazy geezers on the streets?

Kyoya made a face so disapproving, Hikaru was probably surprised how she didn't catch fire. " Fucking finally. What part of 'don't be late' didn't you understand? " Kyoya drawled out, positively oozing contempt, as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and went for the door.

Despite the hostile look on his face, Hikaru kept her usual blank expression and followed suit." Don't get your panties in a twist. I didn't take that long."

" Doesn't matter," Kyoya shot accusingly like he was out for target practice. " You promised you wouldn't be late. "

" And I get to decide whether I keep the promise or not. " the girl said nonchalantly, as though commenting on the weather, not like she'd just decided to bail out on a promise last minute. He would've let it slide with a hate-ridden 'tch' and deemed it as a slip in her typical professional nature, had he missed the corners of her mouth lifting ever so slightly in a small, obnoxious smirk. At that moment, it dawned on Kyoya, that she might be doing things just to intentionally piss him off.

There's no doubt that this revelation put Kyoya off, as he set all his animosity in a quite vindictive glare he threw at his partner, who clearly sensed it, and her devilish smile only broadened. The blue demon had succeeded in getting on his nerves and was very pleased with herself.

But as pesky as this was, Kyoya should've seen it coming.

When in presence of other people, the King of Beasts never attempted to tone down his confidence and fix his attitude just because other people couldn't handle it. He certainly wasn't doing it to purposefully annoy them, he simply didn't care for their comfort. For this operation, however, Kyoya had very consciously tried to be as difficult to deal with as possible in hopes of getting rid of Ryo's assistant, just so he could take matters into his own hands and get this done with. Kyoya had expected her to call it quits and back off, not to fire back like she was apparently intending to do.

What a pain in the ass. Why'd she have to be my partner?

It didn't take a genius to figure out that shared missions weren't Kyoya's forte. Working with someone was dreadful, not so much because of the tasks themselves, but because he had to put up with others. In Kyoya's four-year-old, anecdotal involvement with the WBBA, he had collaborated with people like Gingka, Yu and Tsubasa. And with each one of them, he had different experiences.

Gingka was arguably the best choice for an accomplice, since Kyoya could battle him all the time. Nowadays, the opportunities to fight one another had become fewer and fewer due to both of them working and rarely happening to be in the same place at the same time. The disadvantage of having Gingka as a partner, though, was enduring his overly friendly personality and all-smiles attitude. His urge to socialize constantly was tiring out his rival, to say the least.

Yu's case was similar. Although the boy had undeniably matured in recent years, he was still as carefree and fun-loving as always. Something Kyoya found hard to deal with was the quick-witted humour the boy had acquired. The older blader already had a short fuse, so being a prime target of the thirteen-year old's jokes was asking for a disaster.

And the most recent instance, a year ago or so, Kyoya had been assigned a mission with Tsubasa. The man was mature, chilled-out, fairly intelligent, and was probably one of the few people that Kyoya generally got along with. He rarely asked any unnecessary questions, all in all minded his business and wasn't a blabbermouth like the others. Not to mention, he was an outstanding blader and also an admirable rival.

Then there was this new human of a puzzle that Kyoya was currently working with. An actual, mind-boggling riddle with the title 'Hikaru Hasama', which harangued him within an inch of his sanity. She unnerved him deeply. Usually, people would crumble under the sheer pressure of his glare, but that wasn't the case with her. No matter how much the Leone-wielder scowled and narrowed his eyes to the point they became slits, Hikaru didn't break the eye contact and didn't seem even mildly affected by that. It's as if she was completely immune to Kyoya's wrath.

And damn it, was Hikaru persistent to a fault. It was driving Kyoya up the wall. Yet, her stubbornness was nothing new. Thinking back, she'd always been like that, ever since he'd met her. He'd just happened to be reminded of the trait, now that they spent most of their waking hours together. This quality of hers, which was most prominent when she was beyblading, had nearly gone clean out of his mind, along with the fact there was ever a time when she was into beyblade.

Involuntarily, the greenhead started taking a trip down the memory lane while he led the way to his designated spot, the bluenette following mutely behind him.

Before the two had officially met, Kyoya had heard of her. Spending such a long time in a hell-hole like the Dark Nebula where you worked yourself to the death in order to become the strongest, only to be told upon your return that your whole entourage had been defeated single-handedly by some girl was a memorable, and admittedly infuriating occurrence. At the Survival battle, the event where they'd actually got acquainted with each other and battled, Hikaru had piqued his interest. That accidental encounter had revved his engine and left him itching for another fight.

And that he received not long after, at Battle Bladers. Just as Kyoya'd anticipated, the girl had run him close. What he didn't expect was for it to be the last time. After the tournament, Hikaru had completely disappeared off the face of the Beyblade world. She had walked away from the competitive game for good. Kyoya couldn't for the life of him understand that decision. He took great pride in being a blader. Beyblade was a sport unlike any other. It made him feel all the right sensations: freedom and power. He could utilize his skills to the fullest when he beybladed, like he could take on the whole goddamn world just by himself and Leone. He couldn't comprehend how a person could see, could experience something so wonderful and give up on it. Quitting Beyblade wasn't in line with his beliefs. Quitting Beyblade was taboo for him - something so utterly unspeakable, dishonourable and scandalous.

This is not to say that he hated Hikaru for surrendering. Why she gave up was her own business, and she did it on her own terms. Kyoya was just, well, disappointed. It was a real shame because she did have potential. That's all it was. A waste of potential. Whatever fighting spirit he'd seen in her turned out to be an illusion. All blow-hard talk and no real intention to fulfil her goal of becoming the best blader in the world.

Let's see if you can at least kick ass in the literal sense.

Kyoya was no professional when it came to combat, but being a leader of a gang did require some expertise in the field. Being a boss-man meant being the strongest, not only in a sport like Beyblade, but physically, too. It's just a preventative measure, in case some jackass decides to throw punches and rocks at you after losing a beyblade battle and you, in return, can give him a black eye. It was a pretty handy knack, too, because it commands respect and fear in others, an instant red-shining sign appearing above you with the words 'fuck with me at your own peril'. So no, Kyoya might not have a black belt in Taekwondo or Karate, but he was up to standard in street fighting. And because Kyoya was Kyoya, he never held himself back when fighting. He gave everybody an equal amount of hell. This training session was no exception. Kyoya wasn't going to cut Hikaru some slack just because she was a girl.

The pair had finally reached their destination, which was a clearing among the dense forests and nearby mountains with a rapidly flowing river close by, a place the blader had discovered on his own when he'd searched for a good location to unleash all his destructive power. After setting their things on the ground, they went into doing some warm-up stretches.

" Just so we're clear, the goal is to immobilize the opponent, not to give them a bloody nose. " Hikaru felt the need to clarify as she held her foot to the back of her thigh, pulling her quadriceps.

Kyoya tilted his head and scoffed unkindly, fingers tugging at the back of his neck like he was testing for another click of his joints. " What? Can't take a punch? "

Hikaru glanced up at him, raising a brow, as if she hadn't witnessed his competitive streak before. " I can. It's you who I'm worried about. " she taunted right back, moving into a ready stance.

" I'm gonna make you eat those words. " he delivered with a battle-hungry smirk, every clenched muscle in his body echoing his words as they faced off.

" Bring it, tough guy. "

A firm believer that the best defence is a good offence, Kyoya wasted no more time with idle words and charged for Hikaru with a ferocity fit for the title 'King of Beasts'.

The first punch Kyoya threw at Hikaru, and the next four after that, never made contact, but he kept throwing them nevertheless. The sole testament to his ability was that Hikaru edged slowly backward as she dodged him each time. Just when Kyoya thought he could land a hit on Hikaru as a window in her guard opened up, Hikaru moved away at the last second and her hands connected with the wrist of his extended arm and the nape of his neck. Using his own momentum and pulling with all her might, Hikaru knocked him face-flat into the ground. Her arms shook with the effort of holding Kyoya down, but she did it.

Kyoya looked like he didn't know what hit him. But frankly, he did. Hikaru had hit him, not literally, but like thunder out of the blue. Just like the flashes of lightning that danced behind her violet irises, a lucid sign of excitement, drying up his throat in an especially odd way. " Do you give up? "

Never being one to lay off so easily, Kyoya tried a few more times to wrench his wrists out of Hikaru's grasp, but that proved to be futile as she brought her knee to press extra weight on his back. Eventually, his shoulders slumped. " You win, " he told through gritted teeth, more like a promise of retribution than admitting defeat.

That wasn't something Kyoya'd achieved the next round, either. After another series of punches, this time mixed with kicks too, that drew a blank for him, Hikaru had crouched low and extended her leg, sending him plummeting to the ground by quite literally swooping him off his feet.

By the third round, Kyoya had started figuring out Hikaru's fighting style, which wasn't much different from the one she used to do before with beyblading. Elusive, just like water, evading him each time and just when he thought he had her, she'd find a way to get away.

Kyoya could tell he was giving her a hard time, too. Unlike her attack-type beyblade, Hikaru was much more on the defence currently, and there was a good reason for that. Kyoya wasn't the biggest or tallest among the top worldwide bladers, but he had an abundance of lean muscle and hit without lessening back his force. Hikaru'd realized she couldn't beat him strength-wise when producing a blow to his shoulder, which to her most likely felt like crashing with a shopping cart loaded up with stones.

Victory comes to those who persist, or so Kyoya thought as he finally managed to pin her back flat on the ground. He held her by the throat, grip tenuous enough not to choke her, but firm enough to keep her down. Her hands had automatically come up to grasp his arms in a vain attempt to pull them apart.

"Gotcha." Kyoya gloated with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin.

At his mocking remark, the bluenette seemed to regain her willpower. This time, she crossed-gripped his forearms with one hand, while placing the other one on his shoulder blade. With one foot digging into his lower back and pivoting on it, Hikaru hooked her other leg under his armpit, causing him to come to his elbow. Before Kyoya could do anything to repair the situation, Hikaru manoeuvred a leg again, this time over his head, trapping his arm and effectively breaking the choke-hold. Now that Hikaru had full control over his upper body, she used all the power she had left to push him back and reverse the roles.

" Think again, Sunshine. " Hikaru spat back breathlessly and released him after a few tense moments.

Damn it, she's got moves.

For the next ten minutes, both of them sat down and took a breather. Kyoya was drenched with sweat and coming down off an adrenaline high. His entire face was heated and hair was matted with sweat. Working out in such an extremely hot temperature had taken a toll on both of them, but Kyoya didn't even consider stopping. He took one last swig of water and as he was about to put an end to their break soon. Or so Kyoya thought before he saw from the corner of his eye Hikaru packing her backpack.

" Where are you goin'? "

" Home, of course. "

He reared back, nonplussed, " It hasn't even been one hour since we started. "

Hikaru lifted her shoulders in a what-can-you-do shrug. " Too bad. I've some other business to take care of, so, " she slung the bag over her shoulder. " That'll be for today. "

Kyoya felt the familiar stirrings of acute bitterness. He wanted a rematch now. He still had plenty of stamina, unlike his partner, who had started huffing like a two-pack-a-day smoker after their third round. He wasn't going to rest, not until he'd beaten her.

The sharp lines of Kyoya's face entangled together, a shadow falling over his expression. " Your only business right now should be preparing for the mission, " he began his precise blend of rationality and provocation, as he'd just recently discovered this was the only effective way to reason with the stubborn secretary. " You said it yourself, this won't be a piece of cake. How'd ya plan on taking on those bulky guys when you can't even land a punch? "

Hikaru abruptly stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, her gaze zoning in on him like a marker for an airstrike. " I can land a punch, " she responded, her voice razor-edged and vibrating.

Hikaru had a fiery temper, and it was quite a thing to behold. Now that Kyoya actually got to work with her, he could see her eyes flash and spark behind that polite façade. He couldn't help wonder what it would be like if she lost control. Messing with her promised trouble. And anyone who'd been acquainted with Kyoya Tategami would tell you that besides his unhealthy obsession with defeating his all-time rival, Gingka Hagane, Kyoya had another fixation that was putting himself in danger. Constantly diving headfirst into risky situations without any regards for his or other people's safety was his lifestyle.

The danger, currently, was Hikaru's temperament.

And boy, did Kyoya want her to snap.

" Do it then, " he challenged, a tiny derisive smirk tugging at his lips and chin up high as he crossed his arms, the combined effect making him look beyond condescending. " Show me. "

C'mon. Strike.

Unfortunately for Kyoya, the bluenette seemed to follow his train of thought all too easily. She knew exactly what he was trying to do, which was to pick a fight. He wanted her to lose her calm demeanour and attack him.

" Some other time. " was her simple, level-headed reply and without another word, Hikaru turned on her heel and brisk-walked away.

Kyoya pulled the most outraged and shocked face, like Hikaru had just done an insult of the highest order. Despite that, he made one last desperate attempt to have his way. " Hey! We're not done here! "

To add insult to injury, Hikaru completely dismissed his protests and carried on, as if she was merely turning her back on an irritated, loud barking chihuahua.

On the considerably lengthy and extensive list of things that could make the Mercury inside Kyoya's thermometer shoot upward to the point of cracking, these three were at the top: 1. To be ignored; 2. His ego being hurt; 3. To be denied of something he wanted. The former blader had effortlessly ticked all three of them in less than half an hour.

Kyoya almost burst a blood vessel at the lowdown of events. His mouth promptly twisted into a dark grimace, which was quite tricky with a face that already looked like thunder, as he started to march in the opposite direction, his fingers twitching murderously. "That... little..."

Who does she think she is to ignore me like that!? I'll knock her on her ass next time.

He decided to intensely devote himself to his new temporary objective: defeat Hikaru in combat.

And everything else.

Meanwhile, across the country, Madoka was in hell.

Or it's modern-day equivalent: the Tokyo subway during rush hour.

The brunette had planned to set off at a more reasonable time to avoid enduring the current discomfort she was experiencing, but a crying child had come to B-Pitt at the last minute and needed an emergency repair. Madoka just couldn't bring herself to say 'no' to those big, teary puppy dog eyes. Plus, she'd always had a soft spot for kids.

A delay in her visit to the WBBA also wasn't possible either, as Madoka didn't want her best friend to worry even more. The two had been close for enough time for Madoka to know that Hikaru was a type-A control freak. The younger girl believed the bluenette had gained this personality trait after working years-long as an assistant for the scatterbrained Ryo Hagane and dealing with his shenanigans on a daily basis. She'd witness countless times the secretary become downright distressed at the mere idea of leaving everything in Ryo's hands, just because she didn't trust him with the responsibility. For that, though, Madoka couldn't blame her.

The train finally came to a halt, and Madoka instantaneously made her way through the crowd, eager to get out of the densely-packed vehicle. A grateful sigh of relief left her lips once she'd walked through the doors. Freedom at last. Not long after that, she strolled through the Bey park for a while and arrived at the WBBA Headquarters.

Alright, let's get down to business.

Everything seemed normal, at least from the outside. Although the missing receptionist did raise a bit of suspicion in her, she continued striding along the corridors. The silence bothered her. Where was everybody? Just when Madoka asked herself this question, she sensed a rhythmic-like vibration. The brunette tried to listen in better and follow the direction the thumping was coming from. Two left turns and one to right later, she found herself in front of the marketing department, where apparently most of the employees were.

Music blasted at a deafening volume, and Madoka squeezed through the big clump of people in the spacious office, and her eyes almost popped out at the sight in front of her. Desks that usually retained computers and paperwork were now organized in a long roll, some used as a dance floor, others as a table for a buffet with a variety of foods. The sound of sudden, noisy applause made the girl jump, and she turned to see a small group of people playing beer-pong.

" Um, excuse me. " Madoka asked with a tentative smile as she tapped the shoulder of a woman next to her, " What's going on here? "

" Oh, we're just having our lunch break. " the employee laughed nervously and tried to downplay the situation, " Yuta has a birthday, and we took the chance to unwind a bit," she said and pointed at a shirtless boy that seemed her age, who was chugging a bottle of Jägermeister as the surrounding crowd cheered him on by shouting 'Drink! Drink! Drink!'.

Yuta will wish he'd never been born when Hikaru hears about this, Madoka privately criticized with a weary sigh. She didn't want to witness any more of this circus unfolding, so she headed straight to the Director's office.

No matter how ridiculously immature Ryo was sometimes, surely he wouldn't let a thing like this slide. He was probably stuck in a meeting and that was the reason why this rave was happening. Many didn't know this, but the older Hagane could be extremely strict on occasions. Madoka's boyfriend had told her many times stories from his childhood, how his father would keep him on a severe beyblade training plan, mentoring him from the early hours of the morning until the late hours of the night, and give him a particularly harsh tongue-lashing whenever he slacked off.

But every last remaining hope Madoka had harboured vanished the moment she reached Ryo's office door, on which hanged a note that read the following:

| Dear staff and kind friends,

Unfortunately, I won't be present for the next week, as even the mightiest of warriors need a vacation. Therefore, anyone who attempts to contact and disturb me during the holiday won't receive a bonus!

In the meantime, I trust your judgement and leave the company in your skilful hands.

Yours sincerely,

The Immortal Phoenix |

The brunette gaped like a fish at the item, wondering as to why everything that could go wrong, had to go wrong. What kind of cosmic joke was that? Madoka pondered this as she started making her way back. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse and was about to take a turn at the reception, she walked into something very hard. Holding her forehead, the girl looked up at the life-size cut-out figure of an animal she was not familiar with.

"What the– What's this?" Madoka asked aloud, not expecting her question to be answered by a passing-by worker who overheard it.

" Oh! " the old man exclaimed, pointing at the cardboard standee. " This is Mugi the llama! Isn't he cute? "

" Sure, he is. But this company deals with beyblades, not animals, as far as I know. "

The office worker snorted. " Of course not. This is just part of the Director's new project. We're adding in a farm to the building. "

Madoka gave the man a look like he'd just told her Michael Jackson had risen from the dead. " I beg your pardon? A farm? "

He let out a sigh in exasperation like he couldn't understand what was so difficult to comprehend or believe about this. " A farm, lady. Haven't you seen a farm? The place where they raise cows, goats, sheep. Jeez, kids nowadays don't know a thing about the world. " he concluded on his own, shaking his head in disappointment, and stomping back to wherever he'd come from.

But the mechanic was far too dumbfounded by the news to react in any way to the employee's rude stereotype. Had Ryo lost his mind? She buried her face in her hands, making a frustrated noise and half-heartedly mumbled 'this can't be happening' into them.

Eventually, Madoka left the building, all the while cursing her poor luck and whacking her brains as to how the heck was she supposed to tell Hikaru about this. She didn't want to lie to her, but at the same time, the last thing that she needed was her best friend to stress about something she had no control over. Worst case scenario, Hikaru would depart immediately and ditch the mission completely.

Today's not a good day…

There's no way Madoka wasn't going to tell Hikaru the truth. Honesty was a big factor in their friendship. The brunette intended to handle the situation in the following way - she was going to tell Hikaru over a call, not text, so she can prevent her from doing anything drastic.

The brunette let out an audible sigh, took out her phone from her pocket and typed: [ Got a minute to talk? ]

The moment she sent the message, her phone started vibrating with an image of her most beloved person appearing on the screen. She picked up instantly.

" Hey, Princess. What are you up to? "

" I was just at the WBBA, I had to do Hikaru a favour, " Madoka explained with a worn-out tone while dodging a few passers-by on the busy street. " All hell has broken loose. "

Gingka 'hmm-ed' on the other line, realizing she was in a sour mood. Knowing him, he would definitely try to fix it. " Care to tell me more about it on a movie date tonight? "

Madoka gasped. " Tonight? Are you already in town? "

" Yup. I'm at the B-Pit. I planned on surprising you, but seeing you're not here—"

The girl didn't let him finish. " Hold on, I'm gonna catch the train in five minutes! " she chirped, grinning from ear to ear. Gingka'd left almost a month ago, and she couldn't wait to see him.

The redhead snickered at her impatience. " It's alright. If it's for you, I can wait my whole life. "

The cheesy line earned him a soft laugh from his girlfriend, " That won't be necessary. I'll be there in fifteen. "

" 'Kay then. See ya! "

" See ya! "

Madoka started marching towards the metro station with a whole new purpose in mind. She had to reach her precious boyfriend before the King of Beast found out about Gingka's return and snatched him away.

Wait.

The brunette stopped in her tracks at the reminder: Kyoya wasn't here. He wasn't in Metal Bey City. He wasn't anywhere close to here. Kyoya was a hundred kilometres away, and he wasn't coming back any time soon. No more jump scares from the bushes when they are out at a café and dragging the redhead away. No more persistent phone calls demanding Gingka battled him then and there. No more surprise ambushes on their way home, after which she'd be left alone browsing Netflix while her boyfriend had a good time with the maniac, since the rivalry was by no means one-sided. Gingka would fully be committed to only her because their relationship would finally be Kyoya-free.

The excitement shone on Madoka's face with the force of a mega-powered lighthouse, her eyes brimming with tears of happiness as she balled her hands tightly and started bouncing up and down like an alarm clock, gaining herself multiple strange looks from people on the street. But she honestly couldn't care less, and she sprinted to the metro station.

Today's not a good day, it's a great day!

It had been a mercifully quiet start to the night, and the teens were currently well over six hours into the night shift. They were in a tree-hide, approximately fifteen meters above the ground, watching the facilities below. Nothing of significance had been detected, and only the low and distant murmur of conversations between the guards could be heard.

What a waste of time, Kyoya thought peevedly, back leaning against the stem of the tree with his arms behind his head and legs outstretched. He could've done far more productive things by now, not this bullshit. It didn't help that he was quite sleepy too. The energy drink he took before coming here was of no use, only made him crankier than usual, as he got into a bickering match for the stupidest things several times with his partner.

Kyoya blinked repeatedly at the stinging dryness in his eyes. Closing his eyes for a just second surely wouldn't hurt. And he did just that - closed his eyes, let out a sigh and allowed his body to relax. All wildlife fell silent, the breeze rustling through the leaves died down. A feeling of weightlessness overtook him.

A minute passed, probably two. Or at least that's how it felt to him.

" You finally up? " The quiet but stern voice jolted him fully awake. Which was bad news since it meant that he'd fallen asleep. Kyoya blinked, trying to clear the blurriness in his vision, only to see a pair of unamused purple eyes fixed on him with judgement. Why'd she had to make a big deal about it when he'd been out for such a short time?

" I just dozed off for five minutes, " Kyoya muttered, head lolling as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

" Five minutes? You've been asleep for the last half an hour. " Hikaru held up her phone for him to see the clock, which read 03:13.

He frowned deeply, secretly wishing more time had passed. They had four more hours to go. " Why didn't you wake me up? "

" Next time, there won't be anyone to get you up when you flake out. " she prodded with a bite to her tone. " If we do it your way, that is. "

Ah, so that's what this was about. Just to prove a point. Usually, Kyoya would've come back just as hard, if not with a pettier attitude, but believe it or not, he was way too tired to be in the mood to argue with the latest thorn in his side. He simply gripped his hair, shutting his eyes tight, as he leaned back and enjoyed the silence for a blissful moment.

Of course, everything good had to come to an end.

" Are you awake? "

Kyoya groaned irritably. Why couldn't she shut up for a moment? " I am. "

" You're the one slacking off now. "

The blader raked his fingers through his hair with an aggravated sigh. " I just closed my eyes for a second, stop being such a nag! "

" Doesn't feel nice, does it? " she said with feigned disinterest while examining her nails, failing at hiding the fact that she was trying to give him a taste of his own medicine. " And told you night shifts are an agony. "

He was half-tempted to kick her off the branch. " Tch. Shut the fuck up. "

For a little while, there was silence between them.

Competitiveness is a pretty underrated replacement of adrenaline, and can evidently do a better job in waking you up than an energy drink. Kyoya was reminded of their earlier altercation, how Hikaru didn't let him have a rematch, and now he was out for blood again.

Kyoya sat up with his shoulders hunched and his arms draped over his knees. " We'll do the same thing tomorrow. "

It seemed that sleepiness was also getting to Hikaru, since she gawked at him with moon-eyed confusion like he'd just landed from outer space and was speaking in some alien Yoyo-language.

" Training, I mean. " Kyoya made clear with a roll of his eyes, which was a remarkably mild reaction in the context of his mega-diapason of aggressive facial expressions.

" I want you at the spot at 13:00 sharp," he continued in a tone that left no room for dispute. " And if you're late again, I'll personally drag your cheeky ass out, " Kyoya added with the tenderness of a ride down a bumpy hill in a car without suspension.

Any ceasefire that might've been present before was over now. With an angry scowl laced over her face, the bluenette instantly took offence, whether it was at his definition of her ass or at his stated intentions, Kyoya didn't know nor cared. " I'm sorry, did I miss the part where I became a subordinate? I don't have to follow your orders. If you wanna train together, you'll have to ask politely. "

Who the fuck does she think she's talking to?

" Get over yourself. " Kyoya came at her with an indiscriminate snarl. Like hell, he was going to beg her for something she ought to do. She did blow Kyoya out of the water today, but her combat skills still paled in comparison to those of the professionals. Hikaru needed improvement as much as he did. " If we don't train, you won't stand a fuckin' chance of taking on these gorillas. " he gestured in the direction of the guards.

Crossing her arms stubbornly, Hikaru threw a sharp retort. " I don't need you to gear myself up. "

Kyoya let out a scoff, edged with sarcasm. " And with who do you plan to spar here? The bears? "

" If I have to, yes! I bet they're easier to deal with than you! " There was a crack in her voice that gave away the slipping-away of self-control. Hikaru felt it herself, and quickly sealed it up with an unthreatening, stoic face. She didn't say anything else, only gave him an uncompromising look, that conveyed her thoughts clearly: If we're sparring together, decent behaviour is exactly what I expect from you.

Kyoya's nose scrunched up in distaste and his teeth clicked in frustration. She was throwing him off balance yet again. Kyoya despised to the nth degree the way Hikaru had been manipulating him into giving her what she wanted all the time, only daring to ask reasonable things that Kyoya knew he was obligated to do, but didn't want nor needed. In this case, proper communication.

Rage began to gradually simmer under the surface of his skin, fierce and explosive—it burst in his veins like someone had taken a match to dynamite and siphoned off the remaining heat before injecting it into his bloodstream. Hikaru observed the vicious frown on his face with no emotion. She knew better than to take his reaction to heart. Kyoya simply resented being told what to do. Anyone would've gotten the same response from the ill-tempered King of Beasts.

Kyoya wanted to be the strongest in every possible way and have no weak spots. He pushed himself to his physical limits, oftentimes unable to pull himself out of bed in the morning, but it all paid off in the end. That's how dedicated he was to his aim. If becoming stronger in combat meant training with her and semi-swallowing his pride in certain situations, so be it.

Kyoya leaned back against the stem and muttered the words with deadpanned annoyance: " When are you free tomorrow? "

Hikaru was momentarily stunned by his compliance, but also smart enough not to push her luck for a bigger compromise from the blader on the topic of manners. Furrowing her brow in thought, she answered: " Somewhere around two I think. "

" You think? " Kyoya demanded curtly. He didn't want her to think, he wanted her to know.

" Yeah, I'm not quite sure. " she pondered, then came up with an idea of her own. " You know what, just go do your beyblade training, text me once you're done and if I'm ready I'll come. "

Sighing with indignation, the green-haired lad took out his phone from his pocket and, after a few taps on the screen, handed it to his companion. There was an empty page on his contacts list, that Hikaru understood the meaning of perfectly. " You don't have my number? "

" Like I'd ask if I did, " Kyoya replied scathingly.

Hikaru entered her information and handed the phone back to Kyoya, who studied Hikaru Hasama like he'd never seen it written down before. That's because Kyoya started feeling terribly close all of a sudden. He didn't have just anybody's number. Only the most important people, like Gingka, his father, his brother, and even Benkei had the honor to have their numbers saved in the wild teen's mobile device. But through this temporary assignment, the irritating bluenette had also earned herself a place there.

Hikaru was difficult in every sense of the word and Kyoya was going to give her exactly as hard of a time as she deserved – and knowing her, she was going to take it on the chin and keep going strong.

She fucking better.

I know it's kiiiinda unrealistic to have Hikaru kick his ass in a physical manner so many times but let's not forget that lion boy has been training nonstop in beyblade, not combat. His moves will be rusty for a while, as one would expect, but with time he'll get better with the technique and start to kick her ass too. For this chapter, he needed to be humbled and what better way than Hikaru taking revenge for all the hell Kyoya's been giving her :D

I'm also going to be honest with you, I have exams coming up so I won't be able to update soon. If I survive, there will probably be an update around April.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter

Cheers!