Hey this took me a while but here it is, keep in mind that the beginning is a little slow but its just because I'm setting up for the plot and I need resons for why certain Russians are acting like assholes and certain neko jins are insecure. I really hope you all like this and I'm not wasting your time, it just such a different story for me that I don't really know if its any good.

Oh and yes this story is based off he Family man, I was watching a preview for it (though I have seen it before) and the idea kinda jumped in my mind and refused to go away so here is is. Yea so... please read and review. And once again sorry about the scene breaks. I thought I'd also mention because I have never before, italics either symbolize a dream, flash back or an emphasized point.

Beyblade doesn't belong to me for if it did the yaoi factor would be directly linked to the TV show and there would be no reson for us all to waste our lives away writing fanfiction...lol just kidding I'm not actually wasting my life.

Chapter Three
A Step Further Away

Kai clenched the sheets at the edge of the bed. Mahogany orbs fastened closed from the world as the man behind the actions desperately tried to clear his head. This however posed to be a difficult task because, even though Kai had placed as much space between himself and his supposed partner, Rei had leaned into the phoenix's warmth to the point where Kai now felt his soft warm breath raise the hairs on the back of his neck.

At least it was a good change to the neko jin's previous hostility. After returning to their dump of a house, Rei went from yelling at the crimson eyed enigma to ignoring him all together. Attempting to lace the man with guilt by telling Sakura (things were beginning to come clear for Kai about the girl now) that he wouldn't be able to make lasagna for dinner because Daddy (Kai cringed from embarrassment, indignity and the lack of responsibility at the title) had been late coming home and now Rei wouldn't have time.

Kai found this a hollow threat though, for after Rei had put the child to bed and sought out the warmth for himself as well, Kai had begun a raid of the house. While looking for a taste of alcohol to perhaps soothe his nerves, he'd found that no such ingredients for Rei's infamous lasagna existed in this tattered house, in fact it was a surprise that Rei had pulled off spaghetti. In fact Kai had found little of anything.

The slated haired man shook his head, attempting to further himself from the man lying next to him, trying, without much luck to ignore the fact that Rei slept in his boxers, and his sweet smell had tangled itself amongst the covers.

"It was a long time ago." He told the dead air, not expecting a response and not getting any at that, instead slumping further over the edge he drifted into a weary sleep. ...

... "Daddy! Wake up Daddy!" A shrill giggle brought Kai to his senses. The weak sunlight streamed into the dirty windows announcing to Kai, aside from the little girl, that it was time to wake up. "Come on! Otousan told me to tell you that today was your day to get me ready because I'm going to kindergarten and I have a concert at the end of the week," here she managed to gain a breath of air before her climax, "will you come?" She asked, sincerity shining on your youthful face. "Please Daddy."

"I'm not your god damn father." Kai snapped at her before he knew what he was thinking, and rolled out of bed disregarding his "daughter" and seeking out her obvious rightful guardian.

"Rei!" Kai called once he was down the stairs, rubbing the small of his back that had stiffened due to the hard bed.

"Good morning Kai Koi." Rei smiled placing a cup of coffee in front of the Russian.

"At least something around here is good." Kai mumbled under his breath ignoring the problem of the little girl momentarily and sipping the tarish liquid. "Fuck!" Kai yelped spitting the coffee back into the mug.

"Kai!" Amber eyes flashed violently at the Russian when the little girl came down stairs with a forlorn expression quivering her features. "Watch your language please."

"What do you call this shit?" Kai asked ignoring both man and girl as he continued the rant about his coffee.

Rei looked down in embarrassment, "I'm sorry Kai, but I wasn't able to pick up coffee beans yesterday, so I had to reuse the grains. " Rei finished turning to Sakura to shuffle her out of the room.

Kai placed down the cup and watch the pair leave. A pang of ashamed guilt played in the pit of his stomach as he watched them walk away with their heads bowed and awkward movements.

What the hell had happened? Kai wondered in relation to Rei's life.

He was so strong? And now Rei was so timid around Kai, and quiet. The Rei he had once known would never put up with Kai's anger and would have fought back.

What is all this? Kai had money, how come he had never helped provide?

We separated ten years ago. Kai added to his list of doubts.

Shaking it off he decided it to be best to move on and swallow his now defined tar. ...

... "Kai I know its entirely outside you sense of good parenting," Rei called in a bitter voice from the living room where he was preparing Sakura for school, "but do you think just maybe you could drive my daughter to school?"

Crimson darted angrily to the neko jin who was bent over on his knees tying the girl's shoes.

"Why can't you?" Kai asked leaning against the wall, already planning out ways to rid himself of this life style.

"Kai." The golden eyed man sighed out of exasperation. "I want to talk to you tonight about this but for right now, Tala's coming to pick me up soon and I'd kind of like to be ready. Besides her school in on your way to work." Rei rolled his eyes placing a kiss on the sullen girl's forehead. "Your father," Rei spat out viciously, "will just be a second well he gets ready." Rei promised then stood abruptly and said good bye. Heading in the direction of the car who had just honked for him outside.

"Be good Kai." Rei snarled over his shoulder and left.

"Work. God damn it, where am I suppose to work." Kai groaned turning to go up the stairs in search of something a little more than sweat pants.

"Your work clothes are in the laundry room Daddy." Sakura piped up timidly.

"I'm not your-" Oh never mind. "Where's the laundry room?

"Through the kitchen to your left." The girl replied her deep violet eyes shining with only a child's understanding.

"Thanks." The blue haired man replied and went to seek out his clothes.

A faded button down collared shirt that was yellowing with age, navy blue slacks that appeared to have been sewn at the knee and a tie with a red feather, which seemed to be the only thing worth value, met his view for the options of wardrobe. With few more excuses he dressed in the clothing.

Sakura smiled at him when he came out, looking perfectly innocent before interrupting the man's silence. "Who are you?" She asked bluntly.

Kai blinked twice at her before smirking. "Smart kid," he paused brushing the hair out of his eyes, grabbing shoes, a jacket and the keys to the beater. "I'm Kai Hiwatari. I own a big business down town that used to deal with beyblading but is now investing in insurance purposes. I live in an elite penthouse with a different car for every mood. I make a seven digit salary yearly, and have women at my beckon call." Kai finished slowly, thinking over the list to himself for the first time in his life with a doubtful regard.

The little girl began giggling. "Really. Your definitely not my Daddy then, because otousan says that is another woman even glances at you he'll make sure she never sees again of course he mumbles that under his breath so he doesn't think I hear."

"He said that?" Kai asked, opening the front door.

"Yup." Sakura replied grabbing her lunch kit and a blue beyblade from the counter before scurrying out the door. She jumped in the car and watched for Kai to do the same before throwing him a down cast look. "Does this mean you don't love otousan at all then? Because he'd be real sad," she leaned forward and whispered as Kai placed the keys in the ignition. "and he doesn't know your not his Kai Daddy." she finished quietly as if it was some big secret.

"Well…" Kai slowly answered feeling the question hang in the air.

"Oh Kai." Rei winced trying to hold back the tears he promised not to shed. "Please come with me, I don't care about money, I don't care about your Grandfather, I don't care about anything else other than you." He smiled, pulling himself up straight so he could gaze into Kai's garnet orbs, and brush aside the slate bangs from his face. "I love you."

Cringing at the memory Kai made up his mind.

"I'm sorry." He told her backing out of the driveway avoiding her eyes. "I'm sure your rightful guardian is a great guy but I'm not like him."

"Why not?" She asked.

"Don't you find it weird?" The bluenette asked following the directions the girl pointed out to him for her school.

"What weird?"

"Having two Dads." Kai said refusing to use the actual words.

"Are you kidding?" Sakura yelped gleefully, accidentally forgetting to point out a road to Kai which had him have to turn around. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world. All my friends feel sorry for me, but if you watch their moms fuss around them and make them wear dresses and clean their fingernails, I don't have to do that I just have to keep tidy and look cute." Sakura grinned.

"Oh." Mahogany eyes slid away from reality allowing his head to wander briefly. It wasn't until he remembered the sapphire beyblade Sakura had grabbed and was now fiddling with did he allow his interest to return to the girl.

"What's that?" He asked already guessing the answer.

"Dranzer!" Sakura answered proudly. "Come on Daddy you should know that- oh whoops sorry, you wouldn't know about her would you."

"Well… actually." Kai said considering the fiery object then shook it off. "No."

"Well she's my Dranzer that my Daddy gave me to protect me and keep me warm." Sakura smiled fondly at the little toy in her hands which seemed to admit a crimson ember acknowledging Sakura's praises.

"We're here!" Sakura announced abruptly pointing at her school. "Bye Daddy- whoops I mean who ever you are." She laughed bouncing out of the car then hesitated and turned to smile at the crimson eyed man. "Here take this. Maybe Dranzer can help you find your way home, and bring my Daddy back." Her violet eyes shined with her delighted smile as she placed the phoenix on the passenger seat and shut the door.

Kai looked at the beyblade and then the retreating girl. "Wait!" He cried after her.

"Yea?" She called back toying with her pig tails.

"Where do I work?" Kai asked feeling ashamed about asking for help from a six year old.

"In the tallest tower in the city!" She answered then waved good bye and sprang off in search of her friends.

"Fuck! You have got to be kidding me!" Kai told himself slamming his forehead against the steering wheel. ...

... Anything would have been better than this, as the valet driver laughed at him and told him that the underground parking lot was a block down the road. The 'tallest tower in the city,' had just happened to be his former business and unlike the oak desk he had once possessed-

"Hiwatari? Cubicle nine. Floor twenty three." The administrator to the building told the depressed bluenette, with a hidden smirk that was unknown to Kai.

The cubicles were tightly packed together with flimsy hardwood desks tarnished with some inexpensive substance that gave it a cheap look, bad smell and slivers if your ran your fingers along the edges.

"Damn. Damn. Damn." Kai was speechless. Life was hopeless, he was beginning to wish that the little sadistic fuck from his nightmares had killed him right there.

"Come on Kai. Hell will come soon enough so don't look like your ready to kill something. Mainly yourself." A low voice laughed deeply leaning into the gray cubicle.

"Bryan?" Kai questioned Bryan's appearance in the work place.

"Who were you expecting." The lavender haired man asked crossing his arms and burrowing his glance into the mahogany eyes of his coworker.

"Since when did you work here?"

"Kai?" Bryan questioned eyebrows lowering in confusion, "are you feeling alright. I've been a computer technician here for over five years now, in fact if I remember it was I who got you this job after the incident. And your damn lucky to have it so I'd suggest you get to work." Bryan told the bluenette before leaving.

"What incident?" Kai asked feeling it was far too often that he was talking to thin air these days.

Looking around him his eyes fell on a picture of the neko jin resting on the grass with Sakura reading a book to him. A photograph of the smiling little girl holding up her first report card. A group picture of Tyson and Max holding down Kenny with a watchful Tala and Bryan observing the situation with mild interest, and Rei attempting to save the suffering boy.

Opening the brief case, that he had found in the station wagon, he abruptly closed it with a blush before reopening it to discover a picture of a near nude Rei posing in an extremely seductive mood. In silver writing scrawled in the corner was an "I love you," obviously meant for Kai's eyes only.

Shaking his head he pulled out the stack of papers in the case and placed them on the desk before shutting the case again and tossing it to the corner.

"God, whoever's life this was, was real messed up." He told the desk before stretching, turning on the out dated computer on the desk and taking a look at the paper work. "This is pathetic." ...

... Kai had been going over paperwork for some time figuring out his job and learning a little about what he was supposed to do. Most of it required him to do insurance claims, pretty self explanatory. Read the situation, write a summary and identify what category it landed other. Boring, tedious but easy going until.

The phone had not rang all morning, but now the annoying sound rang Kai from his thoughts. He had never had to really had to pick up the phone himself before, and if he did it was usually already filtered by his secretary so this took him by surprise.

"Um…" He asked hesitantly to the caller. "Hello? Hiwatari Enterprises." He told the client not thinking what else to say.

"Very cute Kai Koi, but those were the old days and I thought we agreed we were going to put the past behind us." Rei's soft voice sung with laughter.

"Huh?" Kai questioned. "The old days?"

"Whether or not you'd like to accept it or not," Rei told the bluenette, his tone changing to a more serious tense, "its Shai Incorporation now."

"Right." Kai sighed remembering his old life, but still the 'old days' comment bewildered him.

"Anyway, just called to say hi and I love you. Tala gave me a break." Rei's soft laughter rang again over the phone. "He works me to the bone you know."

"Doing what?" Kai snapped all of a sudden slightly possessive over the neko jin and the 'work' he was doing for the red head.

"I help organize his paperwork for his law firm when he gets backed up, Kai." Kai could imagine the slanted amber eyes that would express the man on the other line's face to match his tone. "What's gotten into you Kai? I told you that a few days ago."

"Nothing. Sorry." The slight unexplained jealousy passed almost as quickly as it came.

"Anyway, I won't be home in time to make dinner so I thought maybe you and Sakura could go out for something to eat as a treat." Rei's voice had regained its earlier tone

"Alright." Kai replied dryly, trying to remember how to get to Sakura's school.

"Bye Kai Koi. Love you." Rei laughed on the other side. "See you tonight.'

"Yea Bye." Kai paused waiting for Rei to hang up which he didn't. "Love you too." He continued, his words hollow and awkward.

Click.

Click. Sigh.

"Hmmm…" Kai breathed continuing his work. ...

... "And then Nate and I played tag but he got in trouble when he knocked me down and I tried to tell the lunch time monitor that I was alright but she didn't believe me so Nate had to spend the rest of lunch on the bench so it was no fun." Sakura babbled on about her school day slowly chewing on her remaining french fries as Kai opened the door to the house only to be confronted by the sound of Tala and Rei's hushed voices from the next room.

"Shhh." The blunette told the little girl. Sakura nodded and quietly went to taking off her shoes.

"I just don't get it." Rei calmly told the red headed Russian who sat on the edge of the couch with his back faced towards Kai. "Apparently he told Sakura he was not her father." The neko jin sighed. "I mean I know she's adopted but still. On top of that he disappeared yesterday morning and was gone all day before Tyson found him, I don't get it."

"He's probably just going through a mental stage." Tala told the amber eyed man taking a sip of coffee from the table.

"But he acts like he doesn't love me anymore. I mean we go to sleep and he's fine, then the next morning I wake up and he can hardly stand to look at my face." Rei continued with a sort of choked sob. "He's not pleased with anything, and I think he's feeling the weight of his past."

"That's obvious," Tala responded nodding. "He might have a sense of failure."

"I don't want him to think our life is a failure. Me. Sakura. Him. Our Love." Rei sighed. "Sometimes I wish I had never come back, maybe he'd be better off." Rei allowed his head to fall to his hands. "Then maybe he wouldn't have lost his business."

Kai stopped dead. Rei had come back. Kai had lost his business. Was he really a failure. Leaning against the wall around the corner he clenched his fists and closed his eyes tightly ignoring the concerned looks from the violet eyed girl.

"Otousan! We're home!" She announced running into the living room.

"I should be going." Tala told the ebony haired man taking to he's feet and brushing by Kai with a glare. "You have it good Kai. Don't risk that." He snarled into the younger Russians ear out of everyone elses earshot before leaving. "Good bye Rei. Bye Sakura." He waved in a happier tone.

"Bye Uncle Tala."

Kai looked at the Rei who was regaining his stance to hug Sakura and then at the retreating red head. Was this really what good was?

Well there's another chapter please comment where needed.

Rei: sniff sniff

Kai: Oh Neko Koi I really do love you. holds