I've been hardcore delaying this chapter due to my absolute hatred of writing battles so I appreciate the patience of anyone who may have been waiting. I really hope it doesn't suck too badly, I'm aware that I'm absolutely terrible at writing action scenes and Kai might be a little bit out of character, but hey, it's a canon part of season 2 that he struggles with blading if his emotions aren't completely in check.

Thanks Inyo for keeping on my butt about finishing and writing stupid ideas back and forth with me regarding plot points! Haha

Wyatt was helping me sort through all of my things, mostly consisting of picking up broken glass until both of us concluded we should give our hands the chance to stop bleeding for a little bit.

"You're sure nothing was stolen?" He asked me for the third time now.

"I don't have a lot in the first place. My blade is still where I left it and hasn't been touched and honestly I don't have anything else worth stealing. Most of my belongings are still at my grandfathers mansion."

"See now first you talk like you have only the clothes on your back and then you remind me that you're a spoiled rich kid just like the rest of us." He smiled slightly. "Sorry, probably not the time and place for jokes like that."

"You think?" I grunted. There wasn't even much to look through, my dorm room was small and I considered myself fairly organized outside of the occasional pile of clothes on the floor. I would have noticed if something was taken. Besides, outside of my blade who would even want to take anything?

"What if we're looking for the wrong thing?" Wyatt asked, bandaging another small section of his hand after digging out a glass shard. "Maybe taking something wasn't the goal in the first place? Is there anything here that you don't recognize? What if something was left?

I raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Actually I hadn't even thought about that. I hope my typical street smarts weren't being replaced by book smarts…

I fumbled around once more, pushing away things like unfolded laundry and a few homework assignments. My desk didn't appear any different than when I left it this morning.

"Nothing looks different at all." I grunted. "The only thing out of place is the broken window and scratched wall."

"You called Tyson, right?"

"Nothing happened that's worth reporting to anyone. My team doesn't need to be involved in my business."

Sighing, he ignored my response, now continuing to shake glass out of things again.

"Hang on." He stated, taking a step toward the window and sticking his hand through the hold made up of glass shards.

"Would you be careful?" I grumbled at him at he took hold of something before pulling the window open. "I don't need you bleeding all over my dorm room."

"I got it." He sighed heavily, now holding onto a piece of paper that I grabbed from him.

"Kai, someone is looking for you." He continued speaking, attempting to take it back from me in order to finish reading it. "I'm serious, you need to talk to Tyson. This doesn't feel right."

"This is nothing." I faked a small smirk. It was the truth that I wasn't nervous. I was confident that I could take on anyone who tried me and come out victorious, but Tyson had acted strangely after admitting his defeat just after the world tournament. Even if Maxie hadn't been in the same trouble Tyson would still see it as something fishie going on, the kid had a big ego after all.

"Two of your teammates were followed and defeated by strange beybladers dressed in hoods and everyone seems to agree that it's not a coincidence. Tyson said something about a light coming out of the blade and it suddenly gaining unbelievable power."

"Wyatt, Tyson has blamed loses on the winner being a Reptilian who controlled the battle with his mind. Forgive me if I take the things he says with a grain of salt."

"Max had evidence, you saw for yourself that what he was saying was true."

"I don't just absentmindedly believe everything I see in a video."

He was clearly getting annoyed with me, but I wasn't sure what he was expecting me to say. The idea of someone finding my dorm and trying to challenge me to a battle really wasn't an unusual thought. It didn't mean I was in or near any sort of danger. I knew that I could take this guy down and if he was actually any good I might finally enjoy a battle.

"I'm coming with you then." Wyatt said matter of factually, glaring slightly at me with a hand propped on his hip.

"How do you know I'll even bother to show up? What makes this guy worth my time?"

The glare now softened, a small smile even peaking out.

"Because you're you." He said. "You appreciate effort, meaning you're a lot more likely to show up to a battle when someone is stalking you than if they had just asked."

I blushed slightly. He wasn't wrong, I had definitely planned on confronting this guy.

"You're not coming with me." I glared.

"Then you contact your team, it's one or the other."

"You don't get to make that decision for me, Wyatt. You aren't in charge of me."

He was getting fed up with me again, maybe even angry.

"The same goes for you." He said. "You don't get to say no to everything that I suggest and then tell me what I'm supposed to do just because you're Kai Hiwitari."

I sat down on the bed, pouting angrily. There had to be some way to make him understand that this wasn't just a game anymore.

I expected him to sit next to me, caught a bit off guard when he instead exited my dorm room and closed the door, leaving me alone with my self pity. At least if he was angry with me there was a higher likelihood of him not following me, but there was also a higher likelihood of him officially being done dealing with my bullshit, which I may have become too accustomed to.

Currently, that wasn't what mattered. Right now I needed to figure out who this guy was who was after me and whether or not he was anyone worth keeping my guard up for. Moving to my dresser, I changed clothes before grabbing my blade and launcher.

I was going to do this by myself.

Training within the damp shade of the woods did little to stop the sweat that has built up on my face and body, a true reminder that I was currently out of shape. As I had no one to currently battle and had no plans of hitting up a park dish, my training involved empty soda and beer cans that I had found along the path while I had walked here. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Wyatt had a point… I really should contact Tyson. If anything we could at least train together.

Either way, I pushed the idea to the back of my head and continued, taking the cans I had successfully tossed about and setting them up once again. I could do better than I currently was. Closing my eyes and taking in and releasing a deep breath, I forced my mind to focus on what was happening in front of me. Not on The Bladebreakers; not on Wyatt, just on myself and my training.

Even as the sun hit mid peak, my primary thoughts were only focused on the note that this guy I had yet to meet had written.

3pm on Alpha Tower

It was the same building that Wyatt and I had hung out on the other day. Had he followed us up there and watched us? That's fucked up.

"Kai!"

I was caught off guard by the sound of my own name, prematurely ending my current battle against basic recyclables.

"Did you follow me here?" I asked Wyatt, who had sprinted down the woodland path to where I was.

"That would have been the easier way, huh?" He remarked. Although there was a strong chill in the air he had also built up a sweat, taking a moment to catch his breath. "I've been trying to find you for an hour, what do you think I just sat in a bush jacking off until deciding it would be a good time to say hello?"

Actually, I wouldn't put it past him.

"What are you doing here?" I grunted, keeping my eyes locked on my surroundings. I didn't like him being out here with me. Who's to say this guy wasn't gonna jump me while I trained?

"I came to train with you."

It took me until that moment to notice the launcher attached to his belt loop.

I moved myself forward to collect everything that I had hit, creating a new pathway for myself to focus on. I had control of my speed and basic moves, my launch was rusty though. I had been in denial about how much muscle mass I lost after our last world tournament and while training in a way that was deemed less life threatening.

"I already told you." I avoided looking at him. "I don't need help from anyone."

"You're really going to choose hitting around a pile of cans vs battling me?"

"I'm not fighting you, Wyatt. Go back to school."

I could feel the thick tension that currently hovered over us as my mind forced itself back into its default mode of being an asshole to people until they leave me alone. I didn't normally treat Wyatt this way.

"I know I'm not as good as you or your team, but I'm capable. I know the sport and I have experience, I can help you whether your ego thinks its a good idea or not." He paused briefly, either to come up with his next words or merely for dramatic effect. "I'll be there at 3pm, just like he asked. You don't get to stop me."

"Will you knock it off?" I shot back at him, my feelings of anxiousness pulsing through my veins. "You don't get to just come out of nowhere and decide that we're a team. You asked me a question and I told you no. You aren't my teammate, Wyatt, you don't get to just invade this part of my life and have it work out in your favor like it did when I started school. You can't get your way for everything by following me around until I give in to you like a child throwing a tantrum. Grow up."

My firsts were clenched tightly to the point where I had developed a mild tremor. I wasn't angry with him; his refusal to remove himself from this part of my life wasn't the problem. Whoever this guy was who hoped to take me on was the problem, other enemies I may encounter in the future were the problem. I couldn't have Wyatt being my weakness, he could be used to get to me. He could be put in danger because of who I was; I couldn't ever have that as an option.

My tangled mess of incoherent thoughts were interrupted unexpectedly at the stinging force of Wyatt's hand slapping me across the face, the shock nearly bringing me out of state of anxiety.

I said nothing, instead just staring at him with my mouth open. He was trying not to cry, even though a single tear had managed to find its way out of his inner eye.

"Fuck you, Kai." He said, shaking his head shamefully before turning and walking away.

I touched my hand to where he had hit me, my skin now warm from the awoken blood vessels.

"Wyatt, I-"

I was supposed to go after him, right? I had to chase him down and apologize for being such a shitty boyfriend, even though our relationship status still didn't feel clear. That wasn't possible, though. At least not right now. Right now I stood on the roof of Alpha Tower with no memory of how I got here or where Wyatt had gone. Taking in my surroundings, I caught a glimpse of a large silhouette at the edge of the rooftop, coming out of the shadows and revealing itself to belong to a broad shouldered boy, likely nearing two meters in height with a mane of blond hair which hung down from either a turban or some sort of bandanna.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't ignore my request." He said with a sly smirk. "I figured if I could get your attention, your eagerness to find a worthy opponent would draw you in. That's how your ego works, right?"

"It's hard to ignore someone breaking through my window." I grunted, relying on my resting bitch face to show a lack of actual interest. I was here because my curiosity got the better of me. I couldn't even remember how I got here.

"The last I checked, Kai Hiwitari isn't the type to just battle when asked. I figured I'd show you that you're not the only person around here with spunk."

He continued to smirk the entire time he looked at me, eyes hoping to intimidate.

"Well you got your hopes up for nothing. I'm not here to fight you, I'm here to tell you to leave me alone."

"So is that why you brought your blade? To tell me to leave you alone?"

He had been watching me… he had to have been.

"I'm only going to tell you this once: Stop following me. I'm not here to fight you."

"Your little boyfriend seems to disagree. Although it's flattering to find myself in the middle of a lovers quarrel, I'm afraid I don't swing in that direction. Your friend can have you, I'm just here for your bit beast."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You and I are gonna battle, and when I win I'll be taking your Dranzer."

It wasn't anything I hadn't heard before, including from my own mouth… but I have to admit an actual battle involving stakes wasn't what I was expecting.

"You aren't worth my time." I shot back.

I shouldn't have come here. This guy was just another crazy fan determined to get to me. I was only here because I had fallen for it and I had only fallen for it because my guard was down. This was all Wyatt's fucking fault.

Silently, I cussed myself before deciding that I wasn't falling for another scheme. "I'm not fighting you." I huffed, turning my heel to walk away.

I didn't get far, I don't think I even completed my entire turn before my ears caught the sound of a beyblade launching toward me.

As I attempted to pivot myself I caught the notion of someone else near me, grabbing me from behind and pulling me backward. Toppling over and turning to see who I had just landed on, I now found myself in Wyatt's lap.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, pulling myself up first before taking his hand and helping him to his feet. He avoided looking at me, instead turning to face the giant blond.

"You heard what he said. He's refusing your proposal so you might as well leave. You can't force him to fight you."

"Actually, I can." He smirked, grabbing his blade midair as it ricochet back to him. "You see, I'm not just here to prove to your boyfriend that I'm better than him. I'm here to prove he isn't worthy of the sacred beast that resides within his blade."

That was what he had said before… something about being here for Dranzer.

"If you want to get to Kai you'll need to get through me first."

Wyatt now had blade and launcher in hand, battle stance ready and eyes sharp with defense. He had gotten angry enough to slap me probably half an hour ago, now he was trying to protect me?

As they both launched simultaneously I kept my eyes on Wyatt's blade. The blond had halted his firmly in the center of the concrete flooring, idly awaiting for Wyatt to hit him. When he did, his blade shot back sharply, going into the air before hitting the ground near his feet; no longer spinning.

The large blond began laughing hysterically.

"Seriously kid," He said. "This is between me and Kai, how about you go back to school and work on your maths homework or something."

Actually, how about this guy go back to school and work on his grammar.

Still, Wyatt didn't budge. Once again he picked up his blade and set himself to launch.

"Don't." I said to him sternly. Turning his head to me I was able to see the sadness his eyes still held from our fight. "You can't beat him."

"I don't care. I'm not just giving up."

"Listen to Kai, kid." He was still laughing, looking at Wyatt as though he was nothing more than a joke. "Leave the battles for the big boys and lend a shoulder to cry on when I wipe the floor with your little boyfriend, then I can be on my way and you two can sit up here and make out some more."

"Leave him alone." I was angry now. This guy had invaded my privacy, stalked me on more than one occasion, been watching me for who knows how long and now his go to plan was to insult the one person I cared about?

I didn't remember pulling my launcher out, I didn't remember going into battle stance. It felt like someone else was controlling my every move as I launched my blade toward his face. He smirked smugly at me before launching his own, both of which collided mid air before hitting the ground. There was no defense within our battle as we both rammed each other without holding back, causing dust and debris to circle our battling blades.

"Kick his ass, Kai!" Wyatt yelled at me, keeping his distance from the intensity of our rooftop stadium.

Fuck… this guy was no joke. The brute force of his strength made itself clear as continued to strike, the air current getting stronger the longer it went on.

Before I knew it I found myself within his pull. His speed had increased and in doing so was pulling me into him like a ship in a whirlpool. A bright light was shooting from the center of his blade and expanding drastically. Forcing me to do the main thing I was hoping to avoid. I didn't like being bullied into giving others what they wanted.

With no other choice I called on Dranzer, an act which caused a mild explosion center stadium and blew me off my feet and into Wyatt, who had flown back into the fence. I had to grab him by the front of his shirt in order to stop him from falling off the ledge of the five story building, an act that caused my adrenaline to skyrocket.

"I've got you." I mumbled as he yelled, bracing himself for a fall that he wouldn't have survived. I pulled him into my chest and he wrapped his arms around my torso in fear.

Looking back toward my opponent, I saw him replace his aggressive and egotistical smirk with a more genuine smile. His blade was in his hand and no longer spinning, mine was currently embedded in a concrete wall.

"I'll give you this one." He said. "Don't think that means I won't be back for you, though."

He giggled to himself as he walked away, it didn't matter though.

"Are you okay?" I asked Wyatt, helping to pull him back to his feet. His legs were shaking; I was pretty sure mine were too.

"I think so-"

I didn't give him adequate time to respond, instead pulling him into me and locking his lips to mine. I held him tightly to my chest, using one hand to cup the back of his head. As soon as I released his mouth I pushed his head to my shoulder.

"I'm sorry..." I mumbled.

Pulling away from me, Wyatt focused his gaze on his feet instead. His face held both guilt and shame. I picked my blade up from where it had fallen from the wall to the ground and inspected it. I was going to have to talk to Kenny about repairs, it had taken a lot more damage than I had expected. Still, it was less damage than I had done to Wyatt…

"Let's just go." He said, walking ahead of me toward the rooftop door.