First of all, thank you from the bottom of my heart for those amazing reviews! I still can't believe you like this story so much! (hugs of all)
Okay, before I'll go all mushy, let's get on.
Or no, just a sec! I tried to reply to this PM about the next update, but… Well, being Miss 'Whiz-kid of technology', I afraid I managed to screw up somehow. (Gosh, I hate computers!) So, I think it's the best idea (for the sake of the little of my sanity there's left) to announce here that the next update should happen sometime next Wednesday (or Tuesday). So… stay tuned! (smirks)
And now, finally, on with the story! The previous chapter was quite a torture for everyone – even poor Max had to cry. (snif) Let's see if I'll let them any easier now. I said that I might give you a brief flash of Mariah, so… Here it comes. (grins) Hope you'll enjoy!
¨
AprilSmall Italian café was filled with people as Mariah sat in the most quiet corner with a mug of hot chocolate. An hour ago, ordering it had felt like a good idea, but now the drink simply repulsed her. Besides, it had already gone cold as she simply motionlessly sat there, staring at her reflection on the liquid, thinking.
As planned, she had travelled back into her home-village after leaving Ray. But with all the questions and isolation, the place had soon started to feel smothering, and she had once again ran. Since then – for almost two weeks now, if she counted right – she'd been travelling around world, not really knowing what she wanted to do. She switched place every two days, too impatient to stay anywhere for longer than that.
It felt like she was… waiting for something, but couldn't pinpoint what that 'something' was.
Suddenly, her cat's-senses detected someone watching her. Frowning, she turned her head – and gasped as she met a pair of shockingly familiar lavender eyes. " Johnny?"
The Scott – who was sitting on the table right across hers – quickly turned his head away, pretending to concentrate on the mug-full of coffee before him.
Mariah blinked her eyes for several times, feeling dazed all of a sudden. What the heck was Johnny doing in Italy? Hardly meeting Enrique, because they were on the opposite side of the country from Rome.
Following some… call inside of her, she got up from her seat and walked up to Johnny's table, wordlessly taking a seat beside him. Silence lingered between them for a long time, and during it she caught herself eyeing on Johnny. He had now a bit more muscle than before, and he'd cut his hair short, though letting some front-bangs slightly longer so that they almost shadowed his breathtaking lavender eyes. Mariah noticed with surprise that her heart leapt in a strange way she'd never experienced before as she looked at him.
Eventually, she decided to speak to get those unnerving thoughts out of her head. " Didn't expect to meet you here."
Johnny lowered his gaze, suddenly deeply interested in his coffee again. Mariah had to blink once more in absolute disbelief. Was that a blush she saw upon his cheeks? " Can't say the same thing", the Scott reluctantly admitted in a voice so quiet she barely heard. He took a sip of his coffee, visibly steeling himself. " You've been a difficult one to track down, kitten."
Mariah had hard time disguising her surprise. Thanks to many beyblade-tournaments and battles, they'd known each other for years, and spent countless of hours talking – or fighting, whichever mood they happened to be in. They'd learned to know each other better than they knew pretty much anyone else, shared this… indescribable mutual understanding; one could even call it a bond. That's why they'd been corresponding what was close to thousands of letters and e-mails after they'd retired as professional bladers. But never before had Mariah seen the Scott like this, so… insecure, unprotected, absolutely without the mental armour he usually covered himself with.
Her surprise turned into near-shock when his words sunk in. " You've been… following me?" Did he really care about her that much?
Johnny gave her a glare. " You make me sound like some creepy stalker." Once again, his eyes found that apparently enchanting coffee-mug. " I was just… worried, when I heard about you and Ray. Is it a crime?"
A smile came to Mariah's face. To be honest, his concern made her feel… warm, safe. " No", she admitted out loud. " I suppose it isn't." She looked at her friend, smile widening. " Thanks."
Johnny merely shrugged. Silence fell over them once again as both drifted into their own thoughts. Mariah was almost startled when something cool suddenly touched her arm. Looking down, she noticed that Johnny had pushed a small bowl of strawberries towards her. Smiling slightly, she took one berry and tasted it. " Thanks again", she muttered, savouring the sweet, juicy taste. " Why such generosity?"
Johnny shrugged. " You seemed… sad. I thought I should try to cheer you up." Red bangs fell to cover Johnny's face as he bowed his head. " I… remembered you like strawberries." It seemed to require some sort of a mental power-struggle, but eventually he lifted his head and gently took one strawberry, offering it to her. When their eyes locked, she found his lavender orbs filled with hesitance and almost desperate pleading.
Pieces clicked in Mariah's mind, and suddenly, she realized that Johnny was offering her much, much more than just a single strawberry.
Still smiling, but not saying a word, she accepted the berry and took a bite. " These are really good."
By then, there was a smile of understanding and relief upon Johnny's face as well. " I'm glad."
¨
As the orphanage Bryan, Spencer and Ian had opened with Tala became five years old, the gang decided to throw a party. Despite warnings, Kai chose to join in – having been locked inside four walls had almost driven him insane, especially with his old team-mates and former Demolition Boys constantly dropping by. It was nerve-racking, especially when everyone had been treating him like a piece of most fragile glass since he'd been discharged from hospital.
" Kai!" the kids squealed in delight upon seeing him. Before the pregnancy had really started to show and all the problems had appeared, he'd visited the orphanage almost daily. According to Bryan, Spencer and Ian, the kids had been really confused and saddened by his sudden absence.
Smiling widely, Kai dent down and hugged the kids as much as it was possible with his huge bump and crushing back-pain. A stab of guilt went through him as he realized just how long ago it was from his last visit to the orphanage. " Hey. I've missed you", he greeted the kids, suddenly finding it hard to hold back tears of movement. Damn hormones and mood-swings…
" Okay, let go of Kai before you'll end up crushing him!" came Spencer's laughter from not too far away. " There's cake in the kitchen." As the kids ran away, the muscular blonde gave Kai a slightly careful look. " How are you holding up?"
Kai didn't know if he was more amused or annoyed by the question he'd heard many times during the past month. " I'm fine, and according to Dr. Perez, so are the twins", he replied.
Both two were startled when Tyson suddenly dashed into the room, glint of excitement in his eyes. Look of disappointment, however, appeared onto the bluenette's face when he saw Kai. " Oh, it was just you."
Kai snorted, amused. " Nice to feel welcomed."
Actually, he knew full well who Tyson had been expecting. The day before, Max had phoned the Japanese and told that in the party, they'd finally find out who his secret love was. And truth to be told, Kai was quite curious about it himself. It was rare that Max managed to keep something with this magnitude to himself for this long; the relationship had to be a serious one.
Looking around, Kai gave a small frown. " Where's Theo?"
" Somewhere with the other kids", Tyson replied with a grin. " If I know him at all, the cake is in serious danger at the moment. Bryan is watching over him, though."
All three tensed when there was suddenly a piercing sound of doorbell. While Spencer walked up to open the door, Ray, Hilary, Kenny and Emily all appeared into the room, excitement and anticipation written all over their faces. " It's Max", Hilary announced. " And you won't believe who he has with him!"
Slowly the door slid open, and gasps could be heard when the gang saw Max behind it – other arm wrapped almost protectively around somewhat nervous-looking, lime-hared young man. " Not in million years would I have guessed this!" Tyson exclaimed. " Oliver!"
" Eh… Bonjour?" Max greeted rather nervously.
After a long – and loud – thunder of congratulations and questions, the gang had somewhat found out how the two had gotten together. Apparently, they'd happened to bump into each other when Max been on a business-trip in Paris a year and half earlier. As luck would have it, they'd went out to celebrate Max's amazing business-deal that night, and gotten really, really drunk – with the result that next morning, Max had woken up from Oliver's bedroom, the French contently wrapped around him. Terrified, the blonde had ran off, and the two didn't meet for three months – until Max had to face the French in a huge BBA-party. That day, both came to realize that there was no denying obvious facts.
" So that's why you both disappeared from that BBA-party", Kenny mused.
" Why such secrecy?" Tyson asked, slight hurt in his tone.
" Sorry about that, but… We wanted to clear things to ourselves before getting anyone else involved", Max explained, still holding Oliver's hand. " This whole… thing hasn't been easy. We wanted to make sure how we felt without anyone else interfering."
Smiling and closing his eyes, Oliver leaned his forehead against Max's shoulder, seeming slightly embarrassed by all the attention. " We didn't want to haste with something this chére."
" Awww…", the gang sighed, grinning.
" So… What made you let the cat out of the bag now?" Emily inquired.
Max gave Oliver a questioning look, then looked back at them again after receiving a nod of acceptance. " Well… The thing is…" He seemed very nervous all of a sudden. " We did… something yesterday. Something… well, huge."
Tyson frowned. " Am I the only one in here who doesn't have a clue of what he's talking about?"
Sharing another look, Max and Oliver both outstretched their left hands for them to see, and a chorus of huge gasps escaped. Sure enough, both had rings on their fingers.
" We wish we could've invited all of you to celebrate, but both Max and I are rather well-known, so we wanted to avoid the buzz", Oliver explained apologetically.
Everyone was stunned to see the small smile that crept up to Kai's face. " You know what, guys? It looks like we have two reasons to celebrate today."
¨
About an hour later, Hilary was just emerging from a bathroom when she passed by a room where a familiar figure sat on a bed, his back towards her. A deep frown crossed her features. " Kai?"
The pregnant Russian didn't respond – didn't even seem to notice she was there – and it wasn't until then she realized what he was doing. With two fingers, he'd moved his wedding-ring so that it was dangling on his fingertip, on the edge of falling off. He was obviously struggling with the idea of taking it off, setting himself free.
In the end, Kai slipped the ring back on, not ready to give up on the promise it represented just yet. Hilary could've sworn she heard a small sob as he buried his face into his hands, seeming to tremble. " Damn you, Tala…", came a tiny whisper to her ears.
Feeling tears threatening to spill, Hilary decided that she couldn't watch her friend's pain any longer. Carefully, as if fearing an attack, she approached Kai, landing a soft, comforting hand onto his shoulder. He jumped at first and clenched his fists, but soon relaxed when sensing it was just her. Though he wasn't looking at her, she offered a small smile of reassurance. For a while she hesitated, not sure of what to say. " Hard day?" she finally inquired.
Kai nodded, bowing his head so that bangs of two-toned hair fell to cover his face from her. After hesitating a while, she took a seat beside him, trying to offer at least some degree of comfort.
For a long moment they sat in comfortable silence, neither really wanting to speak. When Hilary's eyes fell to the ring on Kai's finger that had became a chain to the Russian, she decided that she had to speak out. " Kai… Tala loved you, just as much as you loved him. And… I'm sure that wherever he is, he wouldn't want you to live like this, inside this… trap." Words she'd been yearning to say for months – ever since she'd found out how Ray felt for Kai – escaped her lips like birds from open cage, making her chest lighten. " I know how tremendously you loved him, but you can't spent the rest of your life grieving; he wouldn't have wanted that. You have to let go." A picture of how Ray touched and looked at Kai flashed before her eyes. " Days, months or years from now, you will find someone who'll make you feel the way Tala did. You will love again."
When Kai looked at her, her heart almost shattered by the overwhelming pain and desperation in his eyes. " I… I can't. It was so painful to learn to love Tala, I… I don't think I can ever go through that again." He looked away, ashamed. Even after all the years passed, opening up like this was hard for him. " Besides… It could never feel the same with anyone else."
Hilary smiled. " Of course there won't be anything exactly the same. But there can be something just as amazing and precious." She brushed his shoulder. " Just… Don't give up on hope, okay? Don't ever give up on love. Who knows where destiny leads you."
There was a small, faint smile upon Kai's face as the Russian finally lifted his head and looked at her. " Thank you", he whispered. From his eyes, Hilary could see that a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
She smirked. " This is just what friends do."
¨
Meanwhile, Tyson gave a small frown when finding Ray sitting on a railing of the orphanage's porch, eyes staring vacantly into horizon. " Ray?" When the neko-jin still paid no attention to him, he started to get annoyed. Taking a couple of steps ahead, he roughly graphed Ray on a shoulder, startling the neko-jin out of his thoughts. " Well, good morning."
Blinking his amber eyes, Ray first looked at him, then some spot in distance. " Sorry… Guess I… zoned out."
Tyson rolled his eyes. " Wouldn't have figured…"
When silence fell upon them, Ray was unable to keep his thoughts from straying. That appeared to be a huge mistake, as couple of seconds later, Tyson's words caught him off guard so badly that he nearly choked on his very breath. " It's hard to fight over someone with a ghost, isn't it?"
It took for a long moment before he'd gathered his wits enough to look at Tyson, eyes still widened. " What are you…?" Oh, screw that. He couldn't play dump anymore, Tyson had got on to him. He bowed his head with a blush, feeling humiliated. " How did you…?"
Again, Tyson rolled his eyes. " I'm not brain-dead, unlike everyone seems to think. There's also absolutely nothing wrong with my vision; I recognize a crush when I see one."
Ray mentally scowled. Oh great… If Tyson knew, it was only a matter of time before everyone would figure out how he felt for Kai – including the Russian himself. Crap…
There was a sly look in Tyson's eyes as the Japanese looked at him. " So… When are you gonna tell Kai?"
" Never." Ray was surprised by how fast and determinedly the reply came. Once more, he bowed his head, but not because of embarrassment. " I… There's no point. I mean… He's never gonna feel… that way for me – he'll never be able to let go of Tala."
" Ray… Do you have any idea of for how long I had to fight before Hilary would actually go out with me for a first time, let alone before I managed to convince a smart, sensible person like her to marry me? Heck, at one point, I was sure she'd get me a restraining order!" There was a sympathy-filled look in Tyson's eyes as Ray looked at him. " All I'm saying is that you can't just give up. Kai is as stubborn as a old mule, but he'll figure himself out eventually. And that day, Kon, it's your time to strike."
First time in a very, very long while, Ray found smile tugging the corners of his lips. " Thanks, Ty."
Tyson merely waved his hand. " I'm doing this for purely selfish reasons", the Japanese confessed. " I can't stand seeing you sulk around anymore. Besides, you and Kai dancing around each other like two cats on a burning roof is seriously getting old."
¨
Unbeknownst to anyone, Theo had slipped out of the orphanage through backdoor, and was investigating its surroundings with childlike curiosity.
All of a sudden, his eyes met a dark figure that sat on a nearby bench, clearly watching the orphanage. Of course his parents had warned him not to talk to strangers, but curiosity soon took the best of him – after all, he was just a little child. Small frown upon his face, he walked towards the man, who's face were hidden by the thick shadows trees created. " Hey. Who are you?" he asked.
Slowly, the man lowered his gaze. Though he still couldn't see the stranger's face because of the dancing shadows disguising them, he could tell the man was looking at him. " Just… an old friend of Kai's – and your father's", came a accented reply.
Theo's frown deepened. " Then why aren't you in the party with them?"
A strange, almost chilling laughter escaped the man's throat. " Oh, such a curious little child… Just like your father."
Still frowning, Theo was about to ask more when the clearly panicked sound of his mother's met his ears. " Theo, where are you?"
Deciding that he'd better get inside as fast as possible, Theo once again looked at the strange man, eyes filled with childish innocence. " Should I tell them 'hi' from you?"
" Oh, don't do that", the man told him. " When I choose to meet them, I want it to be… a surprise."
Theo nodded, smiling. " Okay. Dad loves surprises" He turned around to leave. " Bye."
The man's eyes followed the child as he ran away. " Bye."
With the child gone, the man once again looked at the orphanage with chillingly flaming eyes.
Just two more months, and the twins will be all mine. He gave a cold sneer of a predator. And after that, nothing will stop me. His eyes squinted. Biovolt will rise from the ashes, and so will I – just like the phoenix-bird I am. And Kai will pay dearly for foolishly thinking he'd be able to get away from me.
With those thoughts, he got up and disappeared to the shadows.
¨
About two hours later, Kai and Ray simultaneously left the party. The others still remained, but Kai needed rest and Ray had to go to work. In silent agreement they started to walk together, not saying a word, simply enjoying each others' company.
Surprisingly, it was Kai who spoke first. " You know… I've been thinking about something for a long while now", he stated.
Slightly surprised, Ray looked at the Russian. " Hmm?"
" My house… It's not big enough for the twins. It… it was hardly big enough for me and Tala." Flash of pain could be seen in Kai's burgundy eyes. " Besides, it holds far too many memories of Tala. I… just can't stay there, not anymore."
First time in months, careful hope begun to rise in Ray's chest. Was there really a chance…? " You know… Moving might actually be a good idea", he commented cautiously.
Kai nodded, the pain in his eyes growing deeper. " In that house, every single thing reminds me of Tala." The Russian choked in a teary gasp of air. " The smell, all the things we bought together… Even the stupid squeak of kitchen-door; he was supposed to do something about it." One tear rolled to Kai's cheek, Ray doubted the Russian noticed it. " It's just… It's too much. Too painful." For a moment, Kai closed his eyes, visibly trying to compose himself. " I… I think I'll have to… let go – for both me and the twins."
Ray's mind was swimming with disbelief. Was… was Kai really saying those words? Was the Russian finally starting to shake away Tala's ghost? This was a huge step – a step for better. " Have you started looking for a new house?" he asked, barely managing to keep his growing optimism and anticipation away from his tone.
He isn't saying that he wants to be with you, he reminded himself. But even that didn't shatter his newfound hope.
Kai nodded. " There's this one promising house, just a couple of blocks from where you live, actually. I'm going to see it tomorrow."
" Want me to come along?" he asked, still feeling more than slightly lightheaded.
Kai replied with a small smile and nod. " Why not." Suddenly, the look changed to one of pain and he gave a small gasp, clutching to his stomach.
Feeling panic flood through his veins, Ray was immediately by Kai's side, one hand landing onto the Russian's shoulder. " Kai, what's wrong?" He gave a small gulp. " Was it a kick or a twinge?" Lately, the latter option had meant a visit to hospital and Dr. Perez, and there'd been far too many of those to both their – and especially Kai's – liking.
Fear – almost terror – in his eyes, Kai slowly shook his head. " I… I'm not sure", the Russian whispered, so quietly that Ray barely heard, then gave a small sigh of relief. " I think… it was a kick."
Feeling relieved, but only slightly, Ray nodded. Carefully and gently, he steadied shivering, paled Kai up, feeling his heart race due to both worry and the closeness they had. " C'mon", he whispered softly, holding Kai close. " You've had too much of excitement for one day. Let's get you home."
Kai plainly nodded as response, sinking into his thoughts.
Despite the almost paralyzing terror for the safety of the twins, Kai still noticed the warm shiver that ran through him when Ray touched him and pulled him close. No matter how much the thought frightened him, he couldn't help thinking about Hilary's words.
" Of course there won't be anything exactly the same. But there can be something just as amazing and precious."Had she been right? Was he really…?
Shaking the ridiculous thoughts off for the time being, Kai leaned closer to Ray as another twinge came, bravely biting back tears of pain and fear. And all he could do was pray that the small miracles would stay inside of him for the remaining two months. That he wouldn't have to go through yet another loss…
¨
That same night, the orphanage was already quiet with all the kids fast asleep as Oliver laid on a double-bed in the room Bryan had told he and Max could stay in for a while. After all, now that they'd came all the way from Paris, why should they be shoved into some crappy motel?
A small smile came to Oliver's lips as felt small, rather nice ache in the lower parts of his body. Things simply couldn't have been more perfect at the moment. Everyone had taken the news of he and Max's surprise-relationship well – though he couldn't understand why he'd been imagining worse case scenarios in the first place. He'd known these people for years, and just like Max, he was their friend. Why wouldn't they have accepted him?
Turning to side, he felt a slash of disappointment upon seeing the empty spot on the other side of the bed. However, he managed to shake it off rather quickly; Max was only in a bathroom, and would soon be back for some more of the… thrill they'd been having all night so far.
He almost startled when his cell-phone suddenly rang. A frown came to his lips when he couldn't recognize the number flashing on the screen. " Hello?"
" Oliver, please, you have to listen to me!" came a chillingly familiar, desperate voice in French.
His eyes squinted with immense hatred. " Jacques, how dare you harass me after all the shit you've done?" he growled also in French, such fury in his voice that it startled him. " Leave me alone!"
" Listen to me!" Jacques begged. " He… He isn't dead, Oliver! He isn't dead! You have to…" As Oliver was already hanging up, he couldn't hear the rest. " … warn everyone! He's coming after Kai and the twins!"
Just as he threw the cell-phone straight into a wall with a growl, Max came in. The blonde immediately frowned when seeing the look upon his face. " Oliver, what's wrong?"
He quickly pushed a smile onto his face. " Absolutely nothing, sweetie. Come back to bed, it's cold in here."Smiling as well, Max obeyed and snuggled closer to him. Oliver squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he gently stroked Max's silky locks. " I love you", he confessed in a whisper that carefully hid all the emotions whirling inside of him.
" Love you too", came Max's sleepy reply.
And I won't let anything get into between us, Oliver mentally added. Especially not that bastard.
¨
TBC.
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A/N: Dun-da-dun! So Kai is finally beginning to listen to his heart! 'Bout time, I would say!
Heh, I hope you didn't hate the new pairings I created. Max and Oliver are just so… alike, in a way, that I simply couldn't resist! And Mariah and Johnny… Don't ask, I just have this… thing for that couple.
But hey, what's this? Who's Jacques? And how will Kai's pregnancy advance?
Only one more month before the BIG day, people! Stay tuned, and please, please review!
Btw, the add ruler has been down for over a week... Or is it just me...? (blinks in confusion)