Heylo! Whattup? Thank you to Hutchy, Mistress-of-eternal-darkness, and Chiyoko Kazuko for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade; it belongs to Aoki Takao.

Chapter Seven

Kenny's POV

It was the evening of the day Tyson had spoken to Kai about attending therapy. Ray had prepared Tyson, Max, Kai, Hilary, himself, and I a meal, a bit sloppier than usual. But that was understandable; he seemed just as stressedas the rest of us--maybe more.

None of us had seen Tyson this afternoon, after he spoke with Kai, so we were all eager to know of Kai's response to going to therapy. Judging by the facts that 1) Kai was not present at dinner and 2) Tyson had a scowl on his face, I assumed that Kai refused.

As soon as we sat down with full plates, Tyson blurted out, "He cuts himself."

We all stared at him. Each of us knew who he was talking about.

"What?" Ray inquired incredulously. His voice cracked a bit, as if this sudden revelation was too much for him. It was a lot to swallow, and I couldn't think of anything to say.

"Kai…cuts himself. I saw the razor blade…the stupid…fucking…razor blade," Tyson grumbled harshly. He stabbed his piece of chicken with his fork, hard.

None of us said a word; we just gazed at random objects or people.

Finally, Ray spoke up.

"This…is getting worse and worse, guys." He turned to Tyson. "He won't go to therapy, will he?" I dreaded the answer to that question.

"He didn't agree…just commanded me to leave him alone," Tyson replied, setting his fork down and taking a deep breath.

"Maybe…," Hilary piped up but then trailed off. All of us looked over to her. With the pressure on her, I suppose she felt she should continue. "Maybe…we should just leave him alone."

"What?" Tyson asked disbelievingly.

Hilary half-shrugged. "If he doesn't want help…we can't force it on him, Tyson," she answered, more quietly than before.

"That is true," Ray agreed.

Tyson scowled some more.

"He'll be okay, Tyson," Max, ever-optimistic, reassured him. But I'm not so sure the fair-haired believed that himself.

After that, we all ate in silence.

When we were finished, Hilary wandered off to the living room to watch some television. Tyson sat at the table, contemplating something. Max and I helped Ray with the dishes.

"So, guys. Um, should we tell the All Starz to forget about coming right now since we're having this whole problem with Kai?" inquired Max uncertainly.

Ray nearly dropped the plate he was wiping dry. "Say what?"

Some anxiety swept through Max's eyes. "You did remember the All Starz are coming the day after tomorrow?"

Ray set the plate down and leaned against the counter. "Brilliant…," he muttered.

"Ray," I spoke up, "perhaps it would be best if you got some rest. You've got black circles forming under your eyes, and you seem quite stressed out."

"Who isn't stressed, Kenny?" he snapped, closing his eyes and cradling his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, turning back to scrubbing a dish.

"No, I'm sorry," Ray said. "You're right, too. I haven't been getting enough sleep, I know, but I'm just so…flustered."

"Go catch some sleep or something, Ray," Max said, taking the drying towel from Ray's hands.

"Thanks, guys," Ray said, forcing a small smile onto his lips.

"No problem," Max and I replied simultaneously.

Ray ambled through the doorway and off up the stairs.

later

Max, Tyson, and Hilary had headed off to bed, and Kai's door was shut tightly. I was sitting at the kitchen table, typing away on Dizzi in search of some decent though inexpensive therapy that could help Kai if he wanted to give therapy a try.

Ray strolled into the kitchen as I was taking a sip from my glass of water.

"Oh…," he started, "hey, Chief. Wasn't expecting anyone else to be up at midnight."

I shrugged, and set my cup down. "You should be getting sleep, Ray."

"I know…but I can't fall asleep." Ray poured himself a glass of milk and sat down in the chair next to me.

"What are you up to?" he inquired, gazing at the computer screen.

"I'm searching for some therapeutic sessions Kai could use, if he wants to," I answered, shifting my vision to the wall.

Silence was Ray's reply. After a bit, I started looking through Internet pages again, hoping to spot something worthwhile for someone in Kai's condition that we could afford.

"Kenny? Can I tell you something?" Ray asked.

"Sure, Ray." I gave him my undivided attention.

He stared into my eyes for a moment that seemed an eternity. It was as if he was searching for information that could tell him if I was trustworthy enough to hear what he was about to say, or as if he was looking for a way to know if I was ready to receive whatever he was going to tell me.

"Kai…is…bulimic," he stated finally.

It took a moment for this to register in my mind.

'Bulimic…?'

The intensity in Ray's stare told me this was no joke. The realization of how serious this whole problem with Kai was hit me like a bullet between the eyes.

"Oh," was all I could muster.

Ray finally tore that gaze from my eyes, and stared at the wall in front of us distantly.

"I…don't know what to do, Kenny. What can we do?" Ray's voice was cracking, as if he were about to cry. "I'm so confused…he's in so much pain…so much torment…but in his head, so we can't stop it. I don't know what to do…."

A single, crystal teardrop trickled down Ray's cheek. He stroked it away, and turned his eyes back to meet mine. This time, I could see his pain clearly; I could tell what he was feeling from a mere look into his eyes. I saw despondence, confusion, helplessness…. It was almost overwhelming.

"God, Kenny. I feel so much. Please, I need someone to talk to."

"Go ahead," I mumbled, wanting to be there for my friend. "Tell me what you need to."

Ray started rambling about Tyson liking Hilary, Hilary liking Kai, hell knows what going through Kai's mind…. He told me about how he didn't want the All Starz to come and see our team in such a condition, but he didn't want totell them not to come,because Max seemed so excited about it. By the time he was finished, it was almost as if I could understand some of his heart.

When Ray was finished speaking, I was speechless. Somehow, I managed out, "You…you know…so much…about their lives right now. They must be confident that you're trustworthy to confide in you."

I gave Ray a smile, a small way to let him know I cared.

"Thanks, Kenny. For listening and all. I needed that."

"Of course."

Ray returned my smile with one of his own.

Ray's POV

I laid everything—well, almost everything—on Kenny. I didn't tell him about Kai opening his heart up to me when we were together.

It felt good to get that off my chest, though I still had the burden of it all; some of it was gone, though.

Kenny and I exchanged smiles, but all that was just revealed was nothing to smile about. I knew he wouldn't tell a soul what I told him, and that he would help me with this burden.

I stood, and placed my empty glass in the sink. As I sauntered back up the stairs, I thought about how any of this whole escapade with Kai may have turned out if only I had stayed with him…but for once, for today, I shoved that to the back of my mind.

That night, I got more sleep than some of the previous.

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I know they eat with chopsticks in Japan…but oh well. Forks are okay, eh? I don't think you could stab things very well with chopsticks, though. I wouldn't know.

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CyborgRockStar