Yep, my muse is still going. I should be working on a Brit Lit essay, but this happened instead.
"I don't trust the Australian team,"
The comment came out of left field, briefly throwing Kyoya off. He blinked down at the papers in his lap, trying to refocus on them, but Kakeru's statement circled around in his head to the point he set them aside.
"Okay. You have my attention. Why don't you trust people you haven't met yet?"
"Not all of them. Just a couple of them," Kakeru shrugged, sprawled out in the arm-chair across from the couch. He was putting out an outward sense of calm, but Kyoya could see the way he was nervous in how he kept twisting the rings on his hands, snapping and unsnapping the bracelets on his wrists, or twisting the metal chain on his neck around his finger, "I mean, Hunter should be obvious as to why I don't trust him."
Hunter Hart, Kyoya remembered.
"Yeah, that's fair," Kyoya nodded.
"Kelsea is Klaus' cousin, right? And from I've seen and heard, she seems pretty calm and straightforward," Kakeru continued. "I haven't seen a lot on Taylor, but he seems okay."
"Pretty sure the records state this is Taylor's first tournament," Kyoya admitted. "He's thirteen. Just at the age limit to compete."
"Ah," Kakeru nodded. Then he was quiet.
Kyoya waited, glancing down at the paperwork he'd brought home.
"Ariana has a look in her eyes that reminds me of you, after your battle with Ryuga during Battle Bladers," Kakeru spoke, voice low.
… Well that explained why Kakeru was so hesitant. He was always hesitant to bring up anything concerning Battle Bladers or Doji related.
"Dark Power?" Kyoya asked, keeping his voice even.
Kakeru looked surprised, but gave a jerky nod, "Yeah."
"… She wasn't a member of the Dark Nebula or Hades Inc, that the WBBA knows of," Kyoya mused. "Or had any ties to Nemesis."
Kakeru was silent for another few moments, and Kyoya could see the gears turning in his head. As it was, Kyoya was going over everything and everyone he knew of, trying to think of a connection he might have missed.
He recalled something from three years earlier, when he, Madoka, Gingka, Yuki, and Benkei had ended up in Italy searching for the star fragment. They'd stayed at Konzern's for that one night, and Kyoya had met Lucas Reynolds for the first time.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Lucas rambled, all but tackling Wales in a bone crushing hug, "Please don't be mad! I just- I've handled him for fifteen years, and you get so upset at the very mention of him! I didn't want you to worry! I mean, you're already doing so much for me and- and-"
"Lucas, buddy, breathe," Wales wriggled one arm free, reaching up to stroke his hand soothingly through Lucas' hair. The younger teen buried his head into Wales' chest and let out a sob, "It's fine. I'm sorry I reacted so badly. It's just as much my fault as it is anyone else's."
"Can Julian add aggravated stalking to the list of charges?" Lucas choked out, "I'm just so- so sick of it, Wales! I want him gone already..."
And then later, on the plane, Gingka had been oddly quiet to the point that Kyoya had finally caved and asked him what was on his mind. The following conversation had been a trip and a half…
"Wales and Lucas' dad is a member of the EU's WBBA Board," Gingka told Kyoya, keeping his voice low. "You remember last night? How Lucas came down and what he was talking about?"
Kyoya nodded, trying to ignore the discomfort of where he was twisted around in the plane seat to face the redhead, "Yeah. He mentioned something about charges and Konzern's lawyers."
Gingka chewed on his lower lip, "Caspian McKandless… my dad has met him a few times before, says he's a lot like Ziggurat."
"Power hungry manipulative suit wearing bastard?"
"And apparently an abusive one, on top of that,"
Kyoya felt his blood begin to boil, as he reflected on his own home situation, concerning his mother's habits and actions towards her sons.
Caspian McKandless… Russian team mechanic, Kyoya thought.
Kakeru sighed, catching Kyoya's attention, "Maybe I'm just thinking too hard about it."
"No," Kyoya shook his head. "You've always had good instincts, Keru. If you think something is wrong, there's usually something wrong. I'll look into it, if it makes you feel better."
"Can you do that in two days?" Kakeru asked, skeptically, "The interview panel is tomorrow and then the first battle is on Saturday."
Kyoya smirked at him, "Watch me." He glanced at the clock on the wall, and noted the time, "You should get to bed. The panel starts at nine in the morning, and it'll take us at least and hour and a half to get ready and get there."
Kakeru nodded, and stood up, stretching, "Kay. I'll see you in the morning. Night, Mufasa."
Kyoya didn't bother reprimanding him for the nickname. It had gotten old a long time ago, but Kyoya would be lying if he said he didn't like it, coming from his brother. As Kakeru vanished down the hallway and into his room, the door shutting behind him, Kyoya gathered his paperwork and organized it, stacking it on the coffee table. Kyoya glanced at the time again, stood up, and walked into the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of coke and bourbon, and then walked back through the living room and out on to the balcony, pulling his phone out as he did.
It was after ten in Metal City. Which meant it would be just after three in Rome. It took Kyoya a moment to find the number he was looking for (read: he bugged Tsubasa until he got it), before he dialed and hit call.
It took five rings before the line picked up.
"Julian Konzern speaking, how can I help you?"
"Julian? It's Kyoya Tategami," Kyoya answered, and took a sip of his drink. "I've got a few questions for you concerning Caspian McKandless."
There was a beat of silence.
"Alright then. What do you need to know?"
"So what was last night about?" Tsubasa asked, as Kyoya and Kakeru stepped through the backstage doors to the auditorium that would serve it's purpose as the place for the interview panel.
Kakeru rushed over to join the rest of Japan's team. Hikaru began to admonish him for being nearly fifteen minutes late, and Kakeru sheepishly apologized.
Kyoya, sunglasses on and nursing a slight hangover, reached into his jacket pocket and pulled a thick envelope out, handing it to Tsubasa. He took a sip of his second coffee of the morning.
Tsubasa opened the envelope and began to read through it. He was silent, for the most part, but then he let out a curse under his breath, "And this man is still out of prison?"
"Mmhm," Kyoya nodded. "Part of the reason we're late. I was on the phone with Ryo this morning, and he confirmed what I had thought. He was a generous donator to help start up Ziggurat's Hades Inc. He had a hand in developing the arrangement system, too."
Tsubasa cursed again, and quickly folded the papers up and squirrelled them away as Team Wild Justice approached the two of them.
"Any last minute tips?" Platina asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Don't make a fool of yourself," Kyoya deadpanned, and took a fortifying sip of his coffee.
Tsubasa closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "While Kyoya is correct… don't say anything that could cause trouble. Keep your answers on topic, and try not to get offended by anything a reporter says. They're reporters. They want you to create a scene so they can use it as bad media."
Looks were given to Kakeru and Platina. The two Bladers in question looked offended.
"Why are you looking at me?" Kakeru asked.
"Maybe because you're known for being a bit hotheaded?" Hikaru asked.
"Because you are Kyoya's brother?" Yuki shrugged.
"… Kyoya, back me up here, I'm not that bad!"
Kyoya took another sip of his coffee, "I'm not here."
"Kyoya!"
"Team Vigilante Justice?" An organizer approached, "You're on in five minutes. You best get ready to go on stage." With that, he began to usher the group of five over towards the wings of the stage.
Once they were gone, Tsubasa pulled the papers back out to look over them. Kyoya let him, and kept quiet. He'd been on the phone till nearly two o' clock that morning, and his head was still pounding from the information dump, the hangover, and the little amount of sleep he'd gotten. Instead, he left Tsubasa to mutter to himself, and approached the wings of the stage, where he could hear the interview better.
"Ladies and gentlemen it's your favorite announcer here, Blader DJ! We're here live from Japan for the interviews of the next battle of the Beyblade World Championships! The last two battles so far have been epic on every level with one twist after another, and I for one can not wait for this one! We have Japan and Australia's representatives are here, so let's get right down to business! Introducing the visiting team, let's hear it for Team Coastal Riders: Hunter Hart, Taylor Wilson, Kelsea Gunter, and Ariana Klarice. Their mechanic, Jack Wilson!"
There was some polite applause as the Australian team made their way on the stage and sat down. Kyoya pushed his sunglasses on his head and squinted past the bright lights to take in the team. His little brother's words from the night before, about Hunter and Ariana.
Hunter looked calm, but there was a madness in his eyes, a glimmer that couldn't be concealed, that reminded Kyoya far too much of Damian. He recalled the team lists, and silently hoped Yuki stood a chance.
On the far end, Ariana was stone faced. But Kyoya had been a member of the Dark Nebula for a brief amount of time, and he knew darkness when he saw it. There was an unsettling look in her eyes that sent alarm bells ringing in Kyoya's mind.
"And the home team, Team Vigilante Justice, let's hear it for Yuki Mizushawa, Kakeru Tategami, Platina Triton, and Hikaru Hisamu! Their team mechanic is Akira Akuryo!" Blader DJ announced with a flourish, and the backstage worker ushered the Japanese team on stage. Smiles and waves were given as they sat down, camera lightbulbs flashing to get pictures.
"Well now that our teams are settled, why don't we jump right into the interview? Who wants to ask the first question?" DJ asked, and the room descended into chaos, as the reporters struggled to be heard over one another, "Yes, you there!"
"Is it fair to the Australian team that the Japanese team has a Legendary Blader on their team, when they don't?" The woman asked.
Yuki opened his mouth, but Hunter beat him to the punch.
"More like the Legendary Blader should be concerned if he has the skills to win against me," Hunter smirked, cocky and surefire.
(Sometime in the very near future, Nero Konzern would watch the reruns of this interview panel and take an instant dislike to Damian's cousin).
Yuki blinked, too shocked to respond.
"A bit arrogant, aren't you?" Kakeru asked, for Yuki, "What makes you think you can take on one of the most powerful Bladers in the world?"
"What makes you think I can't?" Hunter fired back.
Kakeru faltered at that.
"So, no, I'm not too concerned about it," Hunter finished with a smirk. "In fact, I'll bet that I can beat him in less than five minutes of our launch."
Kyoya narrowed his eyes.
"An interesting declaration from the Australian team's leader! We shall see the results come tomorrow on if Hunter's promise holds true. Next question!"
Kyoya tuned the noise out, eyeing the Australian team. Hunter's arrogance was concerning, and from the way Taylor and Kelsea were glanced at each other, they found it worrying too. Ariana was smirking like a cat that got the canary, and Jack looked mildly exasperated and concerned.
Interesting.
"- they have associations to Hades Inc and Dark Nebula? What's the promise that this entire match won't end up like Battle Bladers or the last World Championships?"
Wait what? Kyoya tuned back into the conversation. What the hell was with all these deep questions?
"You've got to be kidding me," It was Kelsea of all people who spoke up, sounding surprised. "What makes you think that anyone in this entire bloody tournament would do something like that after the last five years of potential world ending disasters?!"
"Because they kept happening, year after year!" The reporter fired back, "No one stopped Doji or Ziggurat, and they helped contribute to Nemesis' rise! What's to say that someone else isn't using this World Championships the same way those power driven men did?!"
… The reporter had a point. It didn't help she suspected the same thing that everyone involved with the secret of the Seven and Nyx was suspecting.
Someway, somehow, there had to be those that worked for Nyx involved in the tournament.
Kyoya had a hunch on a few people.
"Do you really think that WBBA officials would go on with the tournament if there was that risk?" Kelsea asked, "After the last few years and all the disasters that followed, why would they take the chance that someone would use such a huge event for dark purposes, when the sole purpose of this entire event is to get people back into the sport of Beyblade?!"
("Klaus, I'm in love with your cousin," Julian said.
"Does this mean I need to give you the shovel talk?" Klaus asked.
Nero choked on his coffee.)
"So no, I don't think any of us here think it's risky to have people who have associations with Dark Nebula or Nemesis or Hades Inc in the tournament," Kelsea crossed her arms and glared at the reporter.
Kyoya decided he liked the girl's spirit, and that Kakeru was a good judge of character. Even if she was wrong, but that was just because she wasn't in the loop.
The reporter, looking just a bit disgruntled, sat back down.
Kyoya sighed and turned away from the interview, finishing off his coffee. He walked towards the back door, where Tsubasa was still going over the papers. The Eagle Blader looked up when Kyoya approached, "How's it going out there?"
"Reporters trying to bad mouth the WBBA, and Bladers trash talking each other, what do you expect?" Kyoya shrugged, tossing the paper cup into a nearby trashcan. "What's your opinion on the McKandless thing?"
"That he needs to be in jail?"
"Konzern's working on that. Next?"
"It's too coincidental that a man with ties to Ziggurat and the WBBA Board and with a history of abuse, neglect, and other charges gets another position of power as a team member in this tournament. Not to mention, he shouldn't even be on the team! He's over the age limit!"
"Special circumstances?"
"Or he pulled a few strings and we can abuse of power to the list allegations," Tsubasa huffed. "Is there anything else?"
"Yeah, Julian said he'd e-mail me a few things," Kyoya sighed. "I haven't checked since I wrote all that out last night."
"Do so," Tsubasa requested. "I've got a bad feeling about this entire situation."
Kyoya didn't disagree with him.
And in the next chapter, we kick off the Japanese vs Australian arc of the fic! Who do you guys think will win? Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and will be kind enough to leave a review! Until next time, ciao!