Hello everyone! How're you all?
Guess with which I've come here today?! It's the 18th birthday of KaiHil Fanfiction, aka our dear Riti. Many many happy returns of the day, Riti! *Throws confetti and bursts balloons* Geez, were we all KaiHil fans born in the same month, only in December? xD Hehehe...that's why, we aren't friends, we're sister *Hugs*
Riti is one of my cutest readers and I enjoy reading her stories a lot. Like a stream of freshwater in a scorching desert, she came in our site. Even if I've to retire someday from this site (Though I hope the time will never come in my life), I have full faith that my beautiful, precious OTP will never go extinct because there will be you, Riti *Hugs you and kisses your forehead* Always stay blessed, the beautiful KaiHil princess!
And my dear readers were missing Kingdom a lot, weren't they? For them, I've brought a partial sequel of the majestic "Kingdom" here. This is a canon fic, dealing with the next life of the bladers (The original series) and related to Kingdom too! I hope you all will like it :D
Enjoy! :D
Sharp at 12.00 pm, the last train of the day left the station, screeching like a hungry and infuriated monster. The iron tracks where pebbles were scattered stayed heated and shuddering for a while, still traumatized from the noisy arrival and departure of the large multi-wheeler, painted in coffee and back, named, "The Sakura Express". Though it was gone, the platform didn't calm down. There were so many people, colliding with one another and creating chaos. Their voices were echoing throughout the whole stoppage. Quarrels and fights were obvious. The people who came to receive the passengers stood up from the benches and started searching for them. Meeting some, they became overjoyed. A few seemed bored by waiting, leaning against the columns and benches. Noticing everything, the slate-haired guy huffed, carrying the black backpack. Bearing noises wasn't his cup of tea.
"For the nth time, I'm asking you, Hiwatari," Sprinkling salt on his wound, the redhead screamed almost near his ears, "Why the hell have you brought me in Japan? This place is so hot, I'm gonna receive heatstroke anytime and leave this earth forever….do you want that?"
"Stop being a weakling, wolf," The phoenix-prince muttered, "It's not the time to create a scene."
"Creating a scene? I'm creating a scene?!" Tala cocked a brow, "What's your problem, Kai? Why're you so off today?"
"As if I were always on."
"No, I didn't mean that," Tala said, "But at least you used to behave quite well. But what happened actually?"
"Hnnn…."
Getting his signature remark, Tala slapped his forehead. Why couldn't he make his best friend open his mouth? Had he taken any vow to keep his mouth sealed forever when something would be asked to him? C'mon, who the hell in this world would reply a "Hnn…" to a WH question? Possible for only the phoenix-prince. The wolborg-wielder couldn't find out what to do with him. Right then, the dual-haired Russian approached a guy who was wearing a white full-sleeve shirt and black pants with a bowtie, looking like a butler. The person also moved towards them and took the suitcase from the hand of the phoenix-prince after giving a bow to him.
"Greetings, Mr. Hiwatari and Mr. Valkov," He spoke, "I hope you both have had a pleasant and safe journey."
"Hn." Kai looked at his wristwatch, "We're getting late. Let's go."
No sooner had the three been about to leave the station than the dual-haired Russian halted, seeing three other people. A man in his early fifties, a woman around the age of her partner and a young lady, a bit younger than he. The girl was familiar to him, having chocolate-brown hair and ruby eyes though she wasn't a tomboy like her teenage. Her hair grew, crossing her waist. She became taller, her figure also became much developed and attractive. As her eyes fell on him, she somehow gave him a smile and bent her head down. He could see the pink tints on her cheeks but he didn't know why she was blushing. However, he admitted that he admired her; she changed a lot during these years.
Once the family departed, turning to him, the butler asked, "Did you like your bride, young master?"
"Bride?" Kai was confused.
"Yep," John nodded, "The girl who passed before you. Hilary Tachibana. She's been selected as your bride. Beautiful, isn't she?"
"Selected…as your bride?" Tala frowned, "Kai, isn't she the same girl who used to be with you guys in Bladebreakers?"
"Umm…" Kai couldn't find out any word. He'd been her secret admirer once upon a time. Beautiful and posh girls could never have eluded her but with her simplicity, Hilary Tachibana had stolen his heart. That's why, on their first meeting, he'd avoided to make his eyes meet hers. Simple the fact was, he'd been embarrassed though he would never admit it. Despite being an ordinary girl, she had been burning her eyes just like the sun. After a long time, when he got to know that Hilary had been selected by his parents for him, how should he react actually?
"Hmm…..now I've understood the reason," Tala grinned, "You want me to be your bestman, right?"
"Tala…this is not the time to discuss these things," Kai muttered, "Let's go home at first."
On the way, in the gorgeous black limousine, leaning his head against the comfortable leather seat in the back row, the wolf-wielder asked his former teammate and current classmate, "Kai? Are you upset?"
"Hn." Reply came from the dual-haired Russian whose closed eyes added more coldness to his emotionless facial features.
"I see…" Tala queried, "Why? Don't you like Hilary?"
"Not like that…"
"Then?"
"Actually," Kai got up from his position, "I'm not prepared for marriage at this age."
"But the final exams of our final year have already ended," He gawked at the phoenix-prince, "Besides, your scores are so excellent that any company will hire you for a job with a handsome, tempting salary and much respect. Then why aren't you ready?"
"I don't feel I am," Kai shrugged, "I wanna do Ph.D at first."
Tala sighed. This was the problem of Kai Hiwatari, only aiming for higher and higher things. He really didn't have any full-stop in the list of his wishes. He felt bad for the brunette. Reading her gestures, he could understand that she also admired Kai a lot and she was ready for the wedding, or say, heads over heels for the phoenix-prince. Why was Kai so practical?
When they reached Kai's mansion, they both were greeted very warmly. Unlike Kai, his parents were very cheerful, kind and welcoming. In fact, Tala didn't get how on the earth they'd given birth to Kai. The redhead felt at home there since he didn't have parents-at least he'd never got to feel how they become in reality. Besides, while tasting the dishes cooked by Misaki Hiwatari, tears almost came to his sapphires. He had never known how the foods prepared by a woman actually are. However, his peace was shattered into pieces by the fight between the father and the son.
"You've to get married, Kai," Susumu bluntly said, "You're 21 now and it's our family tradition to get the boys wedded at this age. Your grandpa also did this, so did I. You cannot be an exception."
"What was the profit, dad?" Kai objected, "You left us for beyblading. For fulfilling your goal, you abandoned your family! Had you married later, I would never have had to bear such a harsh, tormenting and traumatic childhood!"
"That's why I am letting you marry the girl whom you admire, Kai!" The father said, "I know….you'll never abandon your family for your carrier."
"That's why I have no plan to set my family before my carrier!"
"Kai….why cannot you understand?" Susumu snapped, "You've to get married to Hilary and that's final!"
"Whatever!" Kai turned his face away, "I'm going out."
"At this moment?"
"Hn," He gnashed his jaw, "I need fresh air. I'm tired."
Not giving a chance of speaking to his father, Kai stormed out of the house. Susumu sighed, slumping on the couch. The redhead tried to comfort him, "Don't worry, Mr. Hiwatari. I'm getting him back."
"Thank you, Tala," Susumu huffed, "Please convince Kai a bit…"
"You can count on me." The redhead smirked and followed the dual-haired Russian.
The windchimes tied to the branches of the camellia tree were swaying. When air clashed with them, they pouted and growled-but too beautiful they were, even their grumbles also sounded like mellifluous resonations. The jade leaves danced with the music played by the silver bells happily swinging from the roof of the pewter shrine. The river breathed cool breeze calmly, golden, mellowing, intangible sunlight of the late afternoon saw its image on the silver liquid mirror. Facing it, the slate-haired ex-blader kept standing, folding his arms on his chest and setting his eyes at the setting sun. Soft sunshine caressed his porcelain face and played across his cheeks but he really didn't have the mood to enjoy flirting with the sun.
"Kai?!" Tapping at the glass door of the tranquil silence, the redhead rushed towards him out of the blue, "What are you doing here?"
"None of your business, Valkov." The phoenix-prince didn't even face him.
"Kai…please, try to understand Mr. Hiwatari," Tala put a hand on his shoulder, "He's your father and a father wants the best for his child. Just think on his words and thoughts once."
"Are you my friend or enemy?" Kai turned to him.
Tala again facepalmed. He was still single but staying with Kai, he was learning how to manage a girl on her period.
"Okay, let's not bring these topics," Tala was clever, "After a long time, I've come to Japan. Won't you show me around?"
Then, a smile bloomed all over the face of the phoenix-prince, struggling hard. Nodding, he said, "Come with me."
Kai had a great interest in old artifacts. While accompanying him, the redhead also grew admiration for them though he was much of a modernist. Tala visited the nearby villages, shrines and old museums with him. Taking a comfortable bath in a local hot spring, they felt quite relaxed. Having tea and light snacks from a ramen shop, they were returning home. The sun had already set, letting its red exist throughout the blue. Under the mixture of indigo and faint crimson in the air, both the Russians were walking, trampling the crunchy leaves. The wind was still calm but rough, whispering against their experienced skins and failing to bother them eventually.
Suddenly, the taller Russian halted, "Kai?"
"Hn?" The younger one ceased walking too.
"I've heard that your ancestor was a king of this region," Tala asked, "Can you tell me more about it?"
"Not actually a king, but the son-in-law of the royal family," Kai replied, "Before millenniums, one of my ancestors got married to the princess of Japan. She used to live here. When the residents moved from the palace, shortly after it, an earthquake occurred and the castle collapsed deep under the ground."
"Oh….I see…" Tala felt intrigued.
"People say that here was the palace." Kai pointed at a large hole in front of a gigantic tamarind tree, spreading its branches across the sky. \
"Kai, let's do one thing," The wolborg-wielder offered, "Since people assume that the castle collapsed here, it means there can be a lot of jewels and ancient artifacts still. Let's search for them, going down."
The slate-haired Russian wasn't much pleased with the proposal of his friend. He kept staring at him for a few relentless minutes as if someone had proposed him to sleep with him or her. However, Tala understood that Kai wasn't agreeing with him. Clasping his jaw, he said, "Fine, no problem. When everyone will fall asleep at night, I'll come here alone and discover the castle."
"No need to be so daring," Kai slapped on his shoulder, "I'm coming with you."
Tala's face adopted a wide grin. Really, how easy it was to convince Kai!
With the passage of time, nightfall dropped its ink on the earth as the last sign of the faint crimson got wiped away from the sky. Birds were peacefully snoozing in their nests in the high branches of the trees except the owls which were rotating their round ogles, supervising the whole environment, specially, the fields of the crops and running rats. The streets of Japan were so silent that the sound of dropping a pin on the ground could clearly be heard. Almost all of the village were asleep, except two friends who reached the tamarind tree. In the flashlight of their phones, the eerie shadow of it lay on the ground, the twigs danced like a restless ghost.
"I'll get down at first, Kai." Tala demanded.
"Fine." Giving a nod, the slate-haired guy left the rope in the cavern. Climbing it, the redhead reached the presence of something solid under his feet. Following him, within a few seconds, Kai also descended. Though the hole was quite deep, Kai and Tala already had had a knowledge about the length of the ropes. That's why, they didn't feel any trouble to go there. On the stony, uneven surface, the dried and dead wild vines were tangled around the pebbles scattered here and there. Holding the lights, they started walking straightly. There was no sign of a living being in the tunnel. Not even a snake or a mouse was dwelling there. The place was congested, dark and mysterious. Kai couldn't understand how any treasure was supposed to be in the subway. However, it couldn't diminish Tala's excitement and curiosity a bit.
They'd to give themselves a break when they discovered a wall before them. The material of the barrier was rare, Kai thought it to be limestone or any other rare substance found on the earth. From the gaps created on the wall, some creepers came out, possessing anonymous wild flowers in fuchsia and violet. He felt that there might be something behind the hedge. This time, his curiosity grew, surpassing the level of that of his crimson-haired friend.
"Kai?" Tala gave him a questioning look, "What after it?"
Not replying, the dual-haired blader took a few steps back, examining his distance from the towering wall. Detaching his royal-blue Dranzer from his belt and pulling out the launcher from the pocket of his tracks, he adjusted the spinning top to the grip and pulled the ripcord with sheer force, roaring, "Let it…riiiiiiiiiiiip!"
His voice echoed throughout the clogged tunnel and the resonations fought with one another. But soon, they stopped when they met a larger, louder boom as the majestic beyblade of Kai Hiwatari clashed with the wall-only once. It was enough for the blade to crush the wall into powder, revealing a portion of the inner castle in front of the Russians just like drawing the curtains apart on the stage of a drama. Done with its job, Dranzer returned to the hand of its master. Catching and kissing it, the blader put it back along with the launcher. Facing Tala who was grinning, quite impressed with the skill of his teammate, Kai spoke, "Let's go in."
The flashlight of their phone illuminated a room. It was a gigantic bedroom with rectangular closed windows on the marble walls, covered with heavy blue and red silk curtains having floral embroideries and golden linings, bound in golden brackets. Lamp stands standing at the corners were empty. Inside the shiny brass vases kept on the side-tables and around the king-sized bed, the bouquets of white and yellow gladiola had already lost their color, their green leaves crunched too. The crystal chandelier swinging from the roof was also a history. Once upon a time, the room belonged to a royal person. But who was he…or she?
They got the answer within no moment when their eyes fall on the eastern wall. A large, square-shaped painting of any ancient artist was attached there. In gold-rimmed frame, a royal couple was smiling at them. The dual-haired prince was standing before the velvet couch, seizing his glimmering, keen rapier sword. His head was encircled by a golden circlet possessing an amethyst. On the divan, the brunette princess was sitting, wearing golden-red ball gown and golden accessories, studded with rubies and fire opals. The crimson georgette veil attached to her hair said that she was a newly wedded bride. So were they; a newly married couple. They hadn't been more than 21 when the portrait had been painted.
"K…Kai…" Tala uttered, "Is that…"
"Me…." Kai felt as if he'd been spelled by any enchanter, "And Hilary…"
Tala became silent but unexpectedly, fountains of words emerged from the mouth of the slate-haired blader. He kept blabbering like a guy possessed by any spirit, "In a spring, at the age of 20, we got married to each other. For…for winning her hand in our previous life, I…I had to go through one of the toughest challenges in this world…before me, there was someone who could hardly be defeated…just like Tyson…"
He clutched his head, taking a breath, feeling a sharp pain there, "But…why cannot I remember anything else? Who was the guy whom I had to face in my previous life? T…Tala? Were you there? Do you know something more?"
Tala's eyes became extended and he fell in perplexity. Could he ever imagine a birth or a life when Kai existed but he didn't? But what had his role been in the life of the phoenix-prince?
For a few minutes, both the Russian kept discreet, motionless-only staring at the regal portrait, being mesmerized. Only the pair of flashlights remained still on its texture, highlighting the faces of the royal couple. Suddenly, they heard a huge explosion somewhere, blinding their eyes and deafening their ears.
"Boom!"
After it, when they opened their eyes, they discovered themselves right before the tamarind tree. The hole wasn't present there anymore. A pair of ropes and their backpacks were on the ground. The night was still young, not ceasing. They felt as if they hadn't been gone anywhere, they'd stayed there. Standing up, without any word, they started walking towards the Hiwatari residence. They had to return there. Their heads were so hot but nobody was feeling to utter a single word.
When they reached the house, Kai spoke first, "Tala?"
"Yes?"
"I've taken my decision," He took a deep inhalation, "I'll marry Hilary. Whenever the date is, wherever the venue is."
"Woah…" Tala exclaimed, "Really?"
"Hn," The dual-haired Russian nodded, "If I don't marry the lady who is my soulmate since lives, it will be a great sin."
"Kai…" The redhead was curious as always, "Can you remember how your previous life was? How was Hilary?"
"I was a prince and she was a princess," He replied, "We married each other willingly, falling in each other's love. Except it, I cannot recall anything."
"No need." Tala patted his back, "You've already known that you and Hilary are connected with each other just like the moon and the moonlight. It's been decided from heavens. What else do you need to learn?"
"Hn…." Kai looked back once and smiled; a shade of pink crept across his cheeks. Nobody knew that the royal-blue beyblade attached to the belt of the phoenix-prince was glowing red in the dark night. Maybe, the sacred resident of the blade was smirking in pride and happiness. She was supposed to know everything. She was the one who'd created the fake explosion in the tunnel for preventing them from knowing the entire truth. Nonetheless, she couldn't express anything to the Russians.
Human beings aren't permitted to know everything in this world. This is the rule.
So...how was it, dear people? Good or bad? This fic may seemed a bit confused to those who haven't read Kingdom yet. I'm extremely sorry for that :(
Dear Riti, I hope you've liked it. Once again, many many happy returns of the day. Misty is blessing you so that you can be happy, healthy, safe, leading a long life as well as being the greatest KaiHil author of this site in future :* :*
Dear readers, do read and review. Pardon the grammatical and spelling errors. Take care and stay safe :D
-Misty ^_^ ^_^