Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade and I do not make money with this.

A/N: Hello everyone,

An update at last! Sure glad I got this out before the year ended ;) A big thank you to Devi, CairoTh3Pho3nix, Lionrence, aquabeauty, kaidatinuchan, harleyquinkat89 and Lulu Has A Gun for reviwing/faving/following this story - your support means the world to me!

Chapter 9

The Old And The New

With a skip to his walk Tyson walked through the hospital's main entrance. It's been a long time since he'd last been in a mood this good.

They had celebrated Kai's awakening over dumplings and a glass (maybe two) of sake last night, then Tyson had gone to bed and slept like a baby. He'd woken well rested and in high spirits. It was a lovely day, so the walk in the morning sun had lifted his spirits even higher.

Now that Tyson was in front of Kai's door again, he felt a nervous flutter in his stomach. He wasn't sure what to expect, or who to expect, to be more precise. Sure, yesterday there had been signs that his Kai was in there somewhere – the way he'd arched his brows had been unmistakable. But… what about the rest? About everything else that made Kai Kai? With all the things he'd forgotten… would he be able to act like himself or would he act and behave like someone else entirely until his memory returned? Tyson took a deep breath. It didn't matter. His Kai was in there somewhere and Tyson had sworn himself he would do anything to help him regain his memory. And a Tyson Granger did not back down from his promises!

He took a deep breath, lightly knocked against the door, then opened and stepped into the room.

For a moment, everything looked just like the day before. Kai was lying in his bed, eyes closed and unmoving. As Tyson stepped closer, his eyelids began to flutter though. Tyson quietly took his usual seat by Kai's side and waited. After a little while Kai's eyelids fluttered again and slowly his eyes opened. Kai blinked a couple times and crimson eyes flickered about the room, trying to orientate themselves. Finally Kai's eyes came to rest upon Tyson's face.

Tyson smiled gently.

"Hello Kai," he said in a low voice as not to startle him.

"Hello," Kai replied.

He still spoke very slowly, the effort it took to speak very obvious, and his voice was still hoarse from the long coma. But that was to be expected, right? After all he hadn't used his vocal chords in months.

"How are you feeling? Do you want me to call the doctor for you?"

Kai slightly shook his head.

"How about breakfast? Are you hungry? Do you want something to drink?"

After a short silence, Kai did a slow nod.

"Water," he said. "Please."

Tyson's eyes slightly widened with surprise. Could barely speak, but managed to get out a please. Had Kai always been this well-mannered? Well, if yes, he sure had been good at hiding it! Tyson slightly smiled. This was a new trait to Kai that was admittedly unexpected and maybe even a bit odd regarding the fact that Kai was usually such a grump, but a trait Tyson certainly didn't mind. Still smiling to himself Tyson reached for the water bottle on Kai's night stand and poured him a glass. He was about to hand the glass to Kai when he noticed something.

"Oh that's not gonna work - you can't drink anything lying flat like that. Here, let me prop you up a bit."

He reached for the remote control that could raise the head end or foot of the bed and slowly raised the head end to a 45 degree angle. Then he picked up the glass of water and looked at Kai a bit unsure.

"Um, can you… should I…?"

Kai slowly raised a hand and … was that a smile, tugging at the corner of his lips?

"I can."

Tyson handed him the glass, careful not to let go until he was completely sure that Kai could hold the weight of the glass. He watched Kai carefully take a couple sips, then hurried to take the glass from him once he was done.

"Thanks."

"No prob."

They looked at each other in awkward silence. Tyson was torn in between very contradictory feelings: one the one hand he felt completely insecure and had no clue what to say to this person in front of him, and at the same time his heart was pounding hart and quickly in his chest and he felt like he was about to burst with all the love he felt for this boy. He slightly shook his head. This was ridiculous. He was ridiculous.

At the sound of Kai's voice he looked up.

"It's… Tyson, right?"

Tyson smiled, glad that Kai had taken it upon himself to start a conversation. Who would have ever thought, right? Kai Hiwatari, strong believer in one-worded-answers, starting a conversation.

"Yes. I'm Tyson Granger."

He paused for a second. He probably should give Kai something more to go on. After all, he was currently a complete stranger to Kai. What should he tell him though? They shared so many memories! Which ones should he single out to tell Kai? Oh this wasn't going to get him anywhere. He couldn't just throw a bunch of random memories Kai's way – he'd confuse the hell out of him! No, he needed to start at the beginning and then, in time, work his way from there.

"We meet a couple years back," he continued. "You see, you and I are both Beybladers and we both-... Wait, do you know about Beyblading?"

Kai furrowed his brows and thought for a moment. Then he nodded and said, sounding slightly surprised himself, "I do."

"Oh good," Tyson said. "That's making things easier. Well, um… you and I participated in this Beyblading tournament and by the end of it we formed a team with the other two semi-finalists. We were called the Bladebreakers."

Kai had been listening keenly and now repeated slowly, "Bladebreakers…"

Tyson nodded.

"Yes. You, me, and Max and Ray. You'll meet them soon I think – they've been eagerly waiting for you to wake up."

"Are we… friends?"

"Yeah. I like to think so. I mean, err…" Tyson scratched is head. Well, this was awkward. Why did he always have to talk first, think later? "You don't talk much about your feelings. But I'm pretty sure you see them as your friends. They definitely see you as theirs."

There. This was the truth, wasn't it? Maybe not the whole truth, but he couldn't tell Kai that he was usually a grumpy old sour-puss, now, could he?!

He watched Kai nod absentmindedly, probably trying to bring all this new information in order. The poor guy. Tyson did not want to be in Kai's shoes right now… Figuratively speaking, of course, since Kai was currently barefoot and-… Oh for heaven's sake! He should better stop thinking nonsense and shed some more light onto things for Kai…

"Y'know, the Bladebreakers went on to participate in the world championships. Together we traveled half-way across the world for the different matches – and we won, of course."

"So… I'm good at this…" Kai murmured.

It didn't seem like a question. More like a statement. Still, Tyson felt the need to confirm.

"Oh you're more than good!" Tyson said enthusiastically. "You are the best Beyblader I know – well, apart from myself that is."

He grinned widely.

"Don't let him tell you any bullshit, Kai."

Tyson's head shot up.

"When did you sneak in, Tala?"

Tala strolled over to them and took a seat.

"Just in time to hear you boasting about," he sneered.

Tyson snorted.

"Why hide the truth?" He then turned to Kai, who had been silently watching their back-and-forth and said, "This, Kai, is Tala. He was teammate during the last championships."

He stuck out his tongue at Tala and added with a cheeky smile, "Which I won, by the way."

"Oh shut up, Granger," Tala retorted, but grinned back at him.

The red head started to rummage through his backpack and pulled out a pile of clothes, which he lay down at the foot of Kai's bed.

"I brought you some of your clothes," he said to Kai. "The team was living together during the championships and I stored some of your stuff at my place after your accident."

Kai furrowed his brows. He was about to say something, when the door opened again and the Doc walked in.

"I see," he said and smiled. "The three musketeers united once again."

"Hey Doc," Tyson greeted.

"Doc," Tala nodded.

The Doc stepped closer.

"You have very good friends Mr. Hiwatari," the Doc said. "Not a day passed that these two didn't come to see you. We practically had to boot them out."

"Yeah, there's no negotiating with this guy," Tyson laughed.

The Doc gave him a smile, then turned to Kai.

"Mr. Hiwatari, how are you feeling today? Are you in any pain?"

Kai shook his head.

"Just tired."

"Yes, I'm afraid you will be for a couple more days or even weeks. After a long term coma, every movement is extremely tiring. But don't worry, it will get easier with every day. Now, are you feeling well enough for us to run some health checks on you?"

Kai nodded. He pointed at the pile of clothes on his bed.

"May I dress first?"

"Oh absolutely. Shall I ring for a nurse to help you freshen up?"

Tyson watched Kai's face closely. Was Kai blushing? He was, wasn't he? Not much, but there was definitely a touch of pink in his cheeks. Who knew Kai was bashful? Again, either this was the new Kai or something the old Kai had been able to hide from everyone.

Tyson smiled. Whichever it was, this sight was utterly adorable and he was glad he'd been able to see it.

"I-…," Kai began.

"I can help him," Tala said. When they looked at him in surprise he added, "We've been teammates – nothing I haven't seen before."

While Tyson still wondered about the Blitzkrieg Boy's training habits, the Doc and Tala were already helping Kai sit up.

"Okay Mr. Hiwatari, can you wiggle your toes for me? Very good. Now, can you point and flex your foot? Good, very good. How about lifting your leg? Excellent. Well, let's see if we can get you up on your feet," the Doc said. "Most patients need some time to get back on their feet, but you have been in extraordinarily good shape before your accident. You might be able to make a couple steps."

Together they lifted Kai to his feet. Watching him, Tyson again felt torn between emotions. He was on the one side incredibly glad to see Kai up on his feet again. On the other side, his heart ached at the sight of the proud and powerful Kai Hiwatari depending on two men to even stand up.

Tyson shook his head. He was being stupid. Again. Kai had been lying still for three months. He in Kai's place probably couldn't even lift his little finger! So he should be happy about it, and thankful that Kai was doing so well.

Just then Kai's legs gave way and he slumped back onto the mattress.

"Don't worry, Mr. Hiwatari. You're doing very well. You'll see, it will be easier with every passing day."

Kai nodded.

"I want to try again."

Of course he did. Tyson smiled at this. This sounded very much like the Kai he knew. Never giving up.

Kai got up again and this time didn't waste any time and took a first step forward. With Tala's help, he managed to walk the short distance to the bathroom.

"Oh look, there's a seat in the shower," Tala said. "Here, sit down and I'll get some clothes for you."

Tyson secretly was glad that Tala had offered to help Kai right away. He didn't know how he would have handled the whole Kai-naked-situation…

He watched Tala pick up some clothes, then disappear into the bathroom, only to reappear moments later.

"He wants to try doing it on his own. There's a panic button in there, so he can use it if he needs help."

"Typical Kai," Tyson grinned.

"Fuckin A," Tala snorted.

"He is doing extremely well," the Doc said. "Well, he was in great shape before the accident, but he's still made a remarkable recovery."

Tala shrugged.

"His Bitbeast is a phoenix, after all."

The Doc just shook his head as if he didn't believe that would have any effect on his patient's recovery.

"So Doc, what tests are you going to run on him?" Tala asked.

And then the Doc starting explaining the different tests they were going to run, and Tyson's thoughts slowly drifted off – he did not understand a single word of that…

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this! Take care guys and happy new year!

~Bird