Disclaimer: same as every chapter

A/N: Hi guys! Nothing much to say today, except that I hope you are all well and thanks to:

MagicalPhoenix12, ZinniaSepia, BlackLotusRaine, CairoTh3Pho3nix, werechasingsmavericks, IamMakoto and Lady Moonlight Christianna for your support! :)

Have a wonderful weekend! ~Bird

Chapter 12

Extraordinarily Ordinary

"Now, everyone please turn your books to page 87 and take a look at the timeline. As you can see, the French Revolution began in the year of 1789 and lasted for ten years."

Tyson pricked up his ears. The French Revolution! One of the questions the Doc had asked Kai had been about the French Revolution! And already Tyson's thoughts wandered off topic (again):

Kai - would he be alright, home alone with Gramps?

Tyson had tried to convince Tala to skip his practice to stay at the Dojo with Kai, but Tala had told him to stop being such a 'freakin mother-hen', after all he, Tyson, had spent years alone with Ryu and he hadn't turned out 'all that bad' (Tyson figured there had to be a compliment in there somewhere...). Tyson had to admit that Tala was probably right. After all he was living proof that Gramps was perfectly capable of taking care of a child. And Kai wasn't even a child. Yes, he had no clue who he was, but he knew that he wasn't supposed to stick his finger into a power outlet or play with fire - wait, no, Kai actually played with fire a lot. At least the old Kai did. Tyson didn't know about the new Kai. He hadn't seen him even touch a Beyblade yet, let alone launch it and unleash Dranzer's flaming inferno. But he was trailing off topic here. Surely everything would be fine even without Tyson around...

There was another thing that kept Tyson from focusing on French history. Of course that other thing was related to Kai as well - sometimes Tyson wondered what he used to think about before he fell in love with his former team captain? Tyson sighed.

What pre-occupied his mind today was the image of Kai, wrapped in a blanket, sitting in the Engawa and how his body had reacted to that sight. His heart had fluttered, his face blushed... And all the other things the body did when one was in love. Which was exactly to problem. Tyson was in love with Kai - the old Kai! Not the new Kai! The new Kai that looked like Kai, but then again didn't. The person that behaved like Kai, but then again didn't. Technically he didn't know that person very well, now did he? His heart didn't seem to be bothered by this tiny little detail, but Tyson's head was! He was just so confused. Was he in love with both of them? Was there even two of them? Not really, right? It was the same old Kai, just in a less... distant, less sarcastic and less controlled way. And smaller. And without the face paint and the scowl. And... Oh for heaven's sake! This was way too complicated.

Tyson scratched his head. He was probably putting too much thought into this - so unlike him! And all this where he had sworn himself he would just be Kai's friend for now! That sure was working out well... He could only hope he could hide the true nature of his feelings from Kai. Well, part of his feeling that was - he was still Kai's friend and he very much intended to show that part, he just needed to hide the feelings that went (far) past friendship.

He buried his face in his hands.

So many thoughts flying through his head. Mission 'just be his friend' was well on its way to become a complete and utter failure.

Tyson lifted his head up and let his gaze wander out the window. Maybe he should leave the deep philosophical question what made Kai Kai aside for now and accept the fact that his heart seemed to do just that. And maybe, once he managed that, he could focus on being the friend Kai needed right now.

He nodded to himself. That was really the only option he had - everything else would just cause him a major headache and most likely lead to nothing.

A sharp pain in his left side snapped Tyson out of his thoughts. He knew that pain all too well – it was the pain Kenny's elbow caused when colliding with his ribcage in a last attempt to catch Tyson's attention.

He quickly looked at the teacher, who looked back at him with that expression he always got when he was waiting for an answer.

"Err, the answer is,... Um...," Tyson stuttered.

Of course he had no idea what the answer was, being that he hadn't even heard the question. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kenny pointing his pen on a note on his paper.

Having no clue what this was about Tyson repeated, "The storming of the battalion, err I mean Bastille."

And to his great relief the teacher let it slide. Phew, lucky him!

Tyson mouthed a thanks to Kenny, then he sat up straight and reached for his pen. He was not going to push his luck. Not today, anyways. He couldn't afford getting into detention today. After all, he'd promised Kai to take him to the mall after school.

"I'm home!" Tyson yelled as he kicked off his shoes. "Gramps, Kai? Anyone here?"

"Gee, are you always this noisy when you get home?"

Tyson slipped into his house shoes and frowned at the redhead that had just stepped into the hallway.

"Hello to you too, Tala."

He followed Tala into the living room, where he found Kai on the couch with a sports magazine. When they walked over to him Kai looked up and smiled.

"Hello Tyson," he said.

"Hey," Tyson replied. "Ready for our trip to the mall?"

Kai nodded and put aside his magazine.

"Just out of curiosity, how do you intend to get there?" Tala asked.

"We can take the bus there and if Kai's tired catch a cab back."

"Good, because I am not getting behind the wheel of that thing ever again."

"And you think I am keen to be seen in that hideous van?" Tyson retorted. "Far off, man!"

"How the fuck should I know? Granger, with you it's anything goes."

"I don't mind a bit of walking, so I'd be happy with taking the bus," Kai interrupted.

Tyson huffed. That Tala sure could be a pain. And, prior to the amnesia-incident, who would've thought Kai would step in and de-escalate...

"Alright," Tyson then said. "Let's go."

"Man, how I hate these places," Tala frowned and looked around the mall.

It was a Friday evening close to Christmas, so naturally the place was packed.

As he pushed through the masses Tyson asked, "Then why did you decide to come with us in the first place?"

"As if I could leave the task of dressing Kai in your amateur hands Granger," Tala drawled.

"Excuse me, but did you just insult the way I dress?"

"I guess it works for you, but..."

"That's rich coming from a guy who has a preference for orange clothing despite his bright red hair!"

"Oh, nice come back, Granger."

Tyson snorted, then turned to Kai, "So Kai, did any of these shops seem familiar to you, like you've bought something there before?"

Kai's eyes scanned his surroundings. He shrugged.

"It feels like I know most of the names, but not one really jumps at me."

"Don't worry, we'll just have a look around then. How about that one?"

While Kai nodded, Tala shook his head.

"What's wrong with this one, oh fashion-guru Tala?"

"Nothing much, your choice is actually surprisingly decent."

"Err, thanks?" Tyson said.

"It's just that Kai needs everything from socks to winter jacket, so I'd suggest we go over there. We can dress him from head to toe there without having to hit another store."

Tala did have a point. Just trying on everything would most likely be enough to exhaust Kai, so the less walking he'd have to do the better.

Tyson nodded.

"Sounds sensible. Are you fine with this store, Kai?"

"Sure."

Together they fought their way through the crowd and stepped into the shop.

Tyson scratched his head and looked around, slightly overwhelmed by the size of the store.

"Right... where do we start?"

"With the first layer of course," Tala said and pointed towards the underwear section.

Tyson blushed. He admittedly had not thought about the fact that taking Kai shopping would also involve getting the guy new underwear. Kai and underwear was a combination of things Tyson really did not want to think about in public. If he were in the privacy of his own room, with the door locked and bolted on the other hand... Oh god, this was bad! He needed to get a grip, or his feelings would soon be obvious to the entire world!

Tyson cleared his throat.

"Right," he said again. "Then let's do that. So, err, Kai... what, um... what do you wear... err, underneath?"

Tyson felt his cheeks heat up even more. He couldn't help it. It just was such a blunt thing to ask a guy he barely knew, who also happened to be his secret crush and, to top it all off, was the Kai Hiwatari. His love life sure was complicated...

Tyson forced himself to directly look at Kai. He'd been expecting the glare that seemed to be the Russian teams' trademark and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the faint blush across Kai's cheeks. Of course he wouldn't glare, Tyson thought. This Kai had yet to learn the art of shuttering people's confidence with one single look. And now that he thought about it, he'd noticed before the new Kai was somewhat bashful.

Tyson couldn't help but think how cute Kai looked right now, standing there in his over-sized sweater, his face flushed, not knowing where to put his face. He then scolded himself to focus. Not the time, and certainly not the place!

"I, err..." Kai mumbled.

Tala rolled his eyes at them.

"It's just a piece of fabric, girls. And Kai wears briefs, Tyson."

While he was cursing himself for blushing and Tala for pointing it out, Tyson had to wonder once more about Kai's time with the Blitzkrieg Boys. Tala sure knew a lot about Kai... Almost too much for Tyson's liking. Did Tala know what Bryan and Spencer wore underneath as well, or was it just Kai? If yes, was their relationship less brotherly than Tyson had thought? What if ... No, he couldn't go there. He needed to focus! Also, he really hadn't gotten that vibe from Tala.

Tyson slightly shook his head. Focus! He needed to focus!

He gave Kai a smile and nodded towards Tala, who'd already gone ahead.

"That guy sure knows you well, eh?"

"He does. We were teammates you said?"

"Dude, don't ask me about your guys' training habits!"

"Right. I'm not sure I want to know just yet."

Tyson chuckled.

"Fair enough. But don't worry too much about it, because you wouldn't have done anything you weren't cool with, Kai."

"Thanks Tyson."

In the end picking out underwear for Kai was a short and painless affair, much like picking out the socks afterwards. The second layer was much trickier, due to the overwhelming amount of choices.

"Don't even think about suggesting that shirt to Kai - he's not a Granger clone!"

"Oh yeah? Well better dressed like me than dressed like a pimp! What the hell, Tala?!"

"What's wrong with purple?"

"Everything if it's a shady button-down shirt with alligator print on the inside of the collar."

"Um, I'm gonna go ahead and try these on," Kai interrupted and nodded at the pile of clothing he had assembled.

"Guess Kai already knows what he wants," Tala said and put the purple shirt back.

"Guess so," Tyson agreed.

And he did. Surprisingly quick, too. A number of plain T-Shirts found their way into the shopping basket, along with some cardigans and hoodies, a pair of simple black pants and the inevitable pair of baggy pants. They also found a pair of pajama bottoms, some sweat pants, and finally some shoes and a warm winter jacket. Tyson really had to fight back a laugh when Kai picked up a white scarf and put it in the basket as well. Some things apparently hadn't changed.

"Got everything you need?" Tyson asked.

Kai nodded.

"I can't think of anything else right now."

"So let's get outta here. It's not like we can't come back," Tala said and strode towards the check-out.

Tyson was about to pull out his wallet when Tala motioned him to stop.

"What's the matter Tala?"

"There's no need. Hey Kai, you got your credit card with you, don't you?"

Kai pulled a card from his wallet and held it up.

"I do."

"Well, there you go. Just swipe it."

"But doesn't he need the pin?" Tyson asked.

"There was a bank letter with the stuff the Doc gave me containing a new one," Kai replied. "So you think I can use this?"

"Yeah, you got loads of issues, but trust me, money isn't one of them."

"Gee Tala, you're exceptionally charming today," Tyson remarked.

"I do what I can!"

"I'll just go and pay," Kai said.

Tyson watched him walk off towards the check out. He glanced over at Tala, who was just replying to a text. Tyson then thought that this day really had been … extraordinarily ordinary. And he smiled.